The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-10-18

the slightest degree by reason thereof.
The facts, in brief. are these: All
licenses, including liquor licenses. are
issued by the Clerk of the Circuit
Court for the county. He is supplied
with blank licenses Ivy the state de-
partment ut Annapolis, and is there
charged with each license at its face
value as so much money received by
him. Annually he makes report OF
the number of licenses issued by him
and RENTS to the State Comptroller
the entire amount Of money received
for the same, except the small fee OF
fifty cents allowed him by law for
Issuing each license, and is given
credit for the amount SO RENTED.
From the Comptroller this amount
goes into the State Treasury, becomes
a part of the State finances and is dis
bursed for State purposes. The license
system is source of revenue to tn >
State only. Not one dollar, not one
cent of this money is ever returned
to or expended in the county.
By an examination OF the levy list
and the records it will be seen that
all moneys disbursed by the County
Commissioners, the financial officers
of the county, are raised by direct
tax levied upon all property assessed
in the county. The money received
| from the State for school purposes is
also the proceeds OLA direct tax of 10
cents on the one hundred dollars
worth of property LEVIED and collect
ed by the State for the maintenance
of its public schools, and is a part of
and included in the 49, cents on the
one hundred dollars now being paid
by the tax payers of the county. Tn.
der the stringent license law passed
for Garrett county In 1880, Chapter
1873 of the Acts Of 1880, section 1870, J
one half Of the money collected for
liquor licenses was required "tu be
paid over to the Board of County
School Commissioners to be by said
board applied to and used as part
of the public general school fund of
said county" But by Chapter 1923 of
the Acts Of 1882, that section was re-
pealed. Neither the county, rOr its
citizens, except those few engaged in
the licenses. derive any benefit what
ever from the revenue arising in any
manner from the liquor traffic. or
from the traffic itself. Investigation
will show that inst, al of decreasing
taxation, ii in part maintains the high
rates of the past and present.
Alcohol in some form is the cause.
directly or indirectly, of nearly all
criminal otftnses in the county, either
in violation of the liquor laws, or
the commission of crime while under
it's influence. and the criminal pro-
ceedings. principally prosecutions for
these offenses. constitute from one
half to three fourths of the business
of our courts. September Term, 1888,
was the most expensive court ever
held in the county, and the criminal
docket occupied about two-thirds of
the time and incurred fully three
fourthS of the cost of the term. With
one exception, every criminal case
disposed of at this term, was the re-
suit of whiskey drinking. Notably
TIE case of John Smith tried for the
murder of Josiah Harding, which
cost the county about $1,000. Smith
on the scaffOld, just before he was
cast into eternity, said "whiskey
brought me to this. Had l not been
under its influence, | would not
have killed Harding" The cost of
the Grand Jury and its witnesses, in
dependent IF the Clerks and Sheriff's
fees, was S476.92, and of The petit jury
for the time engaged with criminal
business. $607.50.
AT May Term. 1884. nearly the en-
tire time of the Grand Jury was taken
up with the investigation of "whis-
key cases." in which SO presentments
were found, and the cost of that jury
and its witnesses, independent of
Sheriff's and Clerks fees, was 1920. 40,
and Of the petit jury for the time en-
gagged with criminal business 1855. 90.
In the "whiskey cases." violations of
the liquor laws, in which fines are
imposed. moi one cent of the fines
collected go to the county. They are
in their entirety paid into the State
treasury, whilst nearly all the ex-
penses incident to such cases the per
diem and mileage Of the witnesses
to the grand jury, the fees of the
Clerk and Sheriff in procuring their
attendance, the per diem OF. the grand
jurors and bailiff. during their exam
ination, the per diem of the petit
jury and bailiffS. and the incidental
expenses Of the Court during the trial
of such cases, and the States AttOr-