The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-07-20
THE HARTFORD COUNTY TAX
CASE.
Letter from Ex-senator Allen on Taxa
| lion.

| sent me NOHr ulcOmmOnly AOOu paper Win Il
report of the Tax Case in which am party.
The report is, in some things, incorrect, so |
| trust readers deducted the absurdities from
the reasonable part, and considered the bal
anee.
The mistakes, however, are not yours, but
those of the paper you extracted the report
| from.
You make some remarks about the case, in
which you state that the Court of Appeals
viii sustain the law as it stands, and this part
| is what | write about
! The way you state this belefthat the Court
of Appeals will sustain the law, has given me
real pain, for it carries with it the impression
| that you think the law ought to be sustained,
and that if it is sustained, it is the duty of the
| citizen to acquiesce.
To the thinking man this is positively
| dreddful-not dreadful because it is only an
unjust taking of the money of the people as
pecuniary robbery, to tax them as they are
now taxed; no; dreadful because many men
now live in poverty, who would be in com
/ fort if they had the sums stolen from them by
| the laws of their own State; not dreadful be-
cause your children and my children start in
the race Of life oppressed with burden that
| they should not have to bear, but dreadful
! because such men as you, standing high
amongst the men of Maryland, filed with
enterprise, with thrift, and even with patriot
/ ism, can, without even a mild expression of
| disapproval state that the Supreme Court of
/ the State will decide a case involving the
dearest rights of the citizen adversely to those
rights, and contrary to the Constitution of the
/ State.
Dreadful, because you have forgotten that
/ this is democratic government in which the
| people rule, and in which the people have
! equal rights. Dreadful because you forget
that the common law guarantees eYual taxa
/ ton, because the law of nature-of God
authorizes it, because the constitution ex-
! pressly requires it. Dreadful. because that
/ ''eternal vigilance which is the price OF
/ liberty, is evidently asleep in you, while YOU
/ have added to the responsibilities OF the
citizen the greater responsibilities of the
public teacher.
I For God sake, my friends, awake Awake
1 to your rights and to the rights Of the people
Sound the trumpet Tell the people about
I the deeds Of the men who dubbed with their
I maskets at Bunker Hill that they might have
/ jast taxation. Tell them about the men who
I burned the ship, and. burned the tea, IN the
I harbor Of Annapolis, IN order that srt might
I have Just. and legal and equal taxation.
/ Tell them Of the eight years that Washington
/ spent in toll and danger. far from the home
I he loved, that We might have equal taxation.
I Tell them Of the Old Maryland Lineof
/ Howard and Gist and Smallwood and Vii
I liams-lead them to the hallowcd CRATES
I where their ashes sleep aud ask them, there.
| if they mean 20 let privileged few sack from
/ labor its reward, and steal from them and
their children the precious rights aud ljbeF-
Z ties that their lives and labors bought
What did our fathers do when g Court de-
E cided that tax was legal tax when i gas
ia plain violation OF their rights Did they
I say because the Court 50 decided that they
could do nothing Did they show the SPIRIT
/ Of the man conscious that he walks The earth
in the image Of God, and entitled TO life, 20
I liberty aud TO the pursuii Of happiness--io
Z equal government, including equal taxation. o.
I did they calmly. ike yos, say the Coagt
I would, or slff decide the Ian % be cuaeia-
I sive
+ No Sirs they knew their rights. ghey knev
z iha; ladges were their servants. not their mas
tnrs. that they we're put ia Office iD interpret
( the lav in favor of Freedom. and not in ssvar
Of the greed Of the fen rich mea. and they
T impsachcd them and convicted them. aud pat
them oug Of office and dHcd ihem SlQ0. uQ1
/ each and pat them in Jail
That IS the Way that the men Of Maryland
shoald do noe. ifjadgcs decide cases contrary
and against the rights Of the citizen as sccaF
ed BY the eommon laW, BY the consultation u
the Stale and By the principles Of frye GOV
ernmeut- When the constitution says men
shall pay taxes in accordance wigh their
actual worth 10 property. are judges dong
their dsiy when they decide Gases 80 a. 20
( make mes pay taxes aaf in pruT-ogisua %
their actual worth in property
Arc Wc fools Are Sc slaves Are ia8ses
doiag wrong entitled "a that yeurrasioa taat
I belongs 10 them when they do riEh,7
], for one man, mean % obey the lass.
