The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-10-25
The Levy List.

Doubtless our readers have been antici,
patng the satisfaction of finding the Levy
List published in the columns of TIE Wig
this week. Those who anticipated this are,
OF course, doomed to disappointment as we
did not doubt. We were told by the Com
missioners' Clerk that they required the
List TO be published in particular FORM as
in that, and no other form, could it be
published to meet the requirements of the
law, according to our ricu. In connection
with this, our readers will please remember
the following statement in Mr., Crawford s
article published in The Wing of the 4th
inst, basing the Commissioners reasons for
non compliance with the law on the expense
that such publication would incur. Mr..
c. says:
"When it is further remembered that a
- full statement is on file III the Commits
sionerS Office, AND A COPY OF THE SAME in
"the Court Room, with copy of each Dis.
trct' $ portion Of the List. in the hands OF
:" the nine Collectors Of taxes in the county.
" are all open to public inspection when
- all this is borne in mind, would it not be
the EXTREMIST folly and extravaganza to
publish at a heavy annual cost, such n
" statement as you think the law requires ~
Now we think the law requires just what
it says, which is in effect full statement Of
the List, which Mr.. Crawford tells our
readers 9 is on file in the Commi ssioncrs
office, and copy of the same in the Court
Room He also tells the public that the
expense wonld be some three hundred and
twelve dollars for publishing said List in
one paper. We asserted that such was
fictitious estimate, and offered to prove the
same to the public by publishing the full
statement, without cost to the county, as it
hangs up in the Court Room, under the
Clerk s certificate, testifying that such is the
fact. But after taking the certificate of the
Clerk in the Court Room and his assertion
to the public in Tie Wig, as we do the law
10 mean what they say, we are told by Mr..
Crawford, when we request to have the List
banded in according to that Lravado promise
in last week Hhig, that the List in the
Court Room IS rot complete, that the names
Of all who receive money from the county
are not on it. The readers of The Wing are
told by Mr. Crawford that to publish full
statement Of the Levy List would occupy
the space of 20S squares, and also that full
statement of said List is hanging up in the
Court Room, where all the information
regarding county finances can be had. We
assert that we can publish the List in the
Court Room in less than ninety squares and
offer to prove our assertion to be true and
that of Mr.. C's to be buncombc, by publish
ing said List without charge, and the offer
is refused. Now the Commissioners can
take which horn of this dilemma they please.
Either the assertion that it will require such
vast amount of space to publish true
List is false, or the certified copy of said
List in the Court Room is false.
The law does not require the publication
of the Levy List three times, but says:
The County Commissioners shall make
" out and publish annually detailed,
. minute, and accurate statement of the
"cxpcnscs Of their said counties. specifying
. therein each particular item OF expense.
and for what, and to whom paid and
shall also deliver to the Sheriff of their
respective counties as many copies of
o such statements as there are Election
Districts in the county at least ten DAYS
before each general election, and the
Sheriff shall within six days after the
receipt of such copies set un one of them
at the place Of holding elections in each
Election District
The law as quoted above, the reader will
perceive, does not require the publication
of the List three times, but a full statement
once. is evidently all it designs, which if put
up plain would cost but one half of what
three insertions cost, making the Levy List
Of Cecil for the present year, rs it hangs in
the Court House, cost less than fifty dollars
for legal insertion in The Wing. SO much
for the $4,000 statement of Mr.. c. But
if the Commissioners fulfil their duty to the
law and the people as they allege by publ
shing the g Analysis as far as the news
paper goes, what have they to say in regard
to delivering q statement to the Sheriff
before the annual election to be put mp at
she polls?
The spread eagle fabricatons put forth
on the part of the Commissioners were
evidently designed to lead the public to the
belief that we wished a full statement of the
county business published in order to reap
rich harvest from it. Such fancy Sketches
will not impose upon the community. We
demand it because the law requires it for
the protection of Che people against officers
who may be tempted to use the public
money for purposes foreign to the wishes OF
the people; and then hide their malfeasanee
under statement Of Sundries," 90 Con
tingcnt Expenses" or some other term as
elastic as thiefs conscience.
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