The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-09-30
A REPORT
BY TIE COUNTY COM MlSSI0NERS
OF CECIL COUNTY,

VI WYNN SOCIN
To the Ci'i-cns and Taxpayers of Cecil County.
DCBLIC opinion having, during the past
l. twoyears, seemed to dcnrtnd Snch course,
and it being in accordance with their own
views of business, and truprety. the County
Commissioners respectfully submit to the
citizens and tax payers of Cecil county, the
following Ec 'ort, in addition to. and cXplana-
tory of the st .tc,ncnt for the curr.nt year,
now being IN ,lisllcd in the newspapers. In
doing so we but conform to the usual course
demanded of those who have control of the
business "hairs of others, and the manage
mcnt and disbursement Of their funds. The
publication. annually, Of y similar Report
coull not fail, it seems to us OF being inter
e>ting to the people Of the county, relating,
as it would be, to matters of 50 much pccu-
mary import ncc; whilc in the present year
the unusual amount Of the Levy for county
charges, calls for more specific Statement
than heretofore annually made, as well for
your Information as for the vindicltion Of
ourselves.
The items composing the sum for which an
annual Levy Of county tax is made on the
property of the county, may, for the purposes
Of th, Report, be divided into those fixed by
law, regarding which County Commissioners
have no choice rs the pay for jurors, wit
ncsscs, &c; those which, though required by
law, may be. mora or less, at their discrction: as
the appropri tlions for repairs Of public roads,
Nc; and those over which they have entire
contrOl-whch rs guardians of the public
money and public interests they may provide
for or rel ct, at the dictatou OF their own
rdsmcnts--lnd comprising, generally, such
as may he pctitioncd for by the tax paying
public. For the first class, the usual annual
Statement is sufficient; it is to the more i'm
rortant items in the other divisions, in our
late levy, your att cntion is now called.
Orr immediate predecessors caused to be
erected at considerable expense, a new Coun-
ty Aims House which, until the present Sum
mcr, still stood naked, unfinished and I'M
ihahitable. AT the instance of Tie present
Trustees Of the Poor, in order that il might
serve the purpose for which it WAS intended,
the sum of SioO was appropriated and includ-
ed in the Levy for this year t" tit 1t for oc-
cupi;ion AMI furnish il in part-it being with
ont cupboard or closet, none of which can be
supple from the old huilding. There being
in the old house no bcdsteads except such as
are broken, unsuitable aud liable To become
filled with vcrniin, and hence unfit to be re-
moved into the new building, we found it ne
cessary purchase between forty and fifty
substantial iron ones, the cost Of which
(S3r3,75) is included in the Levy. During
number Of years raSt the usual sum levied for
the support cr the Poor Of the Aims House,
the Improvement otthe farm, &c, was 81 200;
this year on account of the numerous addi
tional fixtures and conv 'nicnccs needed on
the grounds about the new house. it became
necessary to make a Levy of S2.500-or
$500 more than nsra'. A bill OF SlS062 for
fencing lut upon the Aims House grounds
during the term OF the lust Commissioners is,
also, included in this years levy. Besides
these unusual sums we were obliged to levy
for Il list # debts due by the last Trustees Of
the Poor amounting to 1863. 60; rs, also, an
other deLt Of 36.44 due hy them and not
filed before the levy, but which collector OF
the present year has been ordered to pay out
of the balance in his hands. Thus it will he
seen that growing out OF the action of the
lat County ConmiSsi ncrs and late Trustees
Of the Poor in C1lnraiuI with the aIa!rs If
the \ Inns House alone. there is il the Levy
lIr 1851 All excess over the usual levy. to the
amount OF the following sums:
To finish and furnish the New Aims
House, $4,000
For iron. bclsttals, b $40
Addition to usual annual levy, 10000
Bill Oi fencing, -. lS0G2
Debts due iy late Trustees, Sl6.U4
Total on A Inns House acct. S2,03O.i
The amount levied in 1888 for the annual
repairs of the Public Roads, was $5,S2S,
which sum was all placed by the late com
missioners in the hands of the supervisors
appointed by them for half a year, or, up to
the end of last December, leaving nothing for
c first six months of the present year to go
into the hands of the supervisors elected by
the people; SO that we were obliged to levy
an amount equal to one half the above sum,
Il t,t ,.,t't .lp
during the six motifs ending the lst of July
last, in addition to the usual yearly appropria-
ton.
The amounts levied for landholders to pay
damages sustained by the laying out of new
roads have been unusually burdensome, but
nevertheless unavoidable, and they are to be
set down as unusual county charges uncon-
nccted with the general course Of the county
business. The late Commissioners left pass
ed on the books, to be levied by us, such
damages amounting to 81 sol; $l,271 Of
which was for damages by road the Return
Of which was made by the X DAD Commission
ers several months before the levy of 1858,
but which was laid over to be levied in 1854.
Dlrng the Spring and Summer of the pres
ent year an unusual number of petitions for
new roads have been. filed, on which, so far
as We have yet acted, we have appointed FIX
proposed roads, reported on by the Exami-
ners before the levy was made, the damages
awarded were heavy; that is: on the road
from Court House Point to the Chesapeake
City road, the sum of $3.50; and on the Direct
Road from Elkton towards Chesapeake City
the sum of So 500, which includes, also, the
estimated cost of opening the road and Of the
bridge thereby required to be built over Long
Creek. These roads were pctioned for by
citizens of the lower districts, who pay an
nllally large amount Of taxes elsewhere cX-
pended in the county; which consideration,
in connection with the fact that the said Direct
Road is part of the system intended to bring
that important section ofthc county-Sassa-
fras Ncck-much nearer the county seat,
PAGES the matter of its cost in another light
tlan that in which it might otherwise be view
ed. BY that road, now that one has been
lid out across Bohemia Manor, Bohemia
Ferry is brought within ten miles of Elkton;
and the bridging of the river ut that point,
to do which the citizens there have now the
forming of Company in contemplation, and
which at no remote day will undoubtedly be
done, will reduce the distance between that
valuable district Of the county and the coun-
ty town fully one half. These facts being set
forth and these views entertained, and the
petition for the road having been very nu-
merousy signed woco,lld not, with n proper
sense Of Justice towards that part Of the co,ln-