The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-03-20

Protest Against Increased Taxation and the
Issuing of Bonds-Peppery Resolutions
Some Scenes Not on the Program.

Protest Against Increased Taxation and the
Issuing of Bonds-Peppery Resolutions
Some Scenes Not on the Program.
public Meetingi The citizens and taxpayers O
Westminster. who are opposed to being taxed out Of
their property, and who opposed to the bills now
pending in the Legislature for increasing the taxe'
of the town, are requested TO meet at Odd Fellows
Hail. Monday evening, March 18th, at IA o'clock. tc
take measures to give effect to their views. General
and punctual attendance is hoped for
In response to the above call, signed sMany
Citizens,n which was widely circulated through
the city on Saturday and Monday, number
of persons gathered at Odd Fellows Hall on
Monday night last. At the appointed hour
the attendance was not large, and about one
hundred were present when Mr.. John Smith,
some minutes later, called the meeting to
order and nominated the following, who were
unanimously chosen as officers of the meet
ing: President, Josiah Crowl; Vice-Presi-
dents, William G. Rinehart and Emanuel
Mackley; Secretaries, Benz. W. Buckingham
and j. Edwin Weaver.
Col. VIM. P. Maulsby took the floor and
made short speech, beginning by congratu-
lating himself and others on the interest man
Tested. He said he had prepared two sets OF
resolutions, one of which, if adopted, would
go to the Legislature, and the other pertained
to a line of conduct in home matters. There
must be wheel.ho said he, in all move
ments, and he had prepared the resolutions,
which had been concurred in by a number of
citizens, in advance of the meeting. He
wanted no one to vote for them In kindness
to him. He had his ideas, and other people
might have others. Some of the resolutions
were peppery, and he believed little pepper
was good thing sometimes. Some persons,
doubtless, would think the resolutions were
personal to themselves, and as for himself,
he meant them to be so considered, and he
did mean them for all the cap fitted. Some
men regarded themselves as great men, as
Stunning to be wise and possessed of great
means. He had no sympathy with that class,
and he was there to battle for the honest, In
dustrious property holder against the aggres-
sions of those who wanted to add to the bur-
dens of the people and put bonded indebt-
edness on the town. He said he would first
read the resolutions, and then read them sep
arately for adoption or rejection, and wanted
the meeting to strike out what they didn't
approve.
The attendance at this time had increased
to perhaps $50, including some ten or fifteen
colored property-holders and some not IN
sympathy with the object of the meeting.
Later the number present increased to 200.
Col. Maulsby then read the following resolu-
tons:
Resolved That this meeting: representing large
majority of the taxpayers of Westminster both as TO
numbers and possession of taxable property, ma
Just cause of grave complaint in that the Delegates
of Carroll county have introduced IN the Leglsa
ture and have placed in course of passage, dis
vitality affecting this town, without making known
to the citizens the the scope and contents Of
said bills, or affording reasonable opportunity TO
them to become acquainted Herewith.
