Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-09-16
To the Tax Payers Of Jefferson
County.

Mr. Edlt0r-OI jill 'he
fees to be filed at the coming election,
there is none of more vital interest to
the tax PAYERS than the office of Magis
trate. who shapes the legislation of your
county, makes your annual levies, or
ders the opening and the construction
of your roads, levy the rates of the toll
on your roads and bridges, and in fact,
assess and direct the expenditures OF the
entire revenue of the County. The en-
tire fiscal affairs of the county are in
trusted to their keeping, and the best
talent, the most scrupulous integrity,
unwavering hrmness, and good judg-
menL are the Indispensable requisites
for the able and faithful performance of
those dates.
Let us see, then, how the duties have
been performed by the present incum-
bentS; how they have guarded and pro-
tected your interests; how they have
expended the revenue of the county,
the hard earning of the tax payers, and
how liberal they have been in the eX-
pendture of that revenue. They have
i'm the exuberance OF their liOerality,
purchased YOU Lawyers library, for
the exclusive use of the farmer, the me-
chanic and the laborer, who, after his
daily toll has ended, in his annual eff
forts TO meet the rounds of the tax gath
erer, may at night have access to those
ponderous volumes, through the cour-
tesy of the Librarian, in order that eve
~ man NAV be his own Lawyer. They
have voted themselves free passages
over all the toll paying roads III The
county, and pass their friends and reIa-
tives through the gates under their pre-
negatives. This free use OF the roads
by themselves and their friends, OF
course, lightens the burden of the farm
ers and others who are taxed with the
expense of keeping up the roads, with
vengeance They have allowed the
privilege to farmers, where their lands
adioined the highways, if their avarlce
or interest led them to do so, to enclose
a part of the public roads with impnnl-
ty, thus narrowing and impeding the
free passage, for the benefit OF the com
munity, and after enormous eXpendl-
lures for road purposes, left your public
highways almost impossible. They
have voted the pay Of salaries out OF
the county revenue, to officers whose
gratuitous services were guaranteed by
bond and security, and failed to appro-
pirate like amount for the publishing
of their proceedings, so that the public
might be kept in Ignorance Of what Is
transpiring, at their expense. Can the
public allow such gross abuse Of pow
er to pass unnoticed Can we i'll these
dreadful times Of sore oppression suffer
our taxes to be squandered, and our
true interests 10 be tritlcd with in this
manner 10y INSCRIPTIONS officials? These
are questions the public have a right to
ask at the polls, and those are abuses OF
authority that can be corrected by the
selection of men to act as magistrates,
who will feel the effects of their own
legislation-by the taxes they must
pay.
Those abuses can be corrected at the
polls, bv the selection of men Of good
Judgment and unhinchiug integrity,
men who will do their duty without
fear, favor o, affection. Such qualities
may be found among such men as Geo,
y lynch, W. J. Knott, Geo. Lick'i-
der, VIM. NJ. Morrison, Jacob Snyder,
J. 5. Melvin, J. +. Koontz, Lee IL.
Moler, VIM. T. McQuiIkin, and others,
whose modesty will always prevent
them from thrusting their claims before
the public, but would no doubt consent
to serve, if the public demanded their
services. Il IL