The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-09-19
A Crying and Growing Nuisance.

evi! that is centred right in the midst of the
industrial and CONT: eTcial interests of Elk
ton and which is accommodating in hurtfu-
ness AS neglect allows it to he. | refer to
the una bated nuisance, which has develop
ed in the past three or tour years, III and
upon the lands In the rear of North Street
front, from Ugh Street to the Court House
aud in the rear of Main Street front to the
East from the Court Honse to Groom s
Lane. In that locality which forms the
centre and rear OF square, with the Court
House yard for diagonal point, inditfer-
euce, negligence, not to add pure wauton-
ness, has d lily accumulated its wealth of
| denominations till low the owners of the
land therein are doubtful il it has any
worth left, and the habitauts of the dwell
| ings that border CD it are nervously ap-
| prehensive that they take their lives in
their hands when they lie down to sleep
in the region of the sickening etfiuvia.
take it tlas al agree TO the proposition
| that no one is 1T liberty I" create a nuisance
for his neighbor, i'll order TO accomm odate
some little scheme of personal benefit. H.
deed, it does not appear that anybody has
| any right to inhlcG needless harm on his
| neighbor, no matter how great the benefit
to himself. And, further Claim that the
town authorities are not only endowed
with power to suppress such denominations
as threaten health ana d1tcrIurate the value
| of property, but that tn:Y are hJ'Iui by the
| Obligations of their trust IL pay strict heed
| to such infraCtions of the general welfare,
| and suppress them as att .uriri is called to
them. This is true wheth y thu lands and
| Improvements have Il greater or less val
uation. Every man who holds real estate
and pays taxes for its protection, IL entitled
to such protection, whether il De high pric
ed or low priced; but. when the lands or
possessions come to have Fictitious value
| because of thir location, when 1t appears
that taxes are higher because corporate
supervision is more thorough. as is natur-
ally the case in the heart of a tos where
foot of land swels to tho price OF au acre in
the suburbs. there can certainly be no
question that the power that gathers the
taxes is bound to return the taxes worth
Now, it 90 happens that the portion of
| Elktop to which the attention of the
authouties is now called pays the highest
| tax, insproportion to its extent, of all the
| lands whiting its limits. A lot that at the
East End, or The West End, or the North
end, would be valued and pay tax on a
| hundred dollars is there valued and taxed
| at five or ten times much. Forty to
| fifty dollars front foot is the taxable basis
on all properties jutting on North Street
| from High Street 20 the Court House and
| on all lands from the Court House to
| Groom.'s l. me. To gather the taxes on all
| these at the Fictitious and fictitious prices
which central loc .tion and corporate pro-
lection seems to justify, is d Oounden duty
| Of The authorities. The disproportionate
| drains incurred by them may, and general
] by have to he, expended where the basis is
| lowed and the tax proportionately less.
| Indeed, it Is doubtful if, i'll the last decade
a single section of Elkton has had less of
| the fruits of appropriation than the spot
referred to. The authorities seem to go on
| the suggestion that owners of property
| Whereabouts are able not only 80 lay the
| highest taxes, but also to do all their own
improving.
Perhaps it is on this account that the
| nuisance of which we now complaining
| has been allowed 10 go 50 long uncousider-
| ed. 1t may be that the authorities expect
the taxpayers thereabJuts to pay tn cir taxes
for the general veal and then pay for
| special Improvements, or abatement Of
| nuisances in their own neighborhood, out
of their private pockets. Whether this is
so or not, certain it is that if they did so
construe the relations between tax gatberers
and tax payers, they could hardly differ in
their line of treatment.
Let US particularize:-On the lot which
forms the rear of the highly taxed proper
ties referred TO, there is pond or cess pool
| monthly growing in area. With every
heavy rain that falls the pond grows larger
and the time necessary To its drying up
| increases. The lot is not low. 1t is on a
level with the vicinage If not imprisoned
by the thoughtless greed of neIghbors, it
might be, as it used to be, self draining.
But, it so happens that, owing to the selfish
| construction of civil rights which land
holders are prone to act upon, the spot has
been banked in ami banked back till all
the waters that fall upon it and its neigh
bors are cotfined therein till they can bury
themselves in the earth. The ground on
which Mr.. Rambo's carpenter shop is lOcat
ed has been submerged continuously for the
past six months. The ground in the re of
Dr;n a
quagmire for longer time. The ouud in
the rear of the Second National Bank, of
the residences of DIR. Br.tton, and lis
neighbors to the South, has been d frog pond
whenever the rains descended with more
than usual copiousness Water lies Oh all
of them day after day for weeks. aud mos
quitoes are the only jewellers in the t
paying Community.
A visit to that region now wouI snn"
that householders who are ASSESSED 1T fifty
dollars front foot for town protection
compelled to wade from point to poinc OF
their valuable" possessions. Not Only is
grass destroyed, garden destroyed, fruit
destroyed and comfort destroyed, even
health and the right to enjoy 1t are des-
troyed also. And yet.
The remedy while to the people indvid-
ually is impossible, to the corporate
authorities is easist of the easy. All that
is needed is to drain the waters from the
table land to the tide. A lr lin of one
hundred yards cutting from Rtnbos shop
to the EN- 5arkment on the creek border
would maze it impossible for vilas~ .lIir-
les to make pest houses of their pounds, or
for stable boys to bresd mo>gui. oas a.
pleasure. The fruits of twenty years plant
ing and culture of trees and flowers would
not be the ey of a reckless spoiler, and
they who are taxed would have some
comfort in paying their tribute.
Now, the support, in brief, of all this
homily is this:-that the square OF town
property bounded by North Street to Main
by Main to Groome's Lane, by Groome's
Lane to High Steeet, and by High S rect
to North, which is taxed higher than any
portion of Elk ton, is rendered valueless i'll
half of its extent by the banking of water
upon it so that escape is impossible. The
remedy, in the hands of the Town Com
missiouers is comparatively inexpensive.
Let drain be sensibly constructed from
High Street, in the of lands of the
Gi!pin Heirs, the Second National Bank,
A. q. Brown, DIR. Bratton, Mr. Cruik
shank and the Hurn pro- erty, theuce
across ,Main Street to the bank OF the river,
and lands that are now fast Lecoming a
quagmire might remain beautiful gardens,
cellars threatened with inundation might
continue family comforts, and pestilence