The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-12-02
COY. BROWNS PROPOSED AS
SESSMENT CONFERENCE.

Governor Brown has issued an ad
dress to the people of Maryland pro-
posing that a number of representa-
tive men from the counties and the
city of Baltimore shall meet together
in Baltimore city and publicly discuss
the subject of a new assessment bill,
in order that all the light possible
may be thrown on it in advance OF
the meeting of the next Legislature,
so that there may be no delay in franz
ing and passing an acceptable and
equitable law.
There has been no revaluation OF
property in this State since 1876, and
during this long period, as the Cover
nor says, great changes have taken
place in the market or cash value OF
real estate. These changes in value
have made the assessment greatly I'M
equal and consequently the taxes are
unequally distributed, and a vast
amount of property escapes taxation
altogether Governor Brown says:
cit is perfectly true that no system
of taxation can be devised which will
altogether remedy this evil, for our
people properly resent and resist the
general application of inquisltorlal
methods to a whole population in Or
der to enforce the disclosure by few
persons of their real wealth. But we
ought to be able to devise a system
of taxation which will ascertain APP
proXimaiely the amount OF personal
property owned by each individual re-
siding in the State and liable to taxa
ton without exciting hostility to our
method of doing it,
The Governor next adverts to the
| fact that an assessment bill was pass
ed by the last Legislature which he
| vetoed because in his opinion it was
not satisfactory to the people of the
| State, which was made apparent to
him 'by the protests of men of all
| opinions and of widely different inter
ests." The Governor adds that his
veto of this law imposes upon him the
| duty of making some particular re-
| commentator to the next General
Assembly upon the subject of new
assessment law, and he therefore
wishes to ascertain, by the method
proposed, the deliberate and we'll
| founded opinions of all classes of peo-
| pie in this State. He proposes that
the conference shall lie composed of
| delegates from the leading agricul-
tural, commercial, manufacturing and
other industrial organizations in the
State, and that persons who have
made study of the subject of taxa
| ton should be invited to deliver ad-
dresses and participate in the discus
| sions.
The Governors proposal is n novel
one and if carried out, it may result
in good. A new assessment is impera-
lively demanded, especially by the
farming interest, which is paying
more than its share of taxes, both to
the gel eral government and the State.
No one knows this better than Cover
nor Brown, who expressed this view
in all his speeches during his cam
| paign the Governorship. In such
a convention as he now proposes the
farmer, at least, might have views Of
assessment and taxation presented
from his standpoint. After all, the
Legislature will have to decide upon
an assessment law, BUTT would doubt
less be great aid to have the views
of representatives of all the classes af-
fected by such legislation before it,
Let the convocation be held, by all
| means.