Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1890-01-10
The Governors Message.

the general summary of its more important
features and recommendations given to the
public in advance of its formal publications.
Upon matters connected with the States
finances the Governors statements are clear
and Ineligible, and his recommendations
such as will generally command public APP
proval. The Governor recognizes both the
need for new assessment and for such
changes in present methods and rules of
taxation as, by insuring more equal dis
trlbution, will tighten the burdens of taxa
ton. One of the Governors recommends
tons upon this subject we are not quite
able to follow He recommends that "n,oney
$50 italicised) should be, as it is in most OF
the States, the first subject of asses sment,"
and adds that this is necessary to prevent per-
sons disposed to evade their just contribu
ton to the support of the government from
turning their property into money to evade
taxation" All investments in money, except
in United States bonds and property held
for certain purposes specially exempted, are
already subject to taxation. How the cir
culating and convertible medium itself, of
which the poet says, Twas nine, It's his,
and has been slave to thousands" is to be
brought more easily within the assessors
reach than any of the intangible forms OF
property in which it may be momentariy
Invested, the message does not explain. If
the fraudulent and colorado transfer OF
property and its temporary con version into
money for the purpose of evading the pay.
ment of taxes upon the property itself is
the mischief to be prevented, as the Ian
guage OF the message would seem to imply,
the true remedy that would naturally sng-
gest itself would be 20 treat such colorado
transfer as void and the property us still
subject to taxation in the hands OF the fraud
| ulent transterrer as if no such transfer had
been attempted. Ii the disposition to evade
taxation, even by u resort to perjury, exists,
to attempt to reach the money which man
may have in his pocket would seem to be
the most difficult and futile attempt Of all
Upon the subject OF the proper taxation of
corporations, and the extent to which cor
porations, and especially railroads, at the
present time and under existing laws, have
succeeded in escaping their proper share of
taxation, the Governor presents some very
striking facts and comparisons, which de-
serve the careful consideration of the Legis-
| lature. Among the remedies which the
| Governor suggests for this unequal and
anomalous state of things is to make the
acceptance of any future legislative grants
| of corporate franchises or special privileges
| by any of the favored and exempt corpora
tons operate as surrender and waiver on
their part of any exemption from taxation
which they may have enjoyed under char
tiers granted prior to 1851, and not made re-
peaable by the Legislature For this pur
pose the Governor recommends the adop
/ ton of an amendment to that effect to the
| State constitution. Without such an anne nd
ment there is no difficulty in the way of the
| present or any other Legislature making
any future grant of additional power or
facilities to any existing corporation condi- |
tional upon surrender by that corporation
of any present exemption from taxation
which il may enjoy Take, for example, |
the pending Belt railroad project for. the |
construction in this city OF a railroad, partly !
in tunnel and partly in open cut or sunken |
way, to connect the Baltimore and Ohio |
Railroad tracks AT Hamburg street with the |
tracks OF the same company at Bayvew (; |
in otherwords, To afford the Baltimore and |
Ohio Railroad Company u perfectly iels
BILE and most advantageous right of way, at !
moderate ex pense, through this city Tor its
through traffic to New York. Following |
out the Governors views, 1t would undoubt
eddy be the duty of the Legislature, if called
upon, as apparently it must needs he called
upon if the project is to be carried ont, to
give legislative authority for the purpose, TO
make the use of the Belt road by the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad conditional upon
the surrender by that company of its pres
ent charter exemption from taxation. No
better opportunity could present itself, ac- /
cording 10 the facts AMI figures in the mes
sage, for the application of the Governors |
| doctrine, the soundness of which cannot be
questioned. The whole subject of railroad |
and corporation taxation is treated in the |
message in Il manner calculated TO com
mand the attention Of the Legislature and |
the public. There is one other matter OF
prime and pressing Importance at the pres
| ent moment, in regard to which the mes |
sage is disappointing. Referring to the
new election and registration laws passed |
| in 1888, the Governor says "As far as l
have been able to observe the election laws |
are perfectly lar and satisfactory Ia the
people" In some ways the laws Of 1888
were an improvement, undoubtedly, upon
previous legislation, as, for instance, in pro-
viding for the use of glass ballot boxes, the
presence of watchers Of both parties al the
counting Of the ballots, etc. Even these
| provisions Senator German is reported, how
| ever, AS having characterized as unwise con
cessons made by the last Legislature to the
"sentlmentalists" in politics, and hurtiul to
the Democratic party. But if the Governor
means that the present law is so far salts
factory to the people that he recognizes no
necessity and no demand for the substitu'
ton of a radically different and better sys
TEN of voting, viz that which already pre-
walls in many States Of the Union, and is
known popularity rs the "Australfan sys-
| TEN, he must DE ignorant, indeed, Ol The
present state OF public sentiment in this city
and, we believe, throughout the State. Has
he heard nothing Of the earnest demand OF
the workingmen everywhere, through Their
organic II assemblies, for the enactment of
a law which shall provide for an official
ballot, TO be printed at the public expense,
to be delivered TO the voter personally only
at the place of voting, and under such con
dtiOns and with such provisions for secrecy
that every voter, the educated and lilterdte
alike, may be enabled to cast his vote free
from and beyond the influence Of bribery
or the lear OF intimidation? Is the Governor
ignorant or iOrgetful OF the course Of poiiti-
cal discussion preceding the legislative cleo.
ton in this city, of the assurances given and
pledges made by speakers on both sides
upon the stump, that an election law EN-.
bOdying the essential and important Tea
lures ot the "Aus;ralian" system should be-
passed by the Legislature? Does the Gov
ernor imagine that the demand for il new
election law is confined To the city, and
that this city is such small aud lnsisnlll-
cant part Of the State, and that IT'S vote cX-
erciscs such an inconsderable influence up
on the politics of the State, that the wishes
vi the workingmen and the people 0l Bal
timore, lis best people of both parties and
all classes, need not be taken into &C
count? 1t is hardly credible that with the
echoes of the late campaign scarcely dled
into silence, and with the newspapers be-
fore his eyes, the Governor should say that
80 far as he has been able to observe, The
election laws are perfectly fair and satlslac
tory 10 the people" II he had said that, in
his judgment, the present election laws
"ough To be perfectly satisfactory to the
people," we could understand him. 1t would
then have been merely difference ques-
ton OF opinion But, as matter of fact,
we cannot understand how, with ordinary
opportunities and capacity for observation Of
the state OF public opinion upon the subject
of new election law, the Governor should
express the views we have quoted IRON his
message The effect of such declaration
Is not neutralized by the admission that the
present "registration law is very defective