Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-09-23

rics? But, said he, in hi< previous COM
mun;cation, ''hnw could call ur0g the
County Commiss oners II levy tax in
April ar May taas did No, ooc.r un,l
June?' New. Mr. Costisin. very well
knows or ought IN know, Ibis j. no. -
The deficiency existed. and was felE, from
the first The mesnbcrs Of the Board, IN
diviJually. and in their corporate el1ac.-
". admitted IL L was admitted -eaer-
ally as the Teachers wsre being PAID MI.
for their Fall and Winter terms but,
sad they, We hope to be able - i better
next time That ''ne1. time. Ike -
morrow. it seems. viii rev.r come. Inc
deficiency was only create t9F our S2ril 2
Term.
He evidently realizes he Is on slippery
GROUND and is feeling his way very care
fullv,-but he will make an uulucky step
now and then. He has not gone to the
trouble 0: any more figuring he clearly
S at fault with figures. Confound the
Arabs (mavbe they were Chinese y these
little characters have stubborn. IN fact.
a very uncompromising faculty Of serv-
ing friend aud foe alike; and they are
sometimes turned with telling effect upon
those who previously invoked their aid
Don't have anything more TO do with them,
Mr.. Costicin, let 'em a'oas-
Bv spasmodic efforts, now and then,
lie endeayors to lift himself from the con
temptation of degrading personalities, to
which his grovelng nature naturally
sravitates, and seeks by verbose, far
fetched sentences, and pon>pous, high
t9gSning phraseology, to enchap the pub
X-Vs1Aand arestat from the conteng}a-
ton of the true questions at issue But
the careful, the thoughtful hlind. after
following him through his meandyings,
his tersiversations, looks in s9,for one
truth 1ainsayed, a single fact 1conirover-
ted. Indeed in his last Communication,
he scarcely undertakes TO defend the L.
qality OF his acts, hut mentions some ex-
tenuating circumstances, 10 show why the
law in this and that particular, should be
and was violated How 4 man like Mr..
Costigin, with considerable preteutlons to
Nlee1l attainmerts, can stand up before the
intelligent people of this county, and at
tempt to Justify his action in setting aside
certain provisions Of the school law,-the
very law IN Ter which lie acts, and by
virtue OF which he holds his office to-day,
because. forsooth he may think they are
oppressive, unjust or unnecessary, Is be-
yond my humble power Of conjecture
| leave it to the intelligence Of every law
yer and iurist in the State to say, If 1t IS
not the duty of a public official, accept
inc a public office and the responsibilities
attached, to carry out the provisions OF
that law according to its letter and spirit,
whether it be oppressive or otherwise
For one, | know Of no surer means to IN
sure the repeal of an obnoxious or oppres-
sive measure, than its rigid enforcement.
| will venture to say, the more honest
members of that Board, to-day will not
undertake. to defend all It's measures as
being within the rurview of the law
WV, then, stu.hty himself? Does he
efiiuE the Teachers Of the county and the
people generally are a set Of asses or Is
he really in his dotaee? Let US III char
ity adopt the latter idea.
Since the above wis in script. have
had thetleasure of reading the commq-
nicatson 4rom Mr. j Marshall Dent. 1t
so co1Apletcly covers the ground Of dis
pute that.I feel nave nothing more TO
say. And for fear he might accuse me
of borrowing ideas from him (and adj
nit | could not we'll keep aloof, for We
all combat error very muvh alike,-l. G..
by telling the truthA | shall after a
few words to the parents of the county,
bring this letter to close.
pAet,.sincerely regret, Mr.. Editor,
that this controversy has taken its pre-
sent turn but the PEOPLE will bear wit
ness to the fact that it Is not of my own
seeking. In my previous letters, aud
the letters Of the Teaohsrs generally, that
found their way into your columns, ne
allusion (howcvcr indirectly was aver made
to the personal habits, character or stand
ing of any member or members of the
school Board The Teachers, feeling az
gricved at the manner i'll which their
claims wore met, laid their complaint at
the door of the Board of school Commits
sioners. The attack. if attack you may
call it, was leveIed at the Board IN its
corporate capacity, and not TO any ind-
vdual member. Mr.. CostigIn (the great
AN in very consc quentiaI manner
and authoritative air comes forward and
bids them silence. The Teachers rei;er
ate their complaints, aud forthwith they
arc beseiscd with food of disgusting
epithets. in4idious calumniss and dirty
personalities, expressed aud Implied -
things entirely e1trancous, and foreign 10
the subject and which no honorable as