The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-28

II we are not mistaken Jno 0lScuS-
sion between ourself and the Demo-
crat about county affairs has been
brought about by simple inquiry
published in the REPUBLICAN, about
the Indebtedness of the School Board.
That information, asked for in good
faith, has not been given either by
the Democrat, the School Board or
the Democratic party of Garrett coun-
ty. The law, as we understand it,
requires the School Board in making
its annual report to state the indebt
edDess of the Board. NOtWithstaud-
ing this provision of the law, the
School Board did not see fit to inform
the people what its Indebtedness was
at the time the report was made, and
hence the inquiry above referred to.
The Democrat takes upon itself the
duty of replying to our inquiry, but
instead of giving the information
asked for, it arraigns the Republican
party for what it is pleased to term
that party's wrong doing, The Dem
ocrat says ION Feb. 7th) the indebt-
edness of the School Board could be
easily obtained from the books of the
Board or IFS Secretary. If this be so
why is not the report made and the
information furnished?
The Democrat says "we never heard
it charged that the school debt was
not a just debt or that the indebted
ness was not rendered absolutely ne
cessary by the condition and wants
of the schools"
What ever may have been the
wants and necessities of the schools
the School Board had no authority to
contract this debt. After the debt
was contracted and it was proposed
to issue bonds and saddle the debt
upon the taxpayers, the proposition
to issue bonds was submitted to the
people at the polls and was oyer
whelmingly defeated. Did the large
majority who voted against this prop
osition consider the debt just one?
Did the Democrat never hear of this
action of the people? This is one of
the Democrats class of facts.
The same paper says "the School
Board is the creature of the Court"
and denies that it is political body
or that the Democratic party is re-
sponsible for its acts. The School
Board is just as much political body
as the county commissioners or the
board of public works or any similar
body created by law. The School
Board is corporation created by law
and is not the mere creature of the
Court as the Democrat asserts. This
is another one of these peculiar facts.
The Republican party has always
maintained since the present consti-
tuition went into force that the school
commissioners should be elected by
the people, but the Democratic ma
jority in the Legislature has persist
emily denied the people this right.
and that party placed the appoint
ment in the hands of the judges for
no other purpose than to insure the
appointment of Democrats to the
Office of school commissioners. At
the time the appointing power was
placed in the hands of the judges we
believe every judge in the State was
a Democrat. The present Chief Jus.
tice of the Court of Appeals regarded
the act comforting this appointing
power upon the courts as unconstitu-
tional, and has always declined to
exercise it or take any part in the APP
pointments.
The people of this county know
full well that the School Board is not
the creature of the court, and that the
Democratic party is responsible for its
acts. Again the Democrat says 1.-THE
REPUBLICAN, attempted to make the