Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-11-12
Judge Bowie's Charge to the Grand
Jury.
Gentlemen Of he Grand Inquest !:


The interest every citizen has in the welfare
Of his county should be sufficient to maintain
the observance 0! law and order within its
borders, as the safety of each is involved in
the security Of the whole. But the competi-
tons and slriies Of society are such that the
common veal is forgotten in the expressing
duties Of life, and ii is found necessary to Sc
lecl and separate from the mass of the people
a body of the most discreet intelligent and
impartial citizens, whose duty it is to watch
over the Commonwealth and take care that
neither the State nor its citizens suffer wrong.
This is the sum and scope of your Office.
Experience teaches us that it is better to pre-
vent crime than to punish it, The people
being the source AS well as subject of legisla-
| toa, and the ultimate defenders of all civil
| rights, the most etfectual protection these can
enjoy consists in the integrity, culture, refine
ment and religion of the community. In
pursuance Of this policy, the State has as
sumed the duties of a parent, making ample
provision for The education of all her children
between and q years of age.
The Constitution OF 1867 following that OF
1864 in this respect) required the General
Assembly TO establish throughout the State, a
thorough and complete system of free public
schools, and to provide, by taxation or other
wise, for their maintenance. The school fund
is required to be kept invioate and appropria-
ted only to the purposes of education-Art. 8,
Con. Sec & 3.
| A State tax Of 10 cts on the S100 is levied
annually and apportioned between the coun-
ties and city of Baltimore in proportion to
| their respective population, between 5 and 20
years of age, 10 be paid quarterly. The treas
urer is required to pay to each Of the counties
and the city Of Baltimore tie proportion OF
the free school fund 10 which such city or
county is entitled under existing laws, 1870,
Oh. 3l1, Sub Oh. 10.
The State school tax and free school fund
are declared to be primarily dedicated, under
this act, to the salaries of the teachers and to
provide school books. ETC., for the children of
the State. If, however, the share of any
county should prove inadequate, the County
Commissioners are required TO pay such tax
as the School Commissioners shall designate
rs sufficient TO make good the deficiency, pro-
vided it does not exceed 10 IN. in the 500, I'M
less the County Commissioners shall approve
an additional tax. The school tax so levied
is TO be paid quarterly on the day fixed for The
payment of the State school tax TO The several
counties. The schools are required TO be kept
for ten months in each year; if in any county
the schools shall he kept open less than seven
and half months Of the year, ending De-
cember 3lst, the Comptroller shall Withhold
from such county, the a pril inslanent of the
pllle SCuOOi lax,
Among the rudiments of education impera-
lively directed to be taught are " the history
q of the United States, the Constitution of The
" United States, the Constitution Of the State
. OF Maryland, and good behavior" Sub Oh
8, Sec B.
Whether this system is founded upon the
theory, that knowledge is essential to citizen
ship, or that IGNORANCE is crime against So
ciety, " statistics show that "eigh,y per cent
OF crime Is committed by persons who have no
education, or very imperfect Que; that still
larger per cent. have learned no irade that
intemperance, the natural resource Of igno-
rance, is the parent of The greater part of this
crime, aud 80 per cent. of it is hereditary,
transmitted from depmved and uncutiya,ed
homes. :" Education, therefore, is the Only
antldote to the progress of vice, and he who
willingly and deliberately diverts the means
dedicated TO public instruction, is an enemy
TO The public good
The Legislature having thus discharged the
duty imposed on ii by The Constitution by
providing every means ii could devise to estab-
lish thorough system of free public schools,
If The efficiency of this system has been en-
barrassed, or retarded, or suspended bv the
default OF those entrusted with The duty ofcol-
Letting the school tax, il will be your duty to
enforce tie penalties prescribed by law
The annual report of The Commissioners of
the county shows that the aggregate of the
levy for county expenses inclusive Of the
school tax, is SCI, 287 IA A general impress
sion prevails, that our comfy expenses have
increased in greater proportion than its
wealth and population would Justify How
ever this may he, il is your privilege to in
qnire whether any branch of public service
has been unnecessarily enlarged. or any can
be diminished without deIriment
Since The lscliuu nf hreuse far tho eaia of
spirituons liquors has been mace by law de-
pendent on the recommendation Of the Grand
jury in session next before the lst of May in
each wear the manner in which those entrnst-
ed with the privilege have used il, becomes a
subject of deep public interest it will there
fore be incumbent on you TO inquire whether
the provisions of the laws regulating the sale
of spirituous liquors particularly, as well as
all other laws in relation to licences have been
observed
The character and conduct of all houses of
public entertainment, hotels, saloons, restau-
rants, etc, are specially subjects of ohserva-
ton.
1t is our duty to remind Won of the provis-
ions of the Code against gambling. The Sc
ductive charms of this vice make il one of the
most deadly diseases Observation-Disclosures to de-
tect with the utmost vigilance. and harder TO
suppress. 1t is the cancer among crimes,
forcemeHt Of the penalties prescribed To this
end the law compels every one to testify. even
against himself, although it exempts him from
prosecution
We reluctantly refer again to the provisions
of the act of 1872, Oh. 327, amendatory OF
Art 80 of the Code, Sub. Title, "Defanlters =
1t is enacted by thai Act, IF any officer of the
State or county, whose duty it is to collect
revenue, shall retain or neglect to pay it to
the proper officer authorized to receive the
same for more than sixty days after the day
on which ii is payable, etc, he shall de deemed
defaulter, and, on conviction, shall be i'm
prisoned in the penientary not less than one
or more than FIVE years, unless the amount be
sooner paid.
Provisions for the poor and prisoners at the
Almshouse and Jail during the approaching
inclement season will, OF course, receive your
special attention. 1t is not only the safe
keeping of the prisoners that the law regards
the State expects all its citizens in custody
shall be provided with necessary bedding,
food and clothing, and healthy atmosphere
In conclusion we commend TO your auen-
ton the general provisions of the Both Art. of
the Code, Title, Grimes & Punishments with
its amendments, as an epitome of the offences
to be inquired Of
We congratulate You, that as far as we are
Informed, there has been few instances of
heinous crimes in the comfy since The last
jury term, and that, in all the excitement OF
the recent election, there were few, If any,
breaches of the peace or violations of public
decorum
MYSTERIOUS DIsAPPEARANcE OF You've
LADY Thursday last Mr.. W Goshard
came TO Baltimore from Brooklyn New York,
accompanied by his daughter, Miss Elite Co
shard, young lady about sixteen years of
and sinnDad the Gern,ania HotaI