Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1882-09-22
The Count House Movement.

attention has been called, that it is be-
lieved that no prudent and juGicious citi-
ger, whatever may be his views upon The
question Of building a new court house
and removing the county seat, will woe
for this bill, which is now submitted.
Without for a moment charging any such
intention On the part of the projectors Of
this movement, it is impossible to over
the bogus laws, in the shape of ''improve-
ment'' jobs, 10y which the Southern States
were plundered by the carpet bag Govern
ments. 1t cannot be contended 10y any
such urgent need for a new court house
for this county as to warrant the adoption
of bill so faulty and dangerous.
So faulty and Objectionable are the pro
visions of the proposed bill, that it scarce
ly becomes necessary at this time to dis
cuss the merits of the proposed movement,
still, however, it is probably the duty of a
county paper to take some notice Of a
contemplated measure of SO much local
Importance.
AS far as the merits of this question is
concerned, we do not think it can be
Justly denied, that if there was really a
present need of building a court house for
tue county, that Port Tobacco would not
be the place indicated for the erection of
the new building; but that some place on
the railroad, and that place probably La
Plata, would be suggested as the place
for the new county seat. But the hypothet-
ical premise upon which this deduction
and concession are based, is not true as a
matter of fact. Charles county is not now
in need of new court house. While our
present court house is rather small and
badly arranged, it is certainly in as good
condition now, and in every way as con-
venient and commod:ous as it has been in
the last quarter of a century and it is
beyond doubt, quite capacious enough
for the amount of court business we are
having in recent years.
when the people are already badly oppres
sed with taxation, and many of them now
compelled to let their property be sacritic-
ed under the hammer of the tax gatherer:
and when the court dockets do not reach
a dozen insignificant cases twice a year
is most inopportune time to talk about
saddling debt of S25, 900, or more, upon
our already over burdened people for the
alleged purpose of building a handsome
and more commodious court house. 1t
will be remembered that the large and
wealthy county of Prince Georges only
undertook the building of new court
house when its old one had been condemn
ed as dangerous and unsafe.
In'so fag as the claim of the advocates
OF ,he4, ,,ssge, that the new building
~ to IN building up such large
Co Plata as would materially en-
value of the taxable property of
khty, is concerned, it must be APP
el!ient to any man of judgment and con-
sideration that this claim is altogether
preposterous. Towns are only built up
by manufacturing and other local indus
tries, not by court houses. Nor does the
combination of a court house and a rail
road, to which these gentlemen appear to
attach so much Importance, necessarily
result in the material advancement of the
prosperity of country village. For an
example of this kind we have only to go
to our sister village of Upper Marlboro,
and inquire whether the building of a
railroad to that court house town, which
secured this combination of circumstances
as effsctualy as the removing of a court
house to the railroad could have done, and
ask the citizens of that town whether the
effect of that combination has been the
building up of their town. The unani-
nous verdict of her citizens will be that
just the contrary has been the result; and
that, instead Of building upwards, their
good old town has builded downwards
like the caudel appendage of female
bovine.
With regard to the other argument re-
sorted to by the friends of the measure
that immigration and the recruiting of
our agricultural population throughout
the county would be advanced by this
movement, we fail entirely to see its force
or Justice. 1t does seem to US that SEN
sible immigrant, like a sensible resident,
would much prefer for the county of his
adoption to have a modest and even an
tiquated court house, quite sufficient for
the transaction of all public business, and |
be out Of debt, than to have a new and |
elegant structure of which his county
made scarcely any use, and be saddled
with debt of $4,000 which he must in
part assume, if he settled here And this
more especially when The law regulating
the debt leaves every inducement to dis
honest officials to misapproprate the
money. We really think that in the eyes
of the prudent immigrant, the new court
house in the present state Of affairs here,
would be regarded as needless and ex-
pensiye luxury, more ornamental than
useful.
With all Difference to the projectors of
the court house movement we really think
they are putting the cart before the horse
in their calculations. If our people are
really anxious to have their taxes increas-
ed, let them tax themselves to raise a fund |
to encourage immigration to Charles coun
~. And in that way first populate hei
waste acres, improve the barren portions
sf her soil: develop her agricultural re-
sources. and thus increase the court bust