The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-11-01
Revenues, Taxes and County EN
DenSeS.

revenues, IaNeS ana County EN-
penses.
Mr.. EDITOR. These are serious
subjects and | hold that no man has
a right to tritle with them or by a y
improper arrangements OF figures TO
give false appearance to them.
An article in the Democrat of last
week contains some most eXtraordl-
nary statements which after careful
examination | have not been able to
verify The first statement is that
during the period beginning Janu-
airy Ist, 1877 there was paid into the
county treasury for licenses, in round
numbers, 81, 500.
The only money paid into the
county treasury for licenses for the
the sale of liquor was under the law
OF 1876, chapter PSI which provided
that the same amount paid for State
licenses, should be paid to the coun
ty, except in the case of store Ii
censes, where the amount paid 10 the
county should not be less than thirty
dollars.
The license book shows that there
was paid the clerk for hotel licenses
from January Ist, 1877 to May Ist,
1873, when the law as to payment OF
hotel licenses to the county was re-
pealed the sum OF =. silly &C
For oyster house or res.
taurant license .I,42o II
For store or traders liquor
licenses go "a
Add for difference to make
$50. to the county 1856
For Fishery License AZ
Total So 7o6 IS
or several dollars less than one hall
of the amount stated in the Demo,
craf by the contributor.
Again the statement is made, that
for county expenses (trials) at $40.
there was paid by the county during
this period s., 90 for Io2 tr ais OF
liquor cases A reference to the
criminal dockets of that period will
show, that the whole number of cases
tried was just thirty two; of these
there were four against one man
tried together, as | am informed by
the States Attorney, no defence
made and practically only one case,
this cuts three off from the thirty
two, also five cases against another
man tried before the court as one
case, which cuts off TOUR more cases
from the thirty two, leaving barely
twenty five trials, which at $40 each
is $500, or less than one-fourth Of
the amount stated. The same cal.
culation holds good as to the clerk 3
fees and sheritf's fees. When errors
so gross and fragrant as these are
shown in a statement made to in.
fluence and guide intelligent public
opinion, what shadow of credit is to
be given to any thing contained in
it.
The following taken from the
criminal dockets of the Circuit Court
for Cecil county will show, that vio-
lation, OF the liquor laws are as fire.
quent under license as under prohi-
bition if grand juries and officers dc
their duty. From January to Octo,
Der in the year 1858, there were
eighty one liquor cases under Ii ense.
Of these forty-two were for selling
liquor on Sunday, twelve for selling
liquor to minors. six for selling with
out license, nine selling in quaint.
ties more than a pint and allowing
1t be drunk on premises. and twelve
for gambling and disorderly houses,
and this in population at least six
thousand less than in 1888. Car
that be paralleled in any period O.
twice ten months under prohibition;
AT September term 1873 there were
twenty-five cases, twelve for selling
on Sunday and ten for selling tc
minors; at December term of same
year, only three months afterwards
there were fifteen cases, four sales or
Sunday, seven to minors, one on cleo
ticnday and three disorderly houses.
In 1874 there was an effort made,
not to prohibit it, but to regulate the
sale of liquor by granting license
only to those whowere recommended
by the grand jury, and at December
term 1875 there were eleven cases Of
selling without license and three
disorderlg houses, while at March
term 1876, three months afterwards
there we're ten cases, six without
license and three selling to minors.
That the cost of witnesses before the
grand jury, clerks fees, sheriff S
fees and costs of trials attendant
upon these violations Of the license
laws, were as great and even greater
than thoseincurred during the period
of prohibition. is perfectly apparent
from the number of cases; and when
we add to these the assaults, riots
and murders directly traceable to the
open sale of intoxicating liquor, the
aggregate assumes proportions OF
terrible magnitude in taxes, upon the
industries of the people, and detri-
ment to the public morals.
The surest test OF the relative cost
to the tax payers of license and pro,
hibition is furnished by the levy for
county expenses during the seven