The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-01-14
The Governors Message.


is plain, business-lke sketch of the pres
ent condition of the State, coupled with prac-
teal suggestions in regard to legislation re-
quired. The Governors views will no doubt
be fully considered and generally acted upon
by the Legislature. Altogether il is worthy
of preservation, and furnishes potent argu-
ment against the charge that the State has
been going 10 the dogs under Democratic
rule. Its extreme length prevents us from
giving it in full, but The following synopsis of
its contents, from the Baltimore american,
is in the main fair and correct. The Ameri-
! can says:
The message of Governor Groome to the
! Legislature is a voluminous and elaborate
document, distinguished for its minute re.
view OF q great number of matters in con-
nection with the State Government and for
its business like tone The Governor is very
free in making recommendations indeed
there is scarcely atopic he touches upon con-
corning which he has not suggestion to
make OF policy to advise. The treatment of
most OF these subjects is close and thought
full, and the message will undoubtedly be
| generally regardedas creditabe to its author
AS nearly as we can compress its principal
features into small compass they are as given
I below.
I After abiding to the financial showing of
the Comptroller's report as evidence that the
finances OF the State are in highly prosper
Gus condition, the Governor takes IN the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and its obliga-
ton TO the amount OF $20,941 74S to ihe
| State. In the reduction of the total of the
| preferred and construction bonds to So 993,-
| l4u, and the prospect that they will be en-
tirey liqudated in eight years or less, the
Governor finds cause for congratulation, as
the States claim will then have priority in
! preference to any other Indebtedness of the
Canal. AS the Canals net revenues will
steadily increase, it is predicted that the day
when the State will begin to receive returns
from her large investment is nearer at hand
than is now assumed. The Treasury officers
have redeemed during the year $3.50 9S of
the State bonds issued to the Susquehanna
and Tidewater Canal and held in London.
The 100000 of bonds issued for the relief
of the Southern States have been redeemed,
and the $3.50 900 issued for the House of Cor
rection and the Normal School are held by
the sinking fund, 20 that they may be de-
| stroyed and no further taxation levied on ac-
count of them.
Gov. Groomercvewsa tconsiderable length
the well-known history of the recent litiga-
ton between the State and the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. In the gold case" the
State failed to compel the Company to nav
III coin the interest on the States preferred
stock in the railroad, and the Company hay
ing itself advanced gold to pay the interest
due in London on the sterling loan, the Gov
ernor now recommends that the Company's
demand for reimbursement be resisted Ills
argument is that the corporation having neg
lected to take advantage of the Legal Ten.
der act when it paid the money, is not cn
titled now to make the State pay for its vol
untary action. The Governor appears to
hold that i'll these two phases of the ques-
ton between the State and the Company one
operates as q set-oH to the other, and that
the State can afford to be satisfied with the
situation of affairs. In connection with his
rehearsal OF the circumstances of the capita
ton tax case, and the decision ofthc supreme
Court that the State has the power to collect
from the Company one fifth of the receipts
| OF the Washington Branch, the Governor
announces that the State has brought fresh
suits to recover the balances due since, in
compliance with the decision, the Company
paid S424,219 into the Treasury. These
suits, covering the period up to July, 1875,
the Company resiss on three new grounds
That that portion of the road lying within
the District of Columbia is exempt that the
branch road only commences at the Relay
House, and that the State violated its con-
tract in charterng rival road, and hence
has no right to demand the consideration
which the Company agreed TO pay for mo-
nopoly. The message discusses the general
relation of the Company TO the State, and
sharply critcizes the conduct of the former
i'll refusing to submit any of its vast property
| to taxation while it engages in great enter
| prses that compete with citizens and corpo.
rations fully taxed, and at the same time en-
dcavors TO prevent the collection of what
claims the State has upon it. While ex.
pressing very decided opinions of his own,
Governor Groome counsels that the Legisla-
ture should deal with the Company in
spirit of moderation, with the view of effect
ing compromise. His view is that rea-
sonablc arrangement would he that, in con-
sideration of the abolition of the capitation
tax, the Company should make no objection
to certain degree oftaXation on its property
On the general subject the Governor recon-
mcnds that in the new assessment law which
| the Legislature will have TO pass exemptions
be as few as possible. A tax on mortgages
! he scarcely considers feasible. and "pubic
| policy may suggest the exemption of limi-
ted amount of the property of churches and
benevolent Institutions but this is all. 1t
will be seen that in this respect the message
| takes advanced ground.
With regard to the ATTORNEY Generaship
contest, the Governor points out that some
thing is needed to be done TO remedy the de-
feet i'll the Constitution which prevents any
going behind the returns, but what measure
is best he declines to definitely suggest, in
advance of the filing of the opinion of the
Court of Appeals in Gwinn VS.. Groomc-
| Passing on to the election outragcs and
frauds, the Governor holds that the Election
and Registration laws should be revised at
this session of the Legislature. lie recon-
mends improved balot-boxes, the REQUIRE.
mcnt of each voter TO place his ticket in an
envelope, the announcement of the vote each
hour and the appointment ofInspectors from
each political party by the courts. Other
practical suggestions are q rcdivision of the
wards of Baltimore and the establishment of
so many precincts that no one shall include
more than four hundred voters, and the
redivison of any precinct having an excess.
In case the City Council does not provide
these measures by the LIST of August next,
the Legislature should have it done by n
commission under the direction of the Gov
ernor These arc significant hints, and the
attention which the message devotes to Leg
islative extravaganza, the immense cost of
printing and the excessive number of officials
employed by the Senate and House is equally
interesting. The Governor outlines a law
limiting the number of employees strictly to
what is required by the demands ofbusiness,
cutting off perquisitcs and unduly large sala-
ries and insists that the people of the State
demand reform of this kind. Some change
in the manner of contracting for the Legis-
lative printing he also urges with considera-
BILE force Briefly stated, his plan of econo-
my comprises the awarding of contracts by
open competition, the fixing of n maximum
rate of compensation and the bonding of con-
tractors in heavy penalties that they will
faithfully perform the work. He also sug-