The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-06-21

THE CASE TO GO TO THE COURT OF
APPEALS.
Mr. Edward VI. Aliens tax raSc. came M he.
fore Judge Waters, at the Court House. on Mon
,lay Among the audience were u number of
prominent farmers and many members ut the bar.
\ novel feature nj the ease MAS that Mr.. Allen
argued his own side. the requisite legal papers
having been prepared Tor INN by Mr.. >. ~ IL
llaInS. .,,
hibitS. The former recited that the b Of complaint
MAS for AN injunction to declare the taN levy uI
l~>7 void and To- restrain the County Commission.
rTS from collecting taxes for NNi under the present
S,ts sHcnt. The bill further stated HAT MIR Alien :
lam Is assessed at - so aud has never been worth
more than ST. and is subject TO certain murtg;I-
g,.S Mr. Allen had applied To the County Commits
NoneTs for abatement of his taxes to the amount of
the mortgages on his property hut his application
Was refused An injunction was asked Tor 10 restrain
tIe Comfy Commissioners from making the taN
levy al ssJ without first dcducing from Mr. Allen ;
assessment The amount ul mortgages ana other
liens due upon his property, and also 10 cnJuin the
tax collector from collecting said taxes upon the
present assessment. The ground upon which these
inunCtunS were asked, was that the taxes are lie
gal because the complainant would be required To
pay taxes more than liz Is worth. contrary To the
Constitution oil the state.
mSsoucrS, and Mr.. George l.. Nanlbhcr COUNSEL
Tor Mr. Jacob \. Grafton, t;tN collector, read an
Swrrs Ia the bill OF complaint both of which admit
ed certain allegations OF the bill aud declared they
had no knowledge OF others. Mr.. GraitOn> answer
said that all the provisions If law in the mat
Ter had been strictly adhered to.
Mr. Allen then proceeded to argue his case, be
ing fortified behind large brraSt-wurh OF Law
huoks. lie said that the, idra that Il citizen Of
Maryland in these days should be- called on 10 pay
taxes IN any other way than according To his worth
In real and personal property, SURPRISES belief. II
ii should be declared that Il mann shall moi pay
TAXES according Ia what he owns We had better
throw away the declaration Ol independence.
haUl down or old flag and subject ourselves Ia
England lie claimed that we are entitled 10 tl"
hcI.rNt Uf the common law ui England which
guarantees equality ui taxation. and that our o.u
Gl uf Rights declares:
Every person in the state. or person huldu.-
property therein. ought 10 contribute his proper
lion ri public Ia Is Tor the support OF the govern.
mcnt. accordIu TO his actual worth Ia real and
personal prop ).
can not br continued unless We say that til" l"glSla
turc i, the supreme authority. Overriding the Con
>tilutiDu.
lie read numerous extracts from Cooley on T;N.
alton" IN support nj his argument that the law ,N-
umpiug mortgages from taxation Is UmcomStltU-
tlOlGl beng contrary To the common law Ui England
and Ia oar rights under democratic government.
What Is Il Democratic government: don mean
The Drmorratic party. The latter has the highest
Interest In pcrpctuatng liberty in the United States.
because il is comprised, in Il great degree. Of the
poor and humble classes who roll up their sleeves
al the break Of day and labor until nightiatu pro-
vide bread for their wives and little ones, These
are the men who achieved our independence by
fighting for it, hut when they achieved it they for
got the truth that Eternal vigilance Is the
price Of liberty" They know nothing about the
SyStrmof taxation. They only feel lis oppression.
| confess that knew nothing about il uutil began
To investigate il when members the Senate. II"
could not suppress his indignation, he said, When
he saw that The poor men pad al! the taxes and the
others tollrd for their support II The pcnp" knew
their rights they would rise in tlrir might and
Mirr r., AMY errry 2nS' hi g @
Of the votes Of both houses but failed To receive the
constitutional majority.
In our own county We are wrougcd. The law
says all property shall he taxed at the selling
price. YET tile Philadelphia Wilmington aud Bal
more Railroad is taxed ON Is miles in Hartford
county, at $1,000 mile. They declare a dividend
Of per cent. year on Sil.Nl1,lin Of stock, which
cannot be bought at So per share. the par value
being SO The proper assessment should he
.iO0O instead Of >270,CO0 as they do. He had
urged the Commissioners in vain to increase the
assessment on this railroad.
Whenever these corporations are being brought
To book. If they cant work il any Uthcrway they
sort to bribery; sawmoney used for this purpose.
know II and can prove il. This statement Great
ed Il ripple Of sensation
4 fruitful source of the wrong done in the mat
ter Of taxation is the fact that every State in the
Inion except Maryland, requires every man.
under oath, to make an annual return Of all his
property -
land had Increased - per cent from $50 to lS'0.
the taxable basis had only increased Ss.9n.WT.
Notwithstanding the Tax Commissioner had M
carthcd S}0U0O1 NJ property belonging Ia cOrpOr-
atiuuS not heretofore taxed. The actual decrease
IN the taxable basis, he argued; was therefore
prrly IN Maryland has decreased while the
population has So largely Increased"
The taxation Of land and rNrmptiuguf mortgages
cheats the people Ul the State ont OF hundreds OF
millions OF dollars annually, The Maryland Cen
trad and Baltimore and Ohio Railroads, he said
were also assessed too low.
