Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-03-25
Ignorance or Spleen.
Eds. INDEPENDENT:

dislike To trouble YOU so much,
but must ask IA small space III your
columns to expose the absurdIty, lg-
porance or malicious attempt TO de-
criye twhatevt it may bel of The
article i'm the last issue of the HSrdtd,
a newspaper printed in this town, Ill
which the editor attempts to tnlight-
en- the people on the management OF
corporation affairs The article is
SO full of the most glaring misstate-
mpnts and misrepresentation, that
it lays the writer justly liable to the
charge of a willful and deliberate at
tempt to mislead and deceive the
people. or that he is entirely lgn0-
ran, of the matters on which he at
tempts to enlighten them.
r. writer starts ont with the very
modest assertion, that there has been
no "fnanciering ability exhibited" by
the present Mayor and Council This,
coming AS it does from a yonng man
who has resided here but six months. is,
to put it mild, little "chee y But,
as an evidence Of his extraordinary aois.
dom and 6nauceriug ability take his
statement, in the same article. in which
be refers to the ''heavy debts AID low
taxes" of surrou ding towns, and CON-
pares them with Mariinsburg with its
small debt aud high taxes The igno-
rance displayed in this comparison is so
utterly utter, that the opinion is exp e.
sd On all hands that the writer, who
sets himself mp as a teacher and leader
OF public Cpl ion, had better Inform
h mself or quit the business.
He says he has made inquiries and
f IDS that some of the surrounding cities
aud towns edo not pay their Council
auy salary, have lighted streets and
modern cunveniences, heavy debts aud
low taxes He then proceeds TO mem
ton Chambersburg, Nth n debt of $685.
900; Frederick, Md, debt 1888 900,
aud low taxes, while MaItin>Lurg, he
claims, has debt of 100000 (SlO0 900
he ought to have said,) and the tax is
rs cents on the $500" and nothing to
show for it.
Such az exhibition Of GoubIe-distilled
ignorance, have rarely seen There is
not boy attending the grammar school
in this place, that would not be asham-
ed OF it.
just look for moment. He gives
the Indebtedness of the towns referred
tn and the rate of taxation, but pun
posely or iguorantly neg ects TO give the
valuation of the assessable property Ia
said towns. For instance, Frederick
Md, has debt of $558 900. but the
ass, ssed value Of city property, real aud
personal, is 1920 600, from which Is
derived $4,000 per annum in taxes
The assessed valuation of Mar irshurg.
real and personal, is about 81 500 OG0,
on which, at 70 crnts ON the 500, IS
derived the sum of 1880. Ia other
words, the taxes collected on the real
and personal properly in Frederick is
nearly $50 900 more per aunum than
that C, llected on the real aud personal
property in Martinsburg. In addition
To- this, the revenues from water, licen-
ses, dc in Frederick is more than dou-
BILE the amount derived from the same
sources in Martinsburg. In Frederick,
the entire amount of revenue was over
$50. 900 in 1881 The rate of tax iti"n,
81 on the 800. The saari,s paid Off
GERS is $4.431. And the same thing
holds good in regard 10 Chambershnrs,
Carlisle and HAgerstown Their asses
sable property is five or six times more
than mat OF M"rtinsburg Any man
endowed with common sense ought TO
knew chat the rate of taxAtion i'll a
town, county or State, is governed by
the value OF the assessable property. II
Martinsburg had the wealth OF HagerS-
town. Frederick, &c, the rate at taxa
tion, according to present expenditures.
would not amount to more than %
cents Oh the 500, instead of rs cents,
as il is now. And yet his smart young
man, who has resided here but six
months, aud whose extraordinary knowl-
edge Of financiering aud business man
ag' ment is shown by his comparison Of
Martinsburg with neighb1ring towns,
with five times the wealth, throws up
his hands in holy horror and declares
there has been no 'fuaucieriog ability"
exhibited by the Mayor and Council of