Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-10-16
That Job.

We have more than once referred to the
job by which Mr.. Southerland, hen in
the Legislature two years ago, got bin
through for the making of general index
of the land records of the county, whereby
he has since had at the expense of the tax
payers of the county most lucrative and
very easy continuous employment, and
still has a good prospect of more ahead.
This job has Il ready cost tie county -. 500
an.l it is difficult t. say At rhis ipnc:ur,
how much more VIII acre .iter he demand
ed on that account.
We have heretofore suggested th.t the
for this work, provided in
the act, must have been Gnusailly eSces
sive, and have intended from time IL time
to make an eXam;nation Of he matter
This has now been done 10y the Hon. X
IL. Eieien, the Democratic candidate for
the Senate, in thai thorough manner which
is charac' eristic of him, and he is ably ex
posing the true inwardnesS and iDiquity
of that, among other Jobs Of our repnbli
can guardians in his telling campaign
speeches.
1t seems that the compensation rrovid-
ed for this work in Charles county is s
cents for ecery nunae inIsred, while by an
act of the same Legislature, providing for
similar work in Dorchester county, the
compensation allowed the clerk of that
county was 10 cents far edci GeeI prior to
the year 1918 and 9 cents for each dstj
subsequent to that date. Now in every
deed, as is well known. there must neCss-
sariy be ttco nan!es to be indexed-that OF
the grantgr and OF the grantee-while it
frequently happens that there are a dozen
or more grantor. and as many grantees ~
Thus it not unfrequently happens that
names in one iced to be iniese}. In this
county no distinction is made as to periods,
but the compensation Is ) cents for every
name regardless, of the date of the deed.
From the foregoing 1t will appear that in
our county the compenss ion paid fer in
dsxing every deed is necessarily Is cents
against 10 cents in Dorchester prior TO
1918 and cents since that period for the
same work; while it may and does FIRE
queutly occur that from 81 to g is paid
to Mr.. Southerl.nd and Mr. Stones,reet
under Mr.. Southerland's legislative job tor
doing the same work for which in Dor
chester nine cents is paid.
1t also appears that in Talbo. and other
counties the clerk only receives f,r making
this index in recent years and keeping i
up to date, the same compensation allow
ed for other recording required by law
viz: one cent for every ten words: while,
as will be seen, our c'erH, under Mr. South
erland's job, gets 5 cents = name down 10
the last deed he indexes
From these facts the bold iniquity and
injustice to tax burdcned oo!e contain
ed in Mr.. Scutherland's inb are made sp-
parent. But while Mr. >outhcrl4nd Vas
the originator OF this scheme. with the un-
derstandinr. SIS il is generally acc pied.
that he was - d. the work and ira he
and the clerk were - make "divy' OF
the spois, aud IS, therefore, entitled u the
distinction Of having the inh named sitter
him he is not, how ever. solely rcspansi-
ble for it. His COLLEAGUES in tie House
and DR.. Lancaster in the Senate. must lie
permitted to share tie cre,!i; oi this wise
and economic measure, Tor tae .urua's OF
the Legislature show their affirmative
votes upon it
We do not believe. IS we have sail be
fore. that there is any necessity at all Ter
the doing of this work At his line aud
We feel sure that he necessity FIR doi0- !,
did not form ;he slightest part of the mo-
tive of those who planned but, in the
name Of an unfortunate, impoverished aud
tax buIdcned community. il il Was 70 +,
done at ALL il should have at east been
done at as small an expense - the same
work cost atfiuent Dorchester couuty, and
net in the corrupt and ex'rAvagant man
ner that it was done.
The moral 20 he drawn from tie fore
going facts IS hat Mr.. Southerlsni. DR.
Lancaster and Mr.. Mitchell should rot be
sent back 20 the legislature. but should
be permitted to remain at home, which We
believe will he the decision of he yo'crs
of Charles county on the third day Of Nov
ember.