Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-03-13

mental money furnishes no parallel at all.
That was the extravagsnt'y inflated issue
of the old confederation, for which hardly
any va ue at all was received. There was
no qui1 pro qu,, and certainly no moral
liability devolving upon the reorganized
government to redeem 1t at par. But this
case involves the taking of the property of
the Loyal citizens Of loyal State, that re-
manned true in its allegiance to the Fed
era government, depending upon IS guar
antee to protect it in its property, and in
Cured heavy debt in raising the requi-
site troops for the Federal armies. The
property taken away had been EXPLICITLY
recognized as property by Mr.. Lincoln's
proclamation, and was taken at q time
when the Congress by joint resolution had
proclaimed its duty and intention OF ex-
tending pecuniary aid to such States rs
should emancipate their slaves, so COM
! pensats for the inconviences public and
private resulting from such change of sys-
tenn"
| We believe that when our contemporary
investigates the matter it will find that it
is incorrect in its impression that Mary
land rejected the proposition for compen-
sation made by Mr.. Lincoln's administers
ton. We have been unable to find any
record of it. Maryland's representatives
in Congress were, of course, not authoriz-
ed to speak for the State in this matter,
but our impression is that they did not
undertake to do so.
We feel sure that our contemporary can
not point 60 any other property of loyal
citizens of loyal States which was taken
by the policy and authority of the United
States, for which legislation has not been
promptly enacted by Congress giving the
aggrleved parties the right to audit their
claims and receive compensation therefor
! Why then should it. after granting the
rights of the matter" conclude that nei
ther this nor any her Congress will ever
award compensation for this particu ar
properly.
/ After grant, the rights of he matttr,
and that this property nds taken by the
policy and authority of tie United States,
and that there is no prohibition in the or
ganic law against compensation being
awarded for it, it does not appear 20 US
that there is any insupersb'e barrier to the
! favorable action of Congress. 1t has been
estimated tha' the surplus revenues result
ing to the treasury from the present tariff
are not far short of one hundred millions
OF dollars per annum. 1t is the manifest
purpose of the present administration TO
proceed cautiously and with due regard TO
the invested capital in the reduction OF
tariff duties 1t is also the opinion OF
good judging persons that the first Steps
toward a reduction of tariff duties Will in
crease, rather than diminish the revenues.
1t seems probable, therefore, that for a
number Of years to come there will be
large surplus revenues aecruing TO the
treasury from the tariff duties
Now the full value of all the slave prop
erty in Maryland at the time Of taking the
census of 1860 is estimated a $35 900 900
We suppose the value of such as was in
the State at the time of the emancipation
in 1864 might be put down at a lower fig
ure; and the amount which would be e1
pected from the government, in accordance
with the rule of compensation it adopted
in the Dis rict of Columbia, would proba-
bly, not exceed $50, 100000. Noxwhen we
look at the extravagans appropriations
which have been made COR rivers and har-
bors" and for other purposes, as = means
of dissipating this large surplus, may we
not expect a favorable consideration OF
this mos' just claim Of the loyal people of
the loyal State of VI ,ryland, who have
been most wrongfully impoverished "by
the policy and authority OF the United
States? ?" If the join resolution of our
Legislature should be, as We have every
reason to believe it would be, supported
by both parties, would the measure not be
apt to receive the support Of the high tar
if Republican in Congress.
While it is truly unfortunate that til
matter has not been acted on before, we
believe there is sill hope OF remedy be-
ing obtained. Several important reasons
concur in demanding that there be no
further delay. We do not expect our con-
temporaries of the Northern counties to
take so much interest in the matter as the
press of these peninsula counties which
witness the ruin the great wrong has
worked here and the annuslly increasing
burdens in the shape of greatly augment
ed pauper list it IS entailing upon US bu'
We do hope and expect that, IN ess they
can find some Wild reason for withholding
their endorsement of measure in which
this State has everything to gain and no
thing to lose, that they will not continue
to do So
1t is estimated by the committees who
had charge of the Inauguration ceremonies
that the total expenses incurred will not
fall far short of S45 900, which is $4,000
more than was calculated upon at the
start. The greater part of the additional
uoo inourra1 =,