The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-04-08
he hGlD Il NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
FREDERICK w. BAKER, Editor.
NJ. H. PAUL, of Webster, is authorized to
i've and collect subscriptions for THE EGIs.
THE ASSESSMENT BILL.


Both Houses of the Legislature on
Friday last passed bill providing for
a revaluation of all the property in
Maryland This was done in compli-
ance with demand from all parts of
the State for an equalization of taxa
ton. AS matters now stand farmers
are paying more than their just pro-
portion of taxes. Their property has
largely decreased in value and it is
safe to say that there is very little land
in Hartford county at least which could
amount at which it is assessed per acre.
Besides this it is evident from the
yearly decrease in the taxable basis
that large amount of personal prop
erty, in changing hands, is hidden
from the view of the tax gatherer. 1t
is also believed that many corpora
lions and capitalists are not paying
taxes in proportion to the property
they own in the State 1t is this in
equality which led to a general desire
for q new assessment. In compliance
with this demand the Democratic
State Convention, last fall, gave a
pledge to the people of the State that
if the Democrats should be in ma
jority in the Legislature new assess
ment law would be passed. The peo-
pie of Maryland, relying upon that
promise, elected Democratic Legisla-
ture and had a right to demand the
fulfilment of the pledge. The pledge
has been fulfilled by the Legislature
and it remains with the Governor to
say whether his brother farmers shall
be disappointed or not.
Under any circumstances an assess
ment law must be a matter of COM
promise. Corporate capital, in order
to swell it's dividends, invariably
struggles against taxation of any kind
and avails itself of every expedient to
avoid it. Banded together in corpora
tions men in the aggregate, through
agents, commit acts which no one of
them would do as individuals. There
fore no assessment law could be franz
ed, much would meet their approval if
il endeavored to make them pay in like
proportion with farmers or individual
business men.
The law passed by the Legislature
may have defects, but it is probably
as fair as any law which can ever be
passed. 1t is a great deal fairer to the
farmer than the present law and we
hope. Governor Brown will not hest
tate to give it his approval, as an act
of tardy justice to the tax-burdened
people of Maryland.
The bill may not accomplish all that
it was intended to accomplish, but as
we have said there is no hope that any
better law will ever be passed. 1t is
very full and seems to be far-reach-
ing, and it is but just to its originators
to say that they appeared to be
anxious only to provide the way
for just and equitable system of
taxation.
The act declares what property shall
be subject to taxation and what eX-
empt. Among the former is the real
estate and personal property of cor
porations as well as of individuals, all
money the proceeds of the sale of
stock, bonds or other property dispos-
ed of for the purpose of evading taxa
OF, IF 81 in, Ior 70
or corporation bonds, all investments
in private securities of every kind.
The real and personal property of
every steam railroad shall be taxed
for county and municipal purposes as
the property of individuals is taxed,
provided that bridges of railroads and
turnpikes shall be assessed at the
same rate that an equal portion of any
other part of the road is taxed. Mort
gage bonds of corporations are taxed,
the tax to be paid according to section
81, article 81, of the Code.
The property exempt from taxation
is United States bonds, property be-
longing to the United States, the State,
or any Incorporated city or town :;
places for public worship, parson-
ages, burying grounds, crop or pro-
duce in the hands of the producer or
his agents +; provisions or fuel kept on
hand by families tools of mechanics !;
wearing apparel, except watches,
diamonds or other costly jewelry not
habitually worn on the person fish in
the hands of the fisherman or his
agents hospitals, asylums, benevolent
or. charitable institutions and the
grounds appurtenant, property of cor
porations having shares which are
alone subject to taxation; shares of
corporations, such as the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, exempted by ire
pealable contract shares of corpora
tions subject to gross receipts tax /;
bills receivable or other evidences of
debt held by merchants whose average
stock in trade is taxed such portion
of shares of homestead or building
associations as may be represented by
mortgages on property within the
State when the mortgaged property
is subject to taxation; mortgages on
property within the State and mort
gage debts secured thereby, except
mortgage bonds of a corporation.
The tools, machinery or plant of in
dividuals or of corporations actually
engaged in the business of manufac-
turing are exempted for a period of
five years from the beginning of their
respective operations.
A tax is levied upon the gross re-
ceipts of all railroad companies not
exempt by contract, graduated accord
ing to the amount of their business
per mile, and also upon all telegraph,
telephone, electric light and other
companies.
Each county of the State and the
city of Baltimore is divided into as
sessment districts. Hartford will con-
tain two, the first assessment district
being composed of the second, fifth
and sixth election districts the second
assessment district to contain the first,
third and fourth election districts.
The assessors are to be taxpayers
and residents for at least one year of
the assessment district from which
they are appointed. Three are to be
appointed for each assessment district.
The pay of assessors in the counties is
to be $3.50 per day, and in the city of