At tins point Mr.. Allen. who had been speaking
an hour anda hall. complained Oi being rN-
halIStcd audaSkcd the court To take recess tor an
hour His request was granted.
N ENPLNNNriON.
-, Upon rc>numg his argument Mr.. Allen said
thai counsel on the other side had demanded proof
o MS assertion that money had been used To pre-
vent the County commissioners from taking action
with regard 10 the assessments Of railroads. lie
accepted the challenge ChvrriulN. raid counsel
al one Of the railroads had appealed 10 him To stop
this agitation, and he regarded that rs using money
IL prevent action beng taken.
lie went on 10 argue that the only honest system
upon which taxes can h" laid is yearly returns by
every taxpayer. dcdUrtiuG the debts lhry owe
This plan exists in twelve States.
Money he said. Is not taxed nj all. which Is an
other scheme by which Tia" rich ESCAPE taxation
lie closed 10y giving instances In which persons
hid large partitions ri their property from The rs,
SCISSORS. 10y transferring II temporarily tO friends
who gave II back 10 them after the assessment was
made.
NlrsSrS. VanBlbl,r and Ynuu. stated that re-
ply was unnecessary.
Judge Walters said the only thing he could do
WAS Ia dismiss the hill for i'm Injunction. TO grant
II would be- 10 declare the entire revenue sN>-
tenn nj the state unconstitutional, and that slavery
serious matter. No niSi pruS court would declare
Il law unconstitutional unless prepared To urmuu-
SEltrii> unron>titutiOnayc clearly To it, own salts
faction Hud with reasonable degree al Cirarl.rr>
to the minds Of others. No matter which WaI II
hr decided the east will 20 To the Court uf APP
pralS Therefore. there IS 10 necessity Of guIug
into an elaborate examination. Many points urged
10y Mr.. Allen have more or less fore.
Mr.. Allen asked permission 10 make e few H.
marks, and II being granted he said the ruSr would
=" To the Court Ot Appeals With a Judgment in his
FAVOR rs Wei AS AGAINST hiln.
Judge Walters said he would % les the law ~ 1t
now island let the Court oI Appeals drrd". !upa.~-
img upon the revenue law II would not In, r.I,f Tor
Ia tl, ltrT and lttfpT lN uIyllt
have been framed ~ that on man l. taxed more
ihnnanothcr. The difference between read and yer
cant hide land but You can hiGn money
II You take 4 fee simple and deduct mort
G3grS. lcasrh9ld rrvrrsnnary interests, %r..
what security has the State Ior collecting thu
taxes"
lfyou exempt land, because it is morIgaged ITS
tax On it. how would the state get it" lie did
not See any great injustice WHEN you tax land IN Il
lump and let thoSe Interested adjust that among
themselves. He did not Srr the necessity uI put
ing The state or county to the expense and M
certainty Of determining the actual rights of mdi-
Ndal> In land, lie only mentioned these things
to show that there can be no such thing is Il per-
feet revenue system and the only thing courts can
do Is tn administer the laws rs they exist.
After the adjournment Uf court Mr. Allen con-
tinucd his remarks and said he WIS Il candidate
for Drmocratirnominatton for the Legislature
Information Wanted of John Miller.
TO the Editor Gr he Agts:
ROSE VILLA, WHcKnAM.oN-ThNE ENGLAND,
MNy 18th, lsS2l.
DEAR SIR:-An example of apathctic indifference
tu the Memories of the Dead" is the fact that my
modest appeal 10 your readers in your ISSUE OF
April l2th, elected 10 RESPONSE and consequently
no light has rs yet been thrown upon the almost
imprnetrablc darkness which appears 10 envelope
the history OF John Miller at Deer Creek from the
year l7Sg 10 1900 His missing burial records goods
and chattrlS. landed estate, his social. domestic,
political, industrial or agricultural and legal his
tory extending over II years nt the best OF hi life ut
Deer Greek, and his associations with the Friends
Meeting House at Darlington, are apparently Il
blank.
The ancient Greek and Roman would have
thought 1t hidcOus impiety if the history and NOR
tai remains OF near ancestor had been disposed Of
in this lamcntablr burke and Hare fashion. !
have always tried to put the best possible cOnStruc
tiOn upon the ugly looking business. hut am now
free to confess that think there is more behind il
than lever drcamt Of. Possibly John Millrrmct his
death 10y violence. II so. some record al aCOruncrS
inquest may yet be rNtant. Be this as it may. il does
seem strange, indeed, that II years history OF one
III llarfOrd'S most respectable residents and Il
landed proprietor at Deer Greek, should have been
all but 0hrratrd. and AL trace of the man and his
effects consigned 10 oblivion. This too in dear old
Hartford county" whcrr. forSOO;h. We are asked
to believe that an impartial history OF the county
is being compiled! TEL it not in Gath, publish
it not in the streets Of ASkcOn,' that all this has