The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-07-06
The Egis &Intelligencer
Bel Air, Md, July q, 1855.
THE TAX QUESTION.
NO. V.

V.
Having in former papers given sketch OF the
manner in which the tax laws OF Maryland are
framed. shall in this give some instances OF the
actual working of these laws. There is one man
who owns about COZ acres of the finest land IN
this county, and whose personal property Is
worth not less than $1,000, who pays taxes on
personal property valued at <GOO oniy. an3t ne
lars pays sixteen dollars taxes only a lhlrd
party, well known to me- has not less than S2UO3
in personal property and pays no taxes AT al !
Yo,I NAV ask why this last person pays no tax
answer. that 1t is because he has acquired II
since the assessment of 1876 and that having no
nssessment in this long time is one of the
schemes by which the people are eheated' anu II
is purposely so. 1900
lat. No debts are deducted from what man
Possesses, and he is therefore NIUE " pay thACs
ID Mortgages are not taxed to the owners OF
them, but the men who own theIh arc hale ~
pay taxes on them by law.
"a railroad bridges and tunnels are taxed as
II they were only 50 muGn iens5n 0i Gam Ta
ties TAX the two bridges across the Susquehanna
ON about ten thousand dollars assessment,
while the constitution of the State requires that
they be taxed on their actual worth, which IL
what they cost, and is probably two millions OF
dollars. Thus, Hartford and Cecil get about 500
a year from taxes on these two bridges, when
they are entitled to the taxes on two millions OF
dollars, which would be about twenty thousand
dollars year.
4th Assessments are made many years apart,
which enables the rich to keep all their gains I'M
taxed In all Inc years UtlWceu BcutIhl dsStss-
meuts, while the tax collectors assess and tax a
horse or a COW that the farmer may add TO his
stock every year, as well as the hen-house that
he may chance to build.
5th, IT, when the assessments are made man
swears falsely as to the amount of property
he owns. the assessment law directs that ne
shall paw double the taxes that he would pay II
he told the truth, but IL a man swears falsely
about other things, IL is perjury and he is put in
the penitentuary for not less than hvc nor more
than ten years.
9th. Money. the concentration of wealth, that
which the rich may have in large sums at short
notice. when assessments are made, is exempt
from taxation altogether!
How beautiful all this is! can not think OF
IL without astonishmcnt and disgust astOnish-
cured to them by their fundamental laws should
submit to IL as meekly as If they were sheep,
and disgust that the men for whose freedom Car
roll and Stone and Chase and Paca pledged "their
lives their fortunes and their sacred honor'-the
men for whose freedom Washington devoted his
hfC-the men for whose freedom La Fayette left
his bride and crossed the sea to fight and bleed
the men for whose freedom the men of Valley
Forge stained the frozen earth with their bloody
ftet-the men for whose freedom the land was
dotted with new made graves, and her firesides
saddened with the tears of widows and the cries
Oflittlc children whose fathers knees they could
climb no more, should say I'VE know we are
wrOnged, but we can't help il ~
Great God how are the mighty fallen The
more | think OF it, the more am impressed with
fear that our experience as nation is to furnish
another exempliiication of the truth OF the
divine admOniton that"he that exalteth himself
shall be brought low"
June 25N, 1888 EN-. ALLEN.