American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-01-08
GOVERNOR PRATT,s
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.


ScAat0"S and Gcnuemen
Of the House Of Delegates:
It will be expected by you that should, in
accordance with the example of my predcces.
sors, address you upon some Of the topics of pa
ralRount Importance, which will demand your
elaboration and action during the present SEES
sion OF the Legislature.
Daring the canvass which resulted in my cleo
ton, visited most OF the counties ofthe State
and thereby possess the advantage of knowing
the views and wishes of our common coustitu-
ency, upon the Subjects to which | shall invite
your attention.
The subject which, above all Others, will de-
mand your early elaboration and your emerge
ic and manly action, is the provision which 1t
will be your duty to make for the immediate
payment of the interest upon the public debt OF
the State. No people on earth could feel more
deeply than the people of Maryland, the de-
grading position now occupied by the State in
reference to this subject and no people in the
civilized world could be more unanimously de-
termined to wipe off this, the only stain which,
has ever rested upon the honor and integrity oil
, their government. | profess to speak the at
most universal sentiment of the people of Ma
Iyland Of all CtIsscs and of all parties, in asking
ofyou prompt and efficient legislation TO re
lieve the State from her present Illuminating
position.
The principal of the public debt bearing in,
tercst amounts TO the sum OF about Sl2 ,0O0,.
600. Upon this debt the amount of Interest
due on the first of December last, the end OF
the fiscal year, was about 81 1905 900, and the
annual interest upon the debt is S625,34l
! The plain duty then deyolves on you to make
such provision for tho payment Of the interest
1,olc due, and for the future payment of interes
as IL becomes DUE as will relieve the public rlinC
of all apprehension of another fai! ure or the
part OF the State to meet its liabilities
The existing tax laws, properly executod
will yield la ger revenue thar has hitherto
been derived from that source, but will be still
inadequate to meet the ordinary expenses o
the government, and to pay the interest of The
public debt by about the sum Of $4,000 pei
annum, and further legislation is therefore ne
cessary to raise this sum.
Direct taxation is more Objectionable to the
people, because thought by them to be more
unequal than any other species of taxation by
which the pnbc revenue can be raised.
would therefore suggest to your consideration
some subjects of taxation not embraced The
existing laws, which 1t may be, would raise the
required AMOUNT and which would probably be
less onerous to the people, than an additional
direct tax for that purpose.
| would then recommend that every Execu.
tor or Administrator to whom letters testansen.
tary or of administration shall hereafter be
granted, shall, out of the commissions to be al
lowed him by the Orphans Court, pay to the
Register by whom they are granted, to be by
him paid into the Treasury, one per cent. upon
the amount of the personal estate Of his tesla
tor or intestate.
Under the existing laws the maximum o.
compensation allowed to an executor or admin
ia ter min Gua
The effect, therefore of the proposed legislation
will be to eise the State one per cent, and te
reduce the maximum of allowance to the exc
cutor or administrator to nine, and the mini
mum to four per cent. This provision would
yield revenue not less than S25 ,000-i,
would, in my judgment, be without a well
founded objection, and would be universally
acceptable to the people of the State.
The next subject of taxation not embraced
by the existing laws, to which would invite
your attention, is a tax upon collateral inheyi-
taaceS. | would recommend that whenever any
person shall hereafter die, seized or possessed Of
real or personal property, without leaving IL
neal descendants to inherit the same, or leav-
ing lineal descendants. that the person entitled
to the same either as heir at law or as devsee
or as legatee, shall pay TO the Register of the
county in which such real estate shall be stu
ate, or of the county in which the personal es-
tate shall be, five per cent. upon the assessed
value OF such real and personal estate, to be by
the Register paid into the Treasury. Should
this suggestion meet with your approval, it will
yield revenue of not less than S25 900, and
will, in my judgment, be entirely acceptable to
the people.
would nextrecommend that every donee or
grantee OF real estate should at the time he de-
posites for record, the deed or instrument for
writing which conveys to him the title to such
estate, pay to the clerk in whose office such in
strument Is under the existing laws to be re-
corded, to be by him paid into the Treasury, l
per cent. upon the assessed value of the estate
by such deed or other instrument conveyed.
have no data upon which | can form an accu-
rate estimate of the amount of revenue which
this provision would place in the Treasury; but
from full reflection upon the subject and the in
formation which have been able to collect, |
am persuaded that an estimate of $4,000 as
the annual revenue which would be derived by
the State from this source would approximate
correctness
Although have fully reflected upon the pro-
vision which / am about to recommend for
your adoption, and have convinced myself that
it would occasion little or no inconvenience,
and would at the same time yield Il usyu large
rerenae to the State, yet feel some reluctance
in suggesting it to your consideration, as it ma,
be thought by some that it would prove shaeklc
upon the trade OF the commercial community.
would theD with entire reliance upon your