Year: 1879

TIC AK COAiOcsAOhDs -...


The "}azstte'' is welcome to all the
comfort it can extract out ofour editor
ial Of Friday last, in reference to the
payment of taxes. In no case did We
commeud the assessment and collection
laws, but We merely meant to say that
If Repablicansreally wanted tovote rig hi
baily, the law though intricate and
devious, could not prevent them from
paving their taxes and qualifying them
selves for a vote. The diiatory, lazy
Republicans, talk much politics
but never think Of paying their taxes
and keeping themselves qualified to
vote. There is no denying the fact that
there are great many persons of this
kind in all parties. We still say, as
we have always said before, that the
assessment and collection laws were
passed with the intention OF defraudlng
people out of their votes at the risk OF
cheating the State out OF the taxes
which were honestly due her. If the
intention had been to enable everybody
to vote, there would not have been 50
many obstacles thrown in the way Of
making preparation to vote. Difficult
as this task Of qualifying is, however,
it is attainabls by people who are de-
terminsd to assert their rights, and
there Is no more real reason why some
people should allow themselves to be
disfranchissd, than there is that they
should allow themselves to be deprived
Of many Of the necessariss and luxuries
Of life. ..-..=


The way the law works it costs some
thing for man to get upon the assess,
msnt books whenever his name has
been dropped and there are many men
who can lily afford to lose the time and
bear the expense of a trip to New Cas-
tie to have their names put upon the as
sessment while the Levy Court is in ses
sion. All we showed was that tht
Democrats of Delaware had made i
barely possible that man could keel
his name on the assessment by watch
ing diligently aud going voluntarily +
the collector and paying his taxes. Th'
law ia for the purpose Of throwing o.
Door men from the assessment to kee
them from exercising the elective fran
chise. For this purpose a supplement
to the law was passed relieving tn
collector from the necessity Of callin
upon each person individually who's
names were found upon the tax dupl
oates, unless they we're real estate q
property holders. A mere poll tax wa
nothing compared to keeping the Deu
ocracy in power. 1t were far better
disfranchise every poor man in tn
State and cheat the State out OF tn
taxes which they should pay than tha
the hated Republicans should be a
lowed to retain power. 1t may b
said however that there are &
many poor men belonging to the DEM
cratic party as to the Republican an
therefore any law which would disfral
chise Republicans would also disfral
chise Democrats. This would bs trr
il there was MT an extra effort mac
by the Demo ratio collectors to cole
the taxes from D D1mocrats. Those of
cials are made up from the ranks


leading politicians, who know almo
everybody in their districts and


course know their politics. 1t reqnire
no great effort for that officer to wa
upon those who are Democrats and 6
their taxes, or he can give number
blank tax receipts already signed


soma trusted Democratic politician wi
will call upon those who are Democra
and fix them up for voting. Thus IL
Democracy are kept in voting trim, al
when the day Of election comes arour
If there are any Democrats who cam


vote it is because they do not desire


do 30. no matter whether they are a
sessed or not. What Democratic GO
lectors through the manipulated IN


chin.ry of the law are enabled TO
for those of the Democratic faith, K
publicans must do for themselv


individually. There has been no la
passed yet which expressly di5franchis


voter because he is a Republica


but only inferentially and indirectl


This can be overcome by the Repub
cans themselves, though at . little g
penss. They should not wait for II
tax collector to call around and al
them to pay their tax, for this the la
no more requires Of him unless in Il
case of property owners. They Shou
not look to be notified, that their tax
are due and that they are requested


step up to the collectors Office and Sc
tie, for this is 40 more required by Il
law. The law fully reflects the Dem
cratic plan and to carry it out fully Il


Democracy would rather that RepubI
cans voters would not know when the
taxes are due. As we have before sa


1 1. ,S