The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-04-08
MARYLAND STATE FINANCES.



',ir Republican members Of the House
r"aumittce of ways and means Submitted
Il minority report I'll Monday ON lie man
a@ement Of The States finances. which is
as t'uiluws.
The minority Of Your 4uys and mean.
committee, after :. full ami careful invest
l9allon of the matters contained IN the
resolution adopted by your honorable
body Jan. go, 1882, relative to the differ
@lice between his eIcellency the Govern
or OF the State and the honorable the
comptroller OF the treasury, respectfully
b''I leave to submit report. in whirl
they do not full" concur in the report o
the ma jority. believing that while they
are prepared to indolse many OF the state.
ne!ltS and conclusions set forth i'll that
report, still it is not sufficiently full. il
that 1t does not attempt to decide ret non
as to the responsibility of the officers Of
the treasury i'll their clear and utter dis
regard OF the constitutional requirements
relative to the special tax levied for the
purposes OF the sinking fund. under the
dilect provisions of the constitution OF
lSGI. Your committee find that at least
snce the Year 1872 the Legislature has
iudulged in lavish and wanton appropri
atoms of public money. and for want OF
courage i'll facing the people of the state
It has failed to make i levy in any year
sufficient to meet the requirements Of its
expenditures, and has made a deceptive
show OF economy in an annual levy rang
in@ from /. to 20 5-f6 cent: on the 500.
instead OF making IL levy which would
have ranged from % 81 IS To .. l6l / &c
cents Oh the 500 III order to have paid
, the expenses ut the State government. the
interest on the outstanding debt. and the
proper amount due each year to the cred
1t OF the sinking fund. Your committee
. Is 0i the u,iin!ou that this policy and
course, OF proceeding on the part of the
Conceal Assembly is very greatly to be
deploretl.and that the full measure of the
responsibility should be placed upon the
direct representatives of the people. who
have year after year increased their ex
pcnd!tureS i'll a reckless aud unwarrant
able manner. without making any ade-
quatc provision for their pay meat. and
tl.e accumulation ct IL fund for the dis
charge 81 obligations whIcl. viii mature
Ill Il very sitoit time. Especially is this
tue When it is remembered that the Lee.
lslature Di 1868. III direct Violation of the
constitution. reduced the tax levied for
he sinking fund :ur the redemption of
the defense loan from 10 to :. cents on
The SlOo, for the purpose o! creating Il
false inpres~luil OF economy. and after
wards cont uued IL its lavish expendi-
lures. uutii nt't only All tnc taxes levied
Ion general purposes were expended. but
ever, dollar collected ON account Of the
sinking fund had been spent. aud there
-
tnat 1t was found necessary to authorize
Il new loan Of 5000. 900 as an additional
burden upon the taxpayers Of the State.
for the purpose Of relieving cmbarrass-
ments caused by this ulwac policy.
Thus it will be seen that instead of adj
vancing prosperity IN the financial con
dltIon ct the State, the movement has
been really that of retrumrade. Not on
~ has no provision been made for the
payment Of the rapidly maturing State
debt. bat the revenues have not been
sufficient to conduct the state govern
ment, with all its necessary and many
unnecessary officers aEt! other sources Of
drain upon the public treasury. and new
loans have been made necessary for this
purpose. 1t may be true. as stated iii the
report of the majority Of your commit
tee. that the credit Of the State has III 10
wise been impaired. bit the fact cannot
be escaped that the ruimous policy pur-
sued has heapea up additional burdens
Of taxation u bu b0r.y in the near III
turc. Your committee finds that since
1858 the aggregate amount collected on
account of the defense loan. the Deaf
and Dumh Asylum loan. the Maryland
Hospital loan and the treasury relief loan
was np IL the end of the last fiscal wear.
81, lly 203 81: the interest paid for the
same period. - 9Si Coz 80: leaving the
amount due fhc principal of these debts.
:, / iBJ 1876 Il. \ As an offset to this we
have III tae sinking fund to General ac-
count. 81 - 2a4 IS. aud iii the sinking
fans. ui The treasury relief loan, $50 .S5
-: ba.anc" tn the treasury ri Sie2 1873
%: total S.is;i IL, 81 SO thht it the
whole OF the amount be placed to the
credit of thr sinking fund. where it
properly belongs. there remains Il deficit
al SIS 90 -. which has been diverted
IL Other pnrf,uaeS than that ioY Which
it was eXacted from die people Iour
cunnlittec is Of opinion that the respon-
Sihlity placed upon the General Assem-
biy by the majority report is entirely
proper t. the extent it may 80, but be
lieve further thai al equal -hatp 81 re
sp"n>ihiltv Shnmld be placed np,'n 1he
officers oi the treasury Tor having obey
ed the mandates of the Legislature III
paying apprngl iati"mS when there was Ia
The treasury no fund !or The puip"S"
save that which was protected and
1houll have been inlin!Ahly guarded by
the pr:', &ni.s oi the constitution. which
were plalr>a and explicit Inc i4egis!a-
ture has no authority to appropriate 9th
40. |, I, 81, =, l.
ing fund. i'll direct opposition IT, the pro
visions ot the constitution. and the Off
GERS Of the treasury plainly had no au-
thurity ia disbHrse money appropriated
without authority.
At almost every session of the General
Assembly certain appropriations are made
t" pay private and individual claims with
ont having received the constitutional
approval! OF the comptroller and trcaSur-
er, and a!th n the executive may sign
the At, the treasury officials properly and
promptly refuse pay ~, claim because
the constitution has not been complied
with. How. then. can they be Justified
III paying ont OF the treasury money
levied and collected in direct obedience
Ia constitutional provisions. Ior specified
pm poses, FOR purposes t" witch even the
Legislature had no authority to direct its
PAYMENT? The constitution ai1icle ., see
ton 81 provides that No debt shall he
hereafter contracted by the Genera! As
semhIy uuics, suGh debt Shall he author
lied by Il law providing ,or the collection
OF an anuual tax III taxes sufficient To pay
the interest on such debt rs it falls due;
and also IT, discharge the principa! there
oi within !,tIecq years tfGn! the TIM" #
contracti ur tbs same: anu the Tax as laid
for this purpose shall not be repealed or
applied to any other Object until the said
debt and interest thereon shall be fully
discharged. These provisions are So plain
and mandatory that any evasion of them
either by the Legislature or the treasury
officials cannot possibly be justified; and
as between the authority given by the
General Assembly and the imperative di-
rections OF the constitution, the latter
should always be strictly observed. Eeur
COMMITTEES does not concur iI the report
OF the majority in tie belief that the
course pursued Ivy the comptroller has
under the circumstances been the best for
the interests of the State. believing that
had the constitutional commands been
strictly QleyGd the next legislature would
have have hecn enforced TO economist III
its expenditures or To increase the levy
To the necessary figure, thus avoiding the
increasing debt for the future. and deal.
ing fairly with the people by giving every
tax payer an opportunity to know how
much Ii cost actually to conduct lie gov
ernm Ut and provide for existing oh'isa-
tinu& Vet t. mature oUr committee
therefore icco amend that il order to sub
serve Tia. best interests of the State il is
l,,