Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-05-04
More History.

Inc JOURNAL mas been looking Tor
this and wondered why it dalled:
Now we would rather have been spared the
unpleasant duty of reminding the JOURNAL
that by far the greater part of the load of
taxes it pretends to groan under is paid by
persons who have no sympathy with Its
persistence in course of unseemly abuse of
people who, to say the least, are as honest
and as true to the duties of good citizenship
as is the JOURNAL and its readers. AT least
four-sevenths of the taxes collected outside of
Cumberland are paid by persons residing in
Baltimore, New York, Boston, and elsewhere
outside the limits of the county.-Cumber-
land NemS.
Very clear. and apparently very con-
elusive.
Perhaps the Neeos can now tell us
where the "persons" get the money
to pay the taxes which they bestow
through Cumberland media upon Cum
berland benefciarles. Do they get
their money out of the ground "in
Baltimore, New York, Boston," etc.?
Not much.
The money comes out of this region,
and the very men whom the News
credits with paying the taxes frequent
ly complain Of the enormous drain
upon their resources so occasioned.
But they have no control of the
matter. 1t is a pity they have not.
If they had, the region which God
blessed with resources so rich would
not be damned by Cumberland wants
so rapacious. If they had, we would
have the best roads and schools in the
world.
We mean this-if they had to spend
the taxes in the county us we'll as pay
them, it is not likely they would neg
lect their own properties and their
own people to pour their money down
the bottomless rat-hole of another
community.
SO much for that.
After some slush concerning JOUR-
NAL Few county and asylum disappoint-
merits, we have this burst:
But the terrible wrong the burning out
rage; the objectionable sin was committed
when a board of county commissioners
actually refused to violate the act of legisa-
ton requiring the erection Of the court house
at the county seat and declined to transfer it
to Frostburg.
But they didn't refuse to violate the
law to carry out their object when they
borrowed $lO0,000 without the peoples
consent to build the new courthouse Z?
They were not only needless of the
law, but they couldn't violate it too
quick They couldn't trust the people
with their lawful right to vote for or
against 500, 900 for a courthouse any
where They adopted the tyrant's
plea of necessity and went ahead re
gardless of the ordinary procedure.
They had to get running start on
the people.
But the Meas ridicules the new
county.
How does that sound from q COM
munity that entertains no respect for
the old?
In 1889, the centennial year, the an
niversary fell on Christmas day. Out
here the people wished to observe it on
that day and during the week sue
ceeding.
But no. Cumberland people saw in
the occasion so fine an opportunity to
glorify Cumberland, and especially to
bleed this coal region, that they pro-
famed, degraded and prostituted it two
months ahead of time to a money
grabbing saturnalia Like the bold
eagles which haunt the west coast of
Africa, sighting their prey, they could
not wait until it was ripe.
The JOURNAL admits that this is not
a pleasant topic. 1t regrets that oc-
casion arose for either comparisons or
"reminiscences which reflect Cumber-
land methods and history in unenviable
colors.
But the provocation was too great
for aught else than recital of well
Enoun oOI nft tnll t,l,