Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-11-12
For the ALEXANDRIA ADvERTrsgR.
MeNis. Snoavdeu & Co.

MsD1s. Sno7Vdex e Go.
IN your paper of the 10th inf. / OBJ
ierye, with fome furprile, the publication
of a letter from MIR. Charles Lee TO Capt.
Conway, in which he charges the Board OF
Comtuiflioners fer the county of Alexan.
dria, with having impofed upon the peo-
PIE a burthen OF tax, which he is pleafed
to term, (" illegal, uinneceHary, arbitrary
and oPpreilive,' which the people COME
qncntly are not bound to pay ano which
the a x-gatherer mutt proceed to collect at
his peril.
1t the reafons which are brought for
ward in ~fupport of thof- charges are found
concluiive, the Board Of omminioners are
unworthy of the confidence which has
been repoied in them, and merit the fever
eft re%prehenfion Of their injured fellow-c
tizens /; but it, on the contrary, it fhould
be made appear, as l truf il will, that the
accuiation cannot be fupported, and that
their conduct has been correct, legal and
judicious, the public ind. gnation nua ref
upor thofe, who thus wantonly endeavor
to introduce confuion and difcord amoneft
US, and TO deftroy that fyRem which the
laws have directed and which individuals
have with much labor brought into opera
ton, Tor the relief of fuch objects of want
and miiery as ever the mott fayaee focie-
ties have ever conGdered themfeives bound
TO provide.-Firft then, let us conGder
tae charge of illegslity-It is illegal, fays
Mr.. Lee, becaufe it is neither conform.
able to the laws of Virg mia or Maryland
and one or the other ought TO furniih the
rule" Let us examine the frength of
this poftiou.-" An act concerning the
Diaritt of Columbia paned at the laf
iefiion OF Congress, declares thas " the
claws of the fate of Virginia as they now
"exiit,. lhaIl be, and continue in force, in
" that part Of the DiArief of Columbia
I" which was ceded by the ~faid fate to. the
United States, and by them accepted
for the permanent feat of goyesnment )"
by this claufe i'll the. act Of aifumption the
principle is fully efablifhed that the laws
OF Virginia are to govern US in all cafes,
except where fpecially fuperceded by the
faid act. One of thefe deviations, was in
the eftablifhment of a Levy Court, or
Board of Commidioners, a tribunal un-
known to the Virginia laws The Ath
fiction of the Implement to the aforefaid
act of afumption, declares, " That the
+" magistrates to be appointed for the faid
Dltri6t hall be and they are hereby
|" conaituted a Board of Commiaioners
" within their REFLECTIVE counties, and
" hall pofefs and exercife the fame powers,
perform the fame duties and receive the
" fame fees and emoldments as the Lew
Court or Commifionets of county for
I" the fate of Maryland poGefs, perform
/" and receive."-Let us now turn to the
laws of Maryland and find what are thofe
duties, and what thofe powers with which
they are invefted. An act of the Mary
land afembly, paGed in the year 1904,
will afford Us this information-It is there
enacted, That the %jn6ices of the peace
" IN their REFLECTIVE counties, or any five
of them, fiall or fome day between the
I" 1T day OF May and 1T day of October
" annually, meet at the court-houfe Of
" their reflective counties, to adult the
" ordinary and neceffsry expenfes of their
"feveral counties, including an allowance
" for the poor of the county and public
" roads, and for the payment thereof with
" a commifion for collection not exceeding
|" fix per cent to impoie an Allotment Or