The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-31
SATURDAY. JAN. 81, 1885.

the attention of the Secretary and
Examiner of the School Board to the
fact that his report did not furnish
the tax. payers with the information
to which they were entitled, we did
so in good faith, and we had suppos-
~ed. the information would be furnish
ed in the same spirit in which it had
been asked for. In this we were mis-
taken. The information has not been
furnished, and. judging from an edi-
torial in the Democrat last week,
somebody is made real mad, but we
can't help it. We knew we were
treading upon Democratic corns when
we called for that information, but we
thought our neighbOr would be too
wise to let the public know how bad
Iy the corns were hurt. Our neighbor
processes to be surprised at our solici.
tude for the welfare of the tax payers
of Garrett county. We are one of the
taxpayers, and. as such, we have a
5RCIoOIldL liIlClCSt III tiIC htaltCiy dpt'l l
from our duty as a journalist, and we
insist upon having the information
for which we have asked. The tax
payers of Garrett county want to
know what the Indebtedness of the
School Board is. The law requires
the annual report to show what the
Indebtedness is, and the people want
to know it. The Democrat seems to
have completely lost its temper, and
In its blind rage jumps to the defence
of Democratic officials whom nobody
had attacked. Our neighbor intimates
that there has never been any official
integrity or purity in Garrett county
except in the Democratic party, and
we can only attribute his lack of
knowledge to the fact that he has
been among US but short time. He
says his Information is reliable. Let
us see. The School Board of this
county has always been Democratic
body. That Democratic body has.
since Garrett county was formed, con.
tracted a debt of $4,000 or more,
which has now been saddled upon
the Taxpayers. Every dollar of this
enormous debt was contracted by the
Democratic School Board, without
any warrant or authority of law,
either express or implied. The prop.
osition to issue bonds and saddle the
debt upon the county was submitted
to the people ard voted down by an
overwhelming majority. Notwith-
standing this fact, pure and patriotic
Democrats, defying the wishes of the
people. fastened this debt upon US.
No wonder the Democrat sneers at
our solicitude for the interest Of the
taxpayers. No wonder our neighbor
and his party lose their temper over
School Board matters.
Again, the Democrat charges that
there has been mismanagement and
corruption in the county under Re-
publican rule, and that we kept quiet
because we got the lions share of
patronage. We suppose this is about
what our neighbor would haye done
If he had been thus circumstanced.
In fact it is an effort to measure our
corn in his bushel, but we object to
being measured by his standard.
Every board of county commission.
ers with one exception in Garrett
county has had one Democratic MEM
Der, a large portion of the time
Democratic clerk, and nearly all the
time Democratic legal counsel. Now
II the corruption which is limited at
by the Democrat existed all these
years, why did not these SWorn Dem
ocrdtic officials expose it. Does our
esteemed neighbor mean to say these
Democratic officials participated in
the wrong doing and kept silent, and
still remain silent. We now call up
on these gentlemen upon whom this
imputatjon has been cast by their
own organ, to come forward and say
whether they have been parties or
witnesses to sucl wrOng-doing and
have kept silent, and if so why?
As to the charge that we got the
lions share of the patronage, and
therefore kept quiet. we beg to in
form our truthful neighbor that his
"reliable information" is sadly at
fault. If he had taken The trouble to
ascertain the facts he could have seen
how very silly such statement is.
From the formation of the county to
the year 1880, the patriotic journal
now known as the Mountain Demo-
crdt got the lions share of the patror.
age. Is that the reason it kept quiet.
Can 1t be that this model Democratic
journal sold itself to corrupt officials
for patronage, Verify verify l say