Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-07
.5oarnsI slIo Gourier.
SINGLE COPIES THREE GENTS.
Monday, January ., 1884.
GOVERNOR HAMILTON'S CHARGES.
 Ex-Governor Hamilton of Maryland,

!
 Ex-Governor Hamilton of Maryland, ] whose term of office as governor expired last week, is good Democrat, but he is also 8 thoroughly honest man. The State govern ment of Maryland has been exclusively under l the control of the Democratic party since 1867. and 1t is pretty plain that some Of the Democrats who have managed pubic affairs l in Maryland have not been as honest as ex- Governor Hamilton is, Daring his whole term Governor Hamilton openly and pub Holy maintained that the taxes levied and collected for the payment of certain specific loans have been improperly and unlawfully devoted to other purposes. The money has been used to meet sxtrsvagant ard unneces sary expenditures, while g new loan was created for the redemption of the maturing bonds. The constitution of the State ex- pressly provides that no debt can be con tractsd by the general assembly unless pro- vision is made in the law creating the debt for the lsvying of tax sufficient to pay the interest as it falls due, and to discharge the principal at the end of fifteen years. Gov ernor Hamilton has repeatedly declared that 5his provision of the constitution has been diaregarded by the legislature and the finan- cial officers of the State, and in his farewell address he made the justification for his charge very plain,
 The bounty loan act passed by the Mary land legislature of 1868 created g debt Of S3 1926, 75o, and an annual tax of five and one-half cents on the $1O0 has been levied ever since for the payment of the interest md the sxtinguishment of the debt; but, al- though the bonds mstured in 1888, not one dollar of the whols amount raised by taxa tion was put into the sinking fund for their redemption, and, as already statsd, 8 new loan was made. A loan of $225, 900 was made for the benefit of tine deaf and dumb asylum in 1870 and 1874, and tax Of three quarters of a cent on the $10O levied for the payment of the annual interest and the principal at naatu- rity. Part of this loan will be due in 1885, but no part of the money collected under the provisions of the law creating the debt has been put into the sinking fund. The same may be sAid- of the Maryland hospital loan ($465, ,000), maturing in 1867 and 1869, and the treasury relief loan (S50O, ,OOO). ma turipg in 1893. Under the various acts creat. ing these three loans first mentioned the sam of $4, 1921 ,370 has been collected from the people for the payment of interest and the extinguishHent of the debt. The interest, amounting in the aggregate to $S, 374, ,141, has been paid; but the balance ($1, 557, ,2s7), which ought to be in the sinking fund, grow ing with the annual accre.ion of interest, is entirely missing The people have been taxed for the payment of the several loans, but the money has been misappiisd.
 This is not very pleasing state of affairs, and does not speak very we'll for Democratic goyernment.in Maryland. Governor Hamil- tons attacks upon the ring which has had control of the party during the last twelve years do not appear to have had the effect which they ought to have had, but he has done his duty, and done it well.