Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-03-28
AN OPEN LETTER.
To the Tax Payers of Anne Arundel
County.


The County Commissioners ct their
meeting yesterday addressed the follow
Ing open letter TO the tax payers of this
county before making their animal
levy
Before making our tax levy for the
year we deem il best 10 make \ nIain
statement of facts. Shortly after enter
ing upon the duties of our office. we h..
came aware of large Indebtedness Of the
County, some Of it standing since 1876:
also that under the present system of finan-
clai management of county affairs.
ali contracts and work done for the coun
" are charged at an exhorbitant price.
ana necessarily SO, for me parties max
ing the contracts or doing the work could
| not know with any certainty when they
would receive their pay; and If they need
eu their money, and most off them being
poor laDorers and mechanics, did, they
must submit to shdUe on the certificates
with which they were paid of from 10 to
20 per cent. 1t is claimed that we are
now on cash basis We submit the
question to any fair minded business man
Whether debt contracted in 1887 to be
levied for in 1883 and paid when the
taxes are collected, (may be $780, can be
called cash
ln view Of these facts, we set to work
to devise means by which better state
OF affairs could be brought about-know
Ing that large majority of you could
not bear any greater burden of taxation
After much anxious thought and close
calculation, we concluded, Reluctantly, to
ask of the Legislature the privilege of
issuing bonds to pay off the debt and put
| the county upon cash basis, Coupled
VgIf hot lxs1 IL
Commissioners to levy of SO cents on
the 100 dollars in any one year for all
county and school purposes by this So
cents, providing for the interest on the
bonds and creating a sinking fund for
their retirem ent-thus relieving you of
from 10 to 20cents tax on the 100 dol
lars Many, very many of you we know
cannot make both ends meet now on your
farms-perhaps some are more fortunate.
| Those who live near Baltimore and are
able to supply truck, etc to her markets
do not feel the burden so keenly as their
brethren of the lower section of the coun-
ty.
We venture the assertion, without fear
| of contradiction. that there is not one
farmer south of the A. w. 81 B. Railroad
| depending entirely upon his or her farm
for support, who will this, or has for
several years past, made farm expenses
and supported their families.
With all this staring us in the face,
are you surprised at our trying TO relieve
/ you, and at our disappointment and cha
grin at being thwarted and that by trick
cry aud treGchcry?
We did not doubt; and had not the
| slightest reason to doubt for moment,
that the bill would pass the Legislature
giving us the privilege asked for, and
there would have been no opposition of
any strength. had not certain politicians
and others OF this county, come upon the
scene, and from solely corrupt and po-
| lltlcal reasons, managed to defeat our
| end, claiming that it was only a scheme to
| keep the present board in power. Per-
haps those gentlemen who had controlled
the county and had ground you down,
thought that it would be popular move
| To relieve you from the oppression you
had groaned under for years; and from
gratitude you would vote as you did last
| fall-driven to that vote by sheer disgust
and feeling that anything would be
better than what the Democrats offered
you.
We have said that others opposed the
bonds. We mean by that, those whe
reep rich harvest buying county certif-
Gates and perhaps farm or so, which
| has to be sold because the poor unfortu
nate owner cannot pay his taxes and has
to leave the county to exc out elsewhere
bare substance for his wife and chill
dren.
We have determined that we will not
bear the odium that these two classes
have tried to put upon us These debts
are not of our contracting, and if, IN our
endeavour to pay them, the levy is far
beyond what il has ever been, remember
it is to meet outstanding liabilities, not
created by us, but have been lett as By our
predecessors. Let the odium rest where
ii belongs Had the bonds been issued
your burdens would have been much
lighter.
Asking pardon for taking up so much
of yonr time, and with the assurance that
we shall do all in our power for your re
lief, we beg to remain,
Yours most respectfully,
A s. LINTHICUM,
JOSEPH 3 III. BASIL,
r. T. BRICE,