Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-01-07
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Roads and TGxntinn.

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Reads and TExafisn.
Messrs. Editors .-Ailo~ me q small
space in your paper to say few words
about taxation and our roads ! I'm -
much interested in taxation and good roads
as any man i'm the county, Cor ihink /
know where the "shoe pinches," % ar -
taxes are concerned. There has been
great amount Of talking done about our
county affairs, and the great problem b %
know how 20 give n better roads and ~
duce taxation. ! have given this subject
much thought and I think I can solve that
problem very satisfactorily to all concerned.
The first thing 10 do. / think, 10 70 put our
county on q cash basis, TO give our county
authority to borrow, say about twenty live
thousand dollars. wecan getit for e least
8 or 4 per cent Lett money be placed
in the hands Of the Treasurer. We already
have Treasurer in the Clerk al The Com
missioner Court Let him give addition
al bond, pay him more salary. Lam for
paying an officer fair salary for his SER
vices. If we expect good officers We must
pay them fair wages. After we6zet the
money, We viii commence on she public
roads by hiring Is many laborers e would
be necessary to put several gangs. II differ
emit places all over the county, with one
supervisor over each gang Of men, ard one
general supervisor TO overlook the work
Of the whole county. Let II be his duty 10
travel over the county and see where the
work on the roads Is most needed Inspect
the work that Is done and see rhasll done
permanently. Il would not BE- expected 10
put all the roads in the county in thorough
repair in one, or even two or three years,
but let the worst places be done first, and
keep on with the work until we get over
the county. Continue to levy road tax.
but not such a large tax a. formerly. Let
our posterity pay mostly for putting our
roads in good condition. We shall leave
them this for an inheritance. They viii
reap the fruits of our labor and we-the
present generation-would be relieved in
q great measure Of one great burden oftax-
alton.
Under the cash basis we could hire men
for at least twenty dollars per month; su-
pervisors for twenty five dollars. This
would save the county at least twenty-five
per cent. Let them work on the roads
from the first of April until the last Of Au-
gust In a few years we would have good
roads, and our taxes would be much re-
duced. I think the present board of Coun-
ty Commissioners viii exert all their abil-
tiles to do so-,give them q chance and see
what they can do.
To talk about reducing our little petty
officers salaries is all nonsense. i am sure
the most of them do not receive as much as
it cost them to get those officers, and to
have good officers, as have already said,
we must pay them for their services. !
suppose we might reduce the salary Of onr
Clerk to the Circuit Court and also our
Register Of Wills and States Attorney. II
you pay them cash when the work Is done
they could afford to work cheaper than
they could on such long credit as eigh.
teen months or two years.
There is some talk about doing away
with the present mode of collecting taxes.
Under the present system We can get q man
in each district, whe can easily bond for
that district, and collect Ne taxes. but there
would be very few men who would collect
all the taxes that could give bond, and 70
give all the loaves and fishes 10 such men
would be. in my opinion, great wrong To
our people and bad politics.
Remember We last fall achieved great
victory. Let US not make any mistakes
that would have q tendency throw oul
county back into the hands of the republi.
cans. Let us 60 slow about this matter
and let US try little reform at tune and
see how it works, and then we will be pre-.
pared to do something greater. Give vi
the opportunity to get the money and put
our roads in good condition. and am SURE
our taxes will be lessened and our proper
ty increased in value. I am sorry, Messrs
Editors, TO trespass upon your time and pa
tience 80 much and will now close for the
present Perhaps at some future day may
give you more of my views on this subject
Yours, TAXPAYER.