Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-12-23
State Tobacco Ware Houses to be
Leased,


1892. Chapter Al. the Governor is en-
powered with authority after careful
examination. to designate one or more
Of the Tobscco ware houses cot wanted
for the storing Of tobacco for general
storage purposes. and 70 appoint such
force rs may be necessary TO manage the
same. II is in the exercise Of the au-
shortly thus conferred that his Exc j.
lency purposes 20 act. and his plan is to
remove the Tobacco Inspector from Nos
] and 2. now consolidated. to No. 4.
aud to lease the former. and in speaking
on the subject he says. ''if more room is
needed than that contained in the three
ware houses for storing tobacco II viii
be cheaper for the State to rent rather
than retain two large ware houses on .
contingency" The proposed action Of
the Governor is greatly to be regretted,
His idea in leasing some Of the Tobacco
ware houses is predicted upon the belief
that the Tobacco ware houses are the
property Of the State. and that the State
invested in the scheme Of building them
as money making enterprise. and that
they must be so managed as to yield to-
the State the largest amount Of revenue
possible. But in this the Governor is
mistaken. The State cannot enter into
any such projects. It is its duty to fOs-
Ter an J encourage its Industries and no
further can it go. and such was the in
tention Of the State when it furnished
the money with which to build the To
bseco ware houses. Tie State loaned
the money to the tobacco planters as an
encouragement to an important trade to
purchase the land upon which the Tobac-
co warehouses are built and to build the
tobacco warehouses. and the to-
baeco growers consented to pay an out
age sax Of 81 per hid to defrsy the
running expenses Of the same and to re-
inburse the State for The money loaned
The tobacco growers acting in good
faith paid that tax since the construction
Of the Tobacco ware houses in 1926, and
BY al proper rules Of mathematical cal
culation have fully reimbursed the Stat.
for its loan in that behalf. The Comp.
troller's report. however. in not giving
proper credits to The Tobacco ware house
fund dses not show this fact. But be
that as it may. our contention is that the
Tobacco ware houses in equity and jus
tee belong TO the tobacco growers,
and the State only had or has, as
the case may be, lien upon them to the
extent Of the amount loaned aud still re-
naming. unpaid Therefore it is not
fare and just to take from the tobacco
growers their property and use il for
other than the purpose for which it was
Intended because forsooth in doing so
the State may derive = revenue. The
SIT has nothing to ask from the tobacco
growers. but the payment Of their debt.
if any is due. and so long as the latter lise
up to their contract the State has no
right to complain When the debt due
the State. If any is due is paid. the ware
houses should belong to the tobacco
growers absolutely If at any future
time it becomes apparent. t!,at
they are not wanted any longer for the
use Of the tobacco trade let them be sold
aud the proceeds devoted to some inter
nal improvement in the tobacco growing
counties. Under no circumstance should
the State at large take property belong
ing exclusively to = section. If some Of
the Tobacco ware houses are not wanted
and there is no likelihood of there being
wanted for the tobacco trade in. the fu-
tare. sell them now snd apply the pro-
ceeds FIRST TO the debt due the State, If
there be any. apd if there be nothing
due, or whatever sun is left after pay
ing what may be due apply i, SIS before
suggested.
But they are wanted for tie trade. -
Time and again the whole Eve Tobacco
ware houses have been stored with to-
bacco 70 their utmost capacity. and who
knows but such may be the case again
Short crops have been made recently be-
cause Of the lox prices Of the product.
bu. prices have advanced recently aud
are nov remunerative, and it is there
fore but fair to presume that larger
crops will be grown. The unused To-
bacco ware houses are no expense to
the State. Under the present system
three tobacco inspectors have charge of
the Eve, AMI leasing two of the
number cannot the efore re-
duce the numb~r of inspectors
and thus permit saving. And besides
ID seems to us bat folly to lease out
ware houses already equipped With the
necessary appointments for handling and
storing tobacco and rem, others not so
suitably arranged, to e"sble the State to
make money at the cost of class of its
citizens The Tobacco ware houses be
longing to the tobacco growers.
may or not be wanted for the trade, at
any rate as they are no expense to the
State, they should be kept for the trade
When the bill was before the Legisla-