The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-12
The Governors Message.


on the 3rd inst, is long, explicit, and
Tor the most part satisfactory. The
Iecelpts OF the State Treasury Tor the
Fiscal year ending on September 3Oth
last were $2,5l0,62S, including bal
ance OF over four hundred thousand
sapllars left over from the previous
syear. The expenditures were $2,179,-
ssl2, so that the balance accruing to
Ethe fiscal year of 1S77-7S is S313,S24.
ne actual cost of carrying on the
government for the past year was
9z56, ,S2l, which the Governor does
mot consider to be extravagant, and
the difference was used up in outside
appropriations. The State has suf-
red severe losses to its income by
aiass.efiisp Bise-x8stt4'
iimVre and Ohio Railroad, the reduc-
tion Of the cost Of licences to foreign
insurance companies, the failure of
the Tide water and Susquehanna Ca
nal Company to pay the interest on
its mortgage, the whole summing up
S250,O00. The net funded interest
bearing deb, is Sc 1896, 1923, but among
the assets are numbered the railroad
stock and the canal mortgage above
mentioned, which are not Just now
productive. They are classed in the
message as securities that will con-
tinue to fail to pay interest, but we
do not think that the supposition
holds good except as to the canal.
The permanently unproductive AS
sets figure up to the alarming total
of S20,000,000. BY including all the
railroad property Governor Carroll
makes it appear that the basis of as
sessment for State taxation is S547,-
044,2 0, an increase as compared with
the assessable basis of 1867 of S54 .390.-
798. But the comparison is not quite
fair, for the right to tax railroad
property is still in dispute and must
be settled by the courts and omit
ting it, the basis is some fourteen
millions less than it was ten years
ago. The decline in property values
Of course explains the discrepancy.
The Governor presents some sound
arguments in behalf of exempting
mortgages from taxation, and favors
the creation ofa permanent Board of
Assessors in Baltimore, unon which
suggestion it may be remarked that
zen Board would be only an ex-
'Nagant nuisance if composed of
the average wuru Iyo---.-.- -
pears to be the only person who can
command the appointing influence
at Annapolis.
The message recites the various lit
iGations with the railroad companies
in which the State has become in
yolved, and expresses the confident
opinion that the Supreme Court of
the United States will affirm the
judgement Of the Howard County
Circuit Court sustaining the right of
the State to collect the capitatiOn tax
upon the receipts of the Washington
Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio.
Such anticipation of IA judicial de-
cisiOn of 50 much gravity is perhaps
rather out Of place, for it is hardly to
be supposed that Mr.. Carroll has OBJ
tanned any guarantee of the opinions
of the eminentju jurists of the Supreme
Court. He refers to the fact ;hat the
Court Of Appeals is now considering
what proportion Of the property of
the Baltimore and Ohio Company
comes within reach of the taxing
power of the State, and on the gen
eral subject of the relations ofthe
corporation to the Commonwealth
intimates that no compromise ought
to be made unless the former consents
"to contribute its proportion of pub.
lie taxes for the support of the gov
ernment." The proposition is good
enough so far as it goes, but the Gov
ernor only touches it in an indefinite
manner, and the Legislature will
hardly derive any valuable ideas
from his mode of handling it. We
like, however, Mr.. CAROLS plain
and straightforward statement of his
action in connection With the July
RIOTS, which involved an expenditure
of $4,000, to meet which a special
appropriation must be made by the
Ii gislature. He recommends that
three full militia regiments be pro-
vided for; that the military appro-
priation for the coming year be S55,-
600 and afterwards S25, 900 annually.
He advocates the repeal of the law
exempting honorary members OF
militia regiments from jury duty. z
Scarcely a more important topic is
debated in the message than that III
reference to the compulsory inspec-
ton of tobacco under State officers.
Mr.. Carroll says, with great empha-
4. l..