The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-06-08
The County Commissioners and
the Tax Bill.

nation. Come on. then. ye hreIiRgs and
lefend yOur O'cn." If by htrettngs ne means
be Commissioners of Cambria county, We
would just inquire how they shall "come
'n." Trey are pursuing the even tenor Of
their way. If there is folly enough any
where to listen 70 this kind Of appeal, any
citizen who believes the Tribune is telling
the truth can issue another injunction. And
then the Comm issioners will "come on'' in
the name of the people whom they represent.
Without this the Commissioners cannot |
'come o."
Oar Commissioners have always been sus~
taiued by the law. They have never "come I
out - 10 other words they have never brought
suit, and hdoe nereT lost one. Several in-
functions have been issued against them en-
advice given by such lawyers as the Tribune
map, but they have always been the victors
A few years aimee the Cambria Iron Com
pany refused TO pay any county tax aud is-
sued "a injunction to prevent its collection
Judge Taylor soon settled that-aDd the tax
was paid. 1t is true tina. case cost the tax
payers four or five hundred dollars, as the
Comm les toner's. had 20 follow the case TO the
Supreme Cout, but the spirit that dictates
such advice as the Tribune gives. cares pot
he~ much the people are taxed if their ends
ire subservsd. Sirce that again, the Com
uissisners we re compelled, by the finding Of
two successive grand juries and the mandate
of the Court. TO construct new Jail. The
Tribune then declared it would cost the peo-
pie over 500, 900. and would be followed by
building a new Court House. 1t was so
heavy in its denunciations that it induced
some eight respectable gentleman who be-
lieVed it to issue peir of iDjuDctioLs, lest
one might not be sufficient, againt the con-
tractor and Commissioners. and these the
plaintiffs were compelled, within the Last
few moths. TO discontinue at their own
costs. This cost the people Of Cambria
county q few hundred more, but the Com
missioners cannot help It.
Now. the Tribune might be satisfied with
these experiments. Our Taxpayers have
quite enough on their shoulders without pay.
ing lawyers fees aud other expenses for
every trivial and unfOsnded proceeding
against Cambria county through its Commits
sionsrs.
As to rhsn the new tax law about which
the Tribune is so much exercised shall 90
into effect, there may well be an honest diff
ference Of opinion. The bill itself was passed
after it was to 60 into tfIeCt according to
It's own terms, and tchen signed by the Coo
ernor, (Which is all that gives vitality to
any law } on the eighth day If April last, IL
tcds lceek past the ume IL should haze gone
into operation. Whether the Commissioners
who received the law soon after, should COM
ply with the words of this Act and FIX the
fret day on which literal compliance could
be had. or undertake to give it effect accord
ing to what they might have guessed was lis
intention. This is question on which the
best lawyers might differ. aud upon which
We would much rather take the opinion of
Col. Luton, whom the Tribune will admit is
an upright. able lawyer, than the opinion Of
the editor Of the Tribune, who. however up
right, is no lawyer at all. All the commits,
sioners had TO do was to exercise their best
judgment-and that they have done.
The real fault rests with Samuel Henry
E'q. He was SO Iamentably ignorant Of his
duty in regard to bills before the Legislature
land indeed Of all bills excepting bank bills)
as to pass bill to go into effect at an impos-
si1te day. if it was intsndeded for last April,
and this causes the whole difficulty. He
may have thought that the three DAYS Of
grace. in banking parlance, would cover the
error, but 10 this he was mistaken. In order
to show how little Samuel Henry knows
about legislation. and how profound is his
knowledge Of chow not to do it," we here
inert ,hc first section of the bill which is
now under the guardianship Of the editor Of
the Tribune, assisted by the intellectual Col
lossus who presides over the editorial desti-
nies Of the Herald
That from and after the passage of this act
it shall be the duty of the Commissioners of
Cambria county in each and every year, imme.
d'ately after the assessment of taxes shall be
completed, Not LATER THAN THE FIRST MoNp.Y
OF APaIL in the manner prescribed by law To
cause their clerk to make out n fair duplicate
of all seated real estate and personal property
assss'ed, With the taxes thereon, in a convent
ent form. and deliver the same to the Treasurer
OF said county together with n certifcats . under
their hands, attssted by the clerk, duly certify
ing the same to have beer regularly assessed.
The bill passed the Senate on the third of
April. which WAS too days after it was to be
put in force by the Com m missioners, and they
are now denounced and their motives wan
tonly aspersed because thew did mot do vhat
Samuel Henry. through his blundering, rem
dersd 1t impossible for them to do. The
Tribune and Herald assume that the law is
necessary and that the people demand its
execution. How do they know that? The
people of the county were not consulted on
tho subject and not single petition was
ever presented to the Legislature asking for
its passage. Without any popular demand
whatever, the whole affair was engineered by /