Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1879-04-18
Reply to Mr. Prettyman.


Mr.. Editor My article upon the subject of
stationery. which appeared in your issue Of
the 4th inst, seems to have provoked some
feeling and criticism from our worthy County
Clerk.
notice first his protest a; the conclusion of
his article in your issue of the ! 18th, and dis
claim the sense and Interpretation he has put
upon the word morals in my article. used
il as opposed 10 wrongs-synonymous with
the word right--and not 10 either of the Grim
inal or offensive senses 10 which Mr.. Pretty
man has tortured it. He graiu,ously refers to
my social and pecuniary position and will, of
course, allow me TO return The compliment. ]
do this to show the advantage be has over me,
and will say that am happy 10 recognize in
him an accomplished scholar, college bred, with
the advantage of several years experience as
teacher and many years practice in The
pulpit and on the platform. In addition, six
teen years. service IN the judicial part of the
government directly under the teaching of the
learned bench, and the tactics and forensic elo-
quence of the bar-with such varied opp0riu-
mites and accomplishments ADDED TO more
than ordinary natural talents and abilities not
to be able TO confouud and destroy one who
had no such advantages, but only very plain
common-school education here in old Mont
gomery, little more than learning to read,
write and cipher when | was taken from
school at sixteen years of age and put 10 work
on Tue mrm, IS me severe" comment, ana ar.
CUES failure IN the system ana 'ne foIiy OF
Wasting tue large sums OF money which we
anhuaiiy spenu 10 our system OF puoIic scnooi
euuca'ioh' 'hat ! nave yet seen.
haVing orusheo away 'he iofce anu Vaiue
OF Mr. freuymans protest ana personal al
insiohs, l. proceed TO notce 'ne argumenta.iVe
part OF ms reply: Whhoat no"clng the Con
su'uional inhloiilon IN inc present Oonstiiu-
non pointed OUT Dy me- ne CITES an act OF AS
semoy OF 1900 ana ie'ier from 'unge brewer
70 me county Commissioners 10 Jnsuhcation
Tor Putung ,nese expenses upon the taxpayers
OF tue county instead OF paving thfm OUT OF
the fees o! me once as the CONSTITUTION OF OF
requires. Oouio tnere oe stronger or oe'ter
evidence 'na' 'nis cnarge was recent ihnoVa-
tion upon the hme-honored praetce ana Gus
TOM OF lhe county, VIZ, 10 iet 'n's once pay
us own expenses Mr. prettyman laoors un-
DER anotner mistake IN assuming tnat Tue
sum OF 1900 IN the CONSTITUTION OF 1864.
ana 'Ee sum o. S5'oOo 10 the constitution OF
1867 was put mere as a reasonable ano proper
compensation Tor Inc CLERKS OF all Inc connlies
o, Tue ottte' ior preciseiv the reverse was .ne
onJect. IL was 10 keep do~n 10 INA, 'imlt the
enormous prohts OF thst ONCE IN Baltimore,
were SAID IN some OF these oihces to nave run
up to q sum nearly eqnal to the salary OF the
PRESIDENT OF me united STATES. IL 10 worm
whiie before dlsm'ssing ms snhJect 10 inquire
INTO ana understand the Jorce OF ms limitation
in the present Constitution, under which we
are now living ana by which weare all mound.
laymen ms well as clerks ami Judges Of Courts.
Art. 3, sec A., Constitution OF 1857, declares
That the General Assembly shall provide
simple and uniform system OF charges in the
ounces OF the Clerks OF the Courts and Regis
ter OF Wills in the counties of the State and
the city of Baltimore, and for the collection
thereof: pToplded, the amount OF compensa-
tioS to any OF the officers in the various coun-
ties shall not exceed the sum Of So 900 year,
and for the city OF Baltimore 50, 500, over and
above Office expenses and compensation 10 as
sis'ants; proO,ded tuFhey mat such compensa-
ton OF Clerks and Registers, assistants and
once expenses ShdH dttcdys De pad out OF the
fees or receipts OF the offices respectively"
Such Is the plain language OF the section re-
lating TO Clerks and Registers. Words of ex-
PLANTATION, IL is feared, will tend rather TO OBJ
scure than to make clear its true intent and
meaning. The first proviso relates TO the lin
1t or maximum compensation OF So. 600 in the
counties and S3, 800 in the city OF Baltimore,
over and above office expenses and assistants.
80 SNSohi u. W y" N""S'S sh"s SUM eoHPVh-
saiion OF Clerks, Registers and assistants and
Office expenses shall alwavs be paid out of the
fees and receipts OF the Offices respectively. II
Will be seen that the payment OF 'otfice ex-
penses' is twice repeated in this short section,
and lest there should be any cavil as TO how
they should be paid the last proviso adds these
emphatic words, shat always be paid out OF
the ices and receipts OF the oihces respective
ly, not out oil the county levy or from the
pockets OF the taxpayers, but out OF the fees
and receipts OF the office. The word shall,
Mr. Prettyman knows better than do, is the
auxiliary OF verb in the Imperative mood
and employed in law 10 express command,
and the adverb always to denote never
ending, never varying order, which, under all
circumstances, is to he observed and obeyed,
Turn 10 section 4, art 81, and we see how
carefully and completely the convention that
framed. and the people who adopted this su-
preme law Of the State, intended TO guard
against the possibility of making any other
source of income responsible for these office
expenses Of Clerks and Registers. The section
reads as follows +: 1.-THE salary OF each Of the
said Clerks (of Baltimore city shall be So
500 payable only out Of the fees and receipts
collected BY the clerks of the city, and they
shall be entitled TO no other perquisites or COM
pensation" IA provision in perfect consisten-
cy with that for the counties ALREADY noticed
and referred 10, which says the office expenses
shall always be paid out OF the fees and re-