The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-16
COUNTY TAXPAYERS.
THE CONVENTION AT BALTIMORE.
Better Men Needed in County Offices
Resolutions Adopted Option.

Some of the taxpayers from the coun-
ties, who have become FESTIVE under the
weight of the heavy burden of taxation
that has been imposed upon them by the
Ring that rules the State and appropri-
ates large share of its revenue for the
use and behoof of its members, met i'll
Temperance Temple, Baltimore, on Tues
day last.
JUDGE MERRICK'S ADDRESS.
Hon. w. NJ. Merrick, the chairman Of the
Howard county delegation, called the meet
ing to order, and delivered the following adj
dress, the delivery of which Was frequently
interrupted by applause:
AS chairman of the delegation from the
county which has invited this movement,
the central county of the State Sympa-
thizing in the wants, wishes and interests
of every part Of our commonwealth, | take
great pleasure in calling to order this body
of representative men, gathered solely to
consider the public good and with your
permission will state briefly my conception
of the general scope and purposes to which
our deliberations should be directed. Let
me say at the outset that we have assembled
at this conference with no partisan purposes,
with no tleSi IN, direct or indirect, to form
new political party, nor to combine i'll one
| aggregate capacity for or against either of
the distinctive parties within this State.
But we have met together TO seek for the
correction of errors and the redress of
grievances, and for relief from burdens
which in progress of public administration
have accumulated upon the citizen Il weight
of in jury which greater wisdom and more
exact practice on the part of those clothed
with public trusts, can promptly mitigate.
That great benefit will result from the move
| ment we have inaugurated, feel confident.
Indeed, we already have conclusive proof of
it in the fact that the representatives of the
| dominant party in the State have recently
| caught the Promethean spark from the ac-
! ton of our friends in Baltimore, Anne
| Arundel and Howard counties, and have
generaliZed in sections 2nd, 3rd and 18th he
| more specific purposes we entertain. Doubt
| less, when IA convention of the opposite
party shall assemble it will not be behind
hand in the emphasis of its professions of
reform. What, then, may be asked, if both
| parties in the State shall be committed to
economy, retrenchment and reform, is left
| for us and those whom we represent to do
| First, to let them know that in this our day
| of distress it will not suffice merely to
| furnish captains with SonorouS battle-cries.
| [ Applause. We will see to it that they
carry out their professions in their future
practice and let both parties alike under
stand that whatever the regular politicians
may do, we, the people, shall not fear to fall
out of line whenever they defect from stern
fidelity to duty. Their works must illus
trate their faith, and parties cannot COM
mand our allegiance with empty promises,
nor retain it with broken pledges. Secondly
we mean to be specific in many Of our de-
mands, so that there may be no shelter be-
hind ambiguity, in the construction of
| platform promises. y just and candid ex-
animation of the facts of recent history
will not warrant laying to the charge of any
| political party, us such, the gross eNtrava-
gances which have resulted in the onerouS
| local indebtedness of the country. If the
local debts of the counties, towns and cities
of the several States were more than doubled
from 1870 to 1876, reaching to the latter
date over Sl,000,0O0 900, not including the
| State debts, that fact shows clearl v that all
sections have shared in the follies and err
! rorS of the times, and must now share the
burdens and cooperate in seeking their
proper remedies.