The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-01-09
NEW ASSESSMENT BILL.
Conference of Republicans to be
Held Next Wednesday.

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Wednesday evening at which the
subject OF a party assessment bill
Will be taken up. This is the plan
at present decided upon by the
Republican leaders, and it is likely
that it will be carried out.
The caucus will not be binding
upon those who attend It, and for
this reason it will be more of con-
ference than formal caucus. II
viii be the effort Of the leaders TO
! present such a bill to this confer
ence that the united support Of the
members ana Senators can be Sc
cured for 1t, and if so it will be
introduced the following day in
the House of Delegates.
1t is known that number of
prominent gentlemen are now at
work on the bill. 1t is their idea,
it is said, to prepare a broad reas-
sessment bill, founded absolutely on
the fifteenth article of the Bill of
Rights, and leave out of it many
of the points on which the question
of constitutionality has already
been raised. These points Will be
covered in supplemental bills. For
instance, the subject of the taxation
of mortgages will be covered in a
separate bill, as will the plan for
the taxation of bonds and other
evidences of debt.
The lawyer in whose charge the
bill is at present told NewS re-
porter to-day that the new bill
would contain radical differences
from the Hayes bill IN regard to
the machinery for levying the
assessment, and that the cost Of the
assessment would be much lower
than the expense attached to the
Hays bill.
Ia regard to the taxation of per,
sonal property the new bill provides,
it is stated, that such estates, with
the exception of mortgages, bonds
and other evidences of debt, shall
be taxed strictly in accordance with
the Bill of Rights. While there
will be a radical and effective listing
system, the Objectionable features
of the Hayes bill will be eliminated,
it is understood, especially that part
requiring neighbors and others to
give sworn testimony to a mans
holdings.
The idea of the gentlemen in
charge Of the bill is to present to the
Legislature a bill about which there
can be little dispute, thus insuring
to the people of the State a reas-
scssment of property. The mooted
points can then be attacked singly
IN the supplemental bills, of which
it is the present purpose to have at
least two, and those can be voted
down or attached to the main bill
as the two houses and the Governor
may decide. They do not want to
hazard the passage Of the mail bill
by attaching to it the subjects on
which there is much dispute among
the members of the Legislature.
The Merchants and Manufacture
ers' Association committee in the
meantime is working on the bill
that 1t will present to the Legisla-
ture. 1t is likely that a third bill
will come from the Democrats in
the Senate.
The Society for the Suppression
of Vice will present three bills to
the Legislature covering changes
they desire made in excise laws.
One bill will provide that whenever
application is made for the issuance
of license to sell liquor from any
property a placard shall be posted
in conspicuous place outside the
property informing passers-by that
license has been asked for and
giving the date when the Liquor
License Board will hear and pass
upon the application. A bill SINH
lar to this was passed by the last
Legislature, but was vetoed by
Governor Brown because it called
for immediate action and it was
thought that it would interfere