2nd That so far as have been enabled to as
certain we understand that one of said bills pro-
xida finding in bonds of the town, an alleged
Indebtedness: and that the other OF said dis pro-
vdes for an increase in the rate OF taxanon on me
property of the citizens TO an amount OF ten cents
on the hundred dollars, in addition 10 the rate OF
fifteen cents, now imposed, and also in addition to
the special tax authorized by the act of 1884 chap
ter 257; and that we do hereby earnestly protest
against the passage of said bills and each tnereoi
or of any similar bills. A.,
hundred dollars, and a bonded debt of twenty-five
thousand or of twenty-eight thousand dollars as
the case may be, on the property holders OF west
minister would be an humiliation of all present
struggling prosperity and growth, and OF all nope
for the future-would drive away as many of our
present citizens could possibly leave. and would
prevent others from coming in to enjoy with US the
privilege of being taxed out of their modest earn
ings. 100, -, ,,...;,,. .to
act ofhat year. chapter 193 and the act Of the same
year chapter 227, against the respectful remon-
STRANGE of majority of the taxpayers OF the town,
presented by their written petition, committed an
act of gross disrespect and wrong towards this COM
munity; that said acts ought to be forthwith re-
pealed and we call on the present Legislature to
repeal the same, instead of imposing on us new ana
unbearable burdens and that if the present Legis-
laure shall refuse omit to repeal said acts, we
will not cease endeavors To cause the same TO be
repealed by Legislatures hereafter to be elected
5th That the pretence that said acts were ap-
proyed by majority of the citizens of this town is
fraudulent and false that although it is true that
the approval of said acts was voted for by some OF
our best and most respected citizens, to the aston
ishment of their neighbors, it is also VIGOROUSLY
true that the pretended majority was created by
that class of our colored population wnch Is noto
riously drunken and worthless, under the influence
of bribery and corruption of the most shameless
character and against the manly efforts of all of
our colored population who own property and have
respectable characters and that the instgators of
these acts have not been able TO induce Mayor
and Common Council to carry them into effect, and
they remain dead letters on the statute-book.
9th. That Westminster is neither seaport nor
great railroad centre, and is city in name only,
but in fact respectable village. with no claim TO
greatness other than that reflected upon it by its
great men, who make up for the paucity oil num-
bers by their superior quality that its people in the
their living by daily industry and are neither actual
nor approximate millionaires, and are constrained
accordingly that the progress which their town has
made from an humble wagon hamlet, as it was in
their fathers times and in their own youth to It's
of its people and to the fact that its charter by the
limited taxation it authorized, gave assurance to
Of town life without being overwhelmed by op-
pressive taxes that they might find such homes
here, and is not due to that class Of our citizens
whose restless energies have been expended, for
some time past in insisting on amending its charter
SO as to authorize the creation of bonded debt and
increased taxation; that those VINO, ior the most
public spirit at the cost of the mass of our people,
consist of some whose names DO not appear at all
on the assessment books, and of some others who
are accredited, from their own pretensons to de-
gree to be possessed of more ample means than
most of their neighbors, but which do not appear
tensions and do not aid in bearing the burdens of
the taxation. for which an agitation is kept up most
hurtful to the welfare of the town; that the town
will continue to grow and to improve by the same
agencies which have advanced it thus far, If the
ardor of the public spirit Of the classes Of our ci
Legislature will forbear from further intervention
than to correct the mistakes committed by the acts
of 1884, mentioned, and Will not subject our homes
and property to the control of the debased and dam
gerous class of drunken negroes, before mentioned
as was attempted to be done BY said act
7th That the people of Westminster will take care
that all rightful obligations for which their town
may be liable, in law or in justice shall be dis
bonds and that they do not need to be spurred by
the Legislature to that end; that they do not regard
a public debt, national, state or municipal, as a
public blessing but great public evil, tending.
by its efforts, whether large or SMALL to transferring
the control by the people of their own affairs from
their own hands TO the hands of bond brokers and
money jobbers, under the name of capitalists; that
their capital is mainly. their manhood and their
labor, with which they ask their lawmakers not to
interfere in the absence of stringent necessity.
Sth. That a committee of three citizens be APP
pointed by the chair to present the proceedings of
this meeting ana also the pettions OF the
of the town, demonstrating against the passage of
the pending bills to the General Assembly of Mary
land that said committee report the result of their
mission TO adjourned meeting to be called by the
chairman.
After the reading of the second resolution
Col. VIM. A. McKellip, who occupied one of
the raised seats in the rear, asked if he could
make some remarks. Col. Mausby informed
him that the resolutions were not on their
nassaoa He would first read them and then
read them seriatim for the decision of the
meeting After finishing reading them, he
presented the following;
Resolved That at an adjourned meeting to be call
ed by the chairman, we will nominate ticket for
Mayor and Common Councilmen, to be voted for at
the next ensuing municipal election, who shall be
pledged to the following measures, to wit:
LIST That they will NOT issue q bond of the corpo-