American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-01-02
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
Gentlemen of The Senate,


al annual communication of the Executive, for
general and candid expose of the condition OF
the State. There is no subject in which our
constituents can be more deeply Interested
They may and do look with pride and pleasure
upon the occurrences daily demonstrating the
permanence and excellence of those forms Of
Government established in the several States
of the confederacy, and cannot but exult in the
proofs thus afforded, by the constitutional ac-
ton of the General and State Governments,
that no political institutions, which have been
heretofore. devised by human wisdom, can be
compared with those under which we live, in
their adaptation to the great end and object Of all
government-the security of private property,
he protection of personal rights, the redress of
personal wrongs, and the advancement of civil
and religious libetty. But while contemplating
the prosperous and happy condition of many of
our sister States, and rejoicing in the glorious
destiny of our Union, which the past prophe-
cies for the future our constituents must feel u
deep anxiety in relation to the internal affairs
of our own State; and have q right to expect,
in the annual Message of the Governor to the
Legislature, faithful disclosure, to the best of
his Judgment of the causes of our public diff
culties, with a recommendation of such mea-
sures as may, in his opinion, he best calculated,
III whole or in part, to remove them.
Nothing has contributed more to the enbar-
rassments which we have TO encounter, thaR
the too absorbing character Of our Presidential
elections At the time the two great parties Of
the country were organized during the first
term of General Jackson's administration, on
great conflicting measures of public policy, Ma
ryland was free from debt, and there was no
Just reason TO apprehend that any contingency
could arise, which would endanger the fair
fame and honor of our State. From that time
IN ha ntc Inv
gagged in on animated, and unceasing contest
for the mastery in regard to the Tariff, the
Currency, and the disposition of the Public
Lands, subjects which appertain properly,
and exclusively to the General Govern
ment. Engrossed by these absorbing subjects,
the people of Maryland permitted the manage
ment Of the most important of their own inter-
nal concerns to glide mperceptibly into the d.
rcction of a few expe imenting, and specializing
individuals, whose zeal and enthusiasm, direct
ed no doubt to commendabie object, have led
to all the public evils of which our people just
ly complain. 1t is to be hoped that the leading
cause of our porplexities will now, for season
sufficiently long to enable the representatives of
the people to devise and apply the proper re-
medies, cease to Influence the public mind, and
distract the public councils. A Presidential
contest of unusual animation has Just termina-
ted Before we are drawn into the vortex of
another, there is a breathing time within which,
by a cordial, harmonious, and energetic CO.
operation Of all those to whom the honor of our
State is dear, measures may be devised TO re-
deem the public credit, and do ample justice to
the public creditor. To accomplish an object
so desirable, however, | am deeply convin, I'd
that it will be necessary for all in authority
carefully and finally to avoid those things
which are merely ideal, speculative, or profile
NAUTICAL, and pursue steadily those which are
real, substantial and true.
In former Messages of the Executive, the ex-
tent of our financial embarrassments was dis
closed, and the total insufficency of our reve-
nue. laws demonstrated. In my last Message it
became my duty to announce to the Legislature
the signal failure Of all the financial measures
adopted by their predecessors, to accomplish
the purposes for which they were devised The
Legislature, with patriotic determination to
arrest the downward tendency of the public
credit, enacted various laws at the last session,
supposed at the time to be adequate to the OBJ
ject of their enactment 1t is my unpleasant
duty to inform you that the measures referred
to are wholly insufficient for the intended pur-
pose The whole revenue system of the State,
designed to provide for the payment of the in
terest on the public bond debt, so far from rea-
lizing the expectations of its authors, serves but
little other purpose than to disappont and tan
talize, both the Taxpayer and the creditor.
The interest liz arrear Oh the LIST December,
ils42, was Ss59s656; on the list December,
fl843, it was Sl,i7l ,872.97, and on the LIST of
tDecember, 1874, il amounted to s ,45O, 96l.5l.
Ibis progressive increase of charges against the
Treasury ought surely to be arrested. To do
this eifectually, the errors of past legislation
mast be studously avoided. Those who are
charged with the duty of providing ways and
means to repenish an exhausted Treasury, must
come from the ideal into the real world Their
measures, instead of heing founded on sanguine
expectations, and fanciful estimates, must be
based on well ascertained facts. To make this
very clear, we need only to pass, respectfully,
an review some of the measures to which have
adverted, and note the results.
AftertEe passage of the tax law of March
session, l84l, and when the assessed value of
the property of the State subject to its provi-
Moas had bsen ascertained, the Treasurer of the
Sta$e, WITH prudent foresight and manly
frankaess that did him honor, informed the
Legislature. that large increase of the cate of
the direct tax was Indispensable The Legjsla-
ttae, aot acting in conformity with that sug-
gestion, entered into the field of speculation
and uncertainty. 1t was assumed that the act
of March session. lS4l, and its supplement a,
December session following, imposing tax for
the first year of twenty, and for the three next
years tWshey-Ii"e Genus III TIE HuHufcd uollars
OH the assessed value of the real and personal
property of the State, would bring into the
Treasury, for the four years ending on the first
Of December last. $l,8ls, 256 81, while it ap-
pears that the whole amount received from that
source within that period is but S9s5,l5 II.
In aid OF these estimated incomes, other laws
were enacted expected to bring into the Trea- |
sury IN the course of each fiscal year, S200, 900.
lhese laws have been in force during three fs- |
cal yea.s, and, instead of realizing the expecta-
tons OF their authors, by contributing to the
demands upon the Treasury, the sum Of $780, |
900, have added o,,I,p a Il aan or 4. =