The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-07-25

To Tie Edit0rQf Tile Egis.
A Tax Payers Convention is to be held in the
City of Baltimore, on the 18th of August, to in
augurate such measures as may be deemed prac-
tcable for the lessening of the burdens of the
tax payers in the various counties and the State
Several counties have already selected delegates,
and as no move i'll that direction has been made in
our county, the enquiry pertinent as to whether
the tax payers of Hartford county have no COM
plants to make against the grievous burdens i'm
posed upon them for county expenses. Is the
hard-earned money of the people, collected by
the tax gatherers, so economically disbursed that
there is extravaganza for us to proUest aganstp
Are there no sinecures that might be done away
with without detrment to the public services2-
Our court expenses last year, not including the
sum of $16740.95! That Is a fraction over eleven
hundred and seven dollars more adding the
salary Of the Judge,) than was expended by the
county for school houses, teachers, books &C.. for
the education of the children of the county. And
notwithstanding this fact retrenchment in school
expenditures had been determined upon; but no
voice has been raised against the extravaganza of
the Judiciary. The Circuit Court for Hartford
county with but three terms, and the largest rare
ly exceeding three weeks, costs the county forty
five dollars per day for every day in the year !
Have the tax payers no protest against this fear
full extravaganza?
No less than $l5,350 were spent last year upon
our roads. At the prevailing prices at which the
bulk of our corn crop was disposed of, forty
thousand bushels of corn were scattered along
our high ways! Did we get value received for II 7
Did the condition of our roads compensate for all
the labor and expense in producing the corn, the
mendng our public highways? Are there no use
less supervisors whose offices were created, and
whose appointments thereto were made solely for
political purposes?
The tax payers of Baltimore county are assessed
but fifty three cents on the hundred dollars. We
are assessed siXty-seven cents on the hundred dol
lars. Fourteen dollars per thousand on taxable
property more than our neighbors. In the natur-
al order of things their expenses should be greater
than ours, because of their proximity to the city.
But the tax payers Of Baltimore county demand
still greater reduction in the levy for the ensuing
fiscal year.
This is not question of politics. Mr.. Editor.
Gentle and Jew are equally interested.
The following is the preamble to the resolutions
passed by the tax payers convention of Baltimore
county, which selected delegates to the State con-
vention of tax payers, on the 18th inst, which |
heartily commend to the consideration of the tax
payers of Hartford county:
"Whereas in times like the present, of general
depression in business, when the incomes from all
professions and occupations have been greatly
curtailed, and when the cost of farm products
often equals and sometimes exceeds their selling
price, it is proper for the people to protest against
unchecked as well us eXtravagant public eXpend-
lures, and to adopt practical measures looking to
the discontnuance of useless and supertiuous of
fees, and closer scrutiny over disbursements of
all taxes collected from the people, and to pro-
viding additional safeguards against collision and
corruption" A TAX PAYER.
HdrtO1d County, .uly I'D, 1879.