The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-07-18

Corporation Affairs.


poration for the year from May, 1890, to May,
1891, were 81, 1877. And that for the same
wear there were taxes levied and monies
received by the Mayor and Common Council
to the amount of 81 ,645.06. The Mayor and
Council had no right to levy these taxes, and
receive and apply this amount of money to
any other purpose than the ordinary expenses
of the corporation. They have levied taxes
and received money to an amount more than
four times greater than they had any lawful
right-more than four times as much as the
ordinary expenses.
End. They have left the corporation in debt
at the end Of the year about $4,000. OF this
amount the larger part is $4,000 of bonds
which they have issued and sold. The law
required them, in each and every year, to levy
a special tax not exceeding 10 cents on every
500 worth of property, to pay the interest On
these bonds and constitute a sinking fund to
redeem them at their maturity. They have
not levied that tax as the law requires.
Bird. The law required the proceeds Of those
bonds to be FUSED and applied exclusively
to grading, paving, &c, ''streets in the city OF
Westminster. The Mayor and Common
Council have used and applied nearly all, if
not quite all, those proceeds to improving
the turnpike road which runs through West
Minister, and belongs to the Turnpike Compa-
ny, which collects tolls for its use.
4th. The Mayor and Common Council, not
having applied the proceeds of those bonds
in the manner directed by law to paving, &c,
the "streets of Westminster" but having
applied them, according to their own notions,
to improving the road of the Turnpike Co.,
now want to have at least SIS, 900 more for
paving the ''streets, and have actually as
serted, as 1t is said, their power to borrow any
amount Of money they may please, without
any enabling act, if they can find anybody
foolish enough to lend.
9Th. They have kept the property owners
of the town, and are continuing to keep them,
in perpetual turmoil about pavements, gut
;ers, &C., without the least occasion or excuse,
Sc far as public convenience is concerned.
They are requiring citizens to eXpend their
own money, and, in instances, TO injure their
own property; and threatening to eXpend the
peoples own money, paid in taxes, in doing
with peoples property as they choose, il
people will not do as they order them. They
have forgotten the experience of the corpora
ton a few years ago, when 81 200 to 81, 000
of the people money was spent IN trying to
force people to do US they were ordered by
the iancies OF corporation officials, instead OF
according to law. They do not appear to
acquire knowledge from experience, or in
any other way. The indulgence of their own
arbitrary will, without regard to reason, sense,
or anything but their mastery will, seems to
be the object aimed at. They say, in effect
TO the people of Westminster, 'do as we order
you, or, if you do not obey our orders, and
dare to resort to the laws of the land to defend
yourselves, we will fight you at law with YOU
own money, and if we fail to whip you the
loss and cost will be yours in the end.
This state Of things has gone much too lar
already, and must be stopped, unless West
minister is to be entirely destroyed by over
whelmng debt and taxes. 1t has ALREADY
driven away many people, destroyed the valu,
of property so that there is no market VALUE
for it, brought none to take the places of thost
driven off, and, if not arrested, there is NJ
prospect unless from bad to worse Can i
be arrested? Iesl The remedy, so far a
arresting it aud preventing further harm goes
is in the hands Of the people of Westminste
and OF the county, who will doubtless respont
to an appeal by the people Of the town in tn
only manner in which honest men can re
spond.
1t is idle prattle for man to talk abou
being "A Democrat who can, by his vote O
his influence, aid to impose on the propert
| of Westminster overwhelming debt and taxa
ton. A man who talks about being Dem
ocrat, and seeks public office on that score
or who seeks only the higher honor of privat
station, and does not comprehend Democratic
principles, deceives himself and his neigh
bors. If he does understand Democrat
principles, and acts in opposition to them
then he is fit only to be stunned by homes
men. The standard of those principles whc
denounces public debt and high taxation a
| the greatest enemies to popular government
| is not now arbitrarily erected or announce
| by the writer of this article, but has bee
erected by the common experience of a
men friends Of government by the people
and formulated for practical enforcement b
/ Thomas Jefferson. James Madison and An
drew Jackson, and their compatriOts.
! 1t is too late in the day for any man 10 sa
II am Democrat, but | see no harm in sad
ding debt and taxes on the people" and
is idle and insulting to public intelligence 70
any man 10 say, in effect, that he is oppose
to public debt and taxation in the general
but is willing TO stand by and see them i'm
| posed on the people of Westminster, and still
| claim to be n Democrat.
| The remedy is for the people to take thei
own affairs into their own hands, and to re
| fuse to vote for any candidate for the Legis
lature who will not pledge himself to repea
| the several acts of Assembly which have bee
passed giving the power to the Mayor an
| Common Council of Westminster to abus
the people of the town by piling upon then
| debt and taxes. And it is their duty to AS
the people of the county to help them, and t
repeal the act which has undertaken to Civ,
to that Mayor and Council $500 of the people
money, and so taking the money from tn
taxpayers of the town with one hand, an,
giving back part of it to them with the othe
hand; and at the same time doing gross in
Justice to the taxpayers of the county in takin
away their money without their consent.
Many of these things have doubtless BEEF
done by mistake, and no good is to be hat
towards correcting them by INDUCING in in
eliminating "reminiscences. All that ought t.
be looked to is the future. Save the tow
from hopeless ruin. To do that all that cal
be asked is that no more mistakes shall b.
made, and those heretofore made shall, a
far rs possible, be corrected.
The advice Of the writer of this is that M
man be voted for who will not agree, il
the future, to use all his power and all hi
proper influence for the correction of wha
has been done.
Whether the town can ever be relieved from
the unjust burden Of the S25, 900 of bonds ma,
depend on facts not yet fully known, and i
uncertain. But much good can be done by
repeating all laws which authorize an increas,
of taxes beyond the 10 cents allowed by tn,
charter and the cents for water. II this b,
done, and if even there can be no relief from
the bond debt, taxation can be kept dow
within bearable limits. The people of tn,
town must also attend to future municipa
elections, and not permit them to go by de
fault as they have done.
1t is impossible in communication lik,
this to treat as fully they ought to be treated
all the wrongs done TO Westminster. The
must and will be fully exposed, without regart
to anything else than their correction.
A JEFFERSON AND JACKSON MAN.
Business Locals.
John d. Bowers has fine lot of Mack erel