/ when those lass arr IN accord With fail and
I
I constitution Of my State. and when thc con
siitBtion tells me that ! shall pay taxes 80 ac-
eor3anee viii my actual worth Ia prapsEiy,
I and ] am taxed cat Of that aec1ri, and on
/ property thai ! ana not Wuyth, Is u my dusg
{ 20 obey the behests Of that judge
4 Il there any magical operation II an
I Have constitutions meaninz dce,, thag the
I common aind cannes gasp their scope
{ Cant | tell. cas- you tell wheihcr or aos sos
are taxed in accordance wi;h yoar actual
T worth IN property When bus farm AZ the
Z price % siO.ooo aud pay $500 on &, and
/ am called on 20 par taxes on Siu.0o0 an J To
{ believe that ! am taxed in accordance With
T my actual worth in property
Am ! bad citizen Il ] refuse to sccord
willing obedience 70 decisions u Judges who
Z require NE 20 believe thar ihey ar admiuisier.
( ing law IN accori Hilh the lAE Of shs land
Z when they decide that ia saeh a case I an
+ taxed lawfnlly1 81. Paul said, What ad.
I vAntAgeih Il me II ioughs wilh beasts az
( Ephesas Il the dead rise rot, and nov I
ask What adyaniageih il ~ thai ny iorcfaihcrs
braYed the power Of the thFoac Of Charles tho
Flrst. that their blood soaked the sod a. Mars.
ton Moor and Worcester, that Patrick Hunry
eloqaenee fired the American heasi. thai
Washington fought, that the men Of 1870
pledged their lives, their fortunes aud their
sacred honor thai their descendants might be
free, II | am 70 be taxed on property owned
BY some lordly sneak, skilled in the arts Of
helm Wiekedness refined r. Am ! their
worthy descendant II | bow ny neck to saeh
yoke2
Are YOU doing your deity. being as you are
Mt the bead Of an able and Influential pablie
journal. when yoa state that a decision will be
rendered by the supreme Coari Of the State
that will be traiioross 10 freedom, that viii
tear down the constitution, that viii nob the
poor, with the quiet apathy that You would
show Il you we're stating that TIN Giles sow
bad pigsG
In The name Of the sous Of toll. IA the name
Of the tens Of thousands who this morning
rolled up their sleeves aud went forth to labor
that they might pat bread in the mouths Of
their wives aud the little children whom God
has given 70 their care, ] call upon You 10
take another course, and 10 use the mighty
power Of the press that our rights and liberties I
may be preserved, keeping always in view
our solemn duty 10 transmit FREEpoM, unfair
nished and animpaFed to the remotest gencr-
atoms OF men; and il Courts interpret lass in
favor Of oppression, if legislatures, influenced I
by the power Of gold, or by any other inhu
ence, make laws that tEample down our rights
in person OF properly, l tfus; you and me
will be ready 10 take down from the wall the /
old swords OF our fathers. and If needs be,
shed our blood in defence Of equal taxation. I.
Don't forget that our sons and our dangh
tiers. as hard as they work and rs poor as they
are, are entitled to equal taxation with the
sons aud daughters OF the greatest OF the (
land.
Don't forget that If we submit longer to be !
taxed like dogs and towards, that Washing
ton and Jefferson and Patrick Henry would I
be ashamed of us, and that Andrew Jackson (
would scorn to own us as fellow citizens.
Don't forget to go to The primaries and TO
vote for the men who can aud will try 70 Sc
cure from the legislature equal tax laws.
+. NJ. ALLEN.
High License in Pennsylvania.
The Washington Star sums up the statisti-
cal results of the Pennsylvania high license 1
law:
I'M 4 i / L. .-E