The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-10-29

congressman. And the Legislature
passed an act submitting to the peopl,
a constitutional amendment. to be yot.
Ell on next Tuesday, providing for civil
service reform in this State. The
amendment was the child of the Bal
tlmore civil service reformers. 1t was
handled about the House of Delegates
Tor weeks, and was finally altered
amended and passed The change al
tered It's effect to such an extent that
the Baltimore News almost repudjatad
IL as of no practical benefit in secur-
ing the merit SYSTEM" and the Balti
more Herald charged the alteration to
trlckery. This is the Republican rec
ora on this question upon which it won
votes-a record Of shameful hypocrisy
upon the part of the Governor and
the Republican Legislature.
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION.
In 1895 every Republican leader and
speaker wrapped himself in a robe of
purity, and with honied words, dis.
claimed partisanship and pretended he
was only interested in good govern
ment No sooner had the party been
placed in power than official rascalty
became apparent. Mayor Hooper If
Baltimore appointed a negro as SUI
perintendent of street cleaning. Every
white man was discharged and his
place filled by negro, and the super
intendent made each pay tribute to
him out of his wages, and robbed the
city by turning in false pay rolls.
AT Annapolis legiSlaticl was bought
and sold, and the State tobacco ware
houses We're filled wuh incompetents
and dishonest officials, and with un-
necessary officials, and in addition
twenty fictitious names were carried
on the pay rolls, the State thus being
actually robbed. The tobacco Of one
planter was made away with. At
least, after much delay, he called at
one of the warehouses and inquired
for it, and its receipt was acknowl-
edged, but he was told the tobacco
could not be found In order to make
the loss good to the planter the lat
ter's name was placed upon the pay
roll and a check was sent him month
ly. This was another r berry of the
State.
And the Hon. Sydney e. Mudd, who
is to be chosen United States Senator
in the event of Republican success,
also received some of the State to-
bacco warehouse funds, although ne
held no position in any warehouse.
DEPOSITS OF STATE MONEY.
Under the last two years of Demo
cratic rule sufficient interest was re
ceived on deposits of the States funds
to pay the salaries Of the Comptroller
and Treasurer. Under Republican
rule, at least one bank the Farmers
anu Mechanics National Bank of
Westminster. to which Attorney-Gen-
eral Clabaugh is counsel. is enjoying
the benefits of deposit of nearly $10,-
600, upon which no interest is paid.
THE NEW ASSESSMENT.
The new assessment has been par
ticularly pointed to with Satisfac-
ton as a Republican measure. and
yet it has been shown by the Demo-
cratic Editors Association to be very
disappointing one to the people. The
people wanted a law that would bring
upon the tax books the millions of un-
taxed personal property and would re-
quire all persons to pay taxes accord
ing to their actual worth in real and
personal property, as the constitution
provides. Under this boosted Repub-
licant law wealth still escapes its just
proportion of the public burden ana
real property, particularly farming
lands. is disproportionally taxed.
The law is fa- from being clear and
explicit, and parts of it are declared
unconstitutional by able lawyers. In
the main act sliding scale was
adopted, assessing bonds. etc, that
bear six per cent interest, at half their
face value. and those that bear a less
rate of interest at less than half their
value. Those TIL. had not actually
paid interest were not to be assessed
at all. This provision was repealed
by a supplemental act, which provided
for assessing bonds. ETC. at their mar.
ket value, and taxing them for county
and municipal purposes at 80 cents on
the 500. and no more What inius
tice this fair and equitable assessment
works. Six per cent bonds to be taxed
at 80 cents on the 500, and farm,
paying not over four per cent taxed a
a higher figure, from - cents in Car
roll, which has the lowest county vote
all the way to $1.16 in Calvert. which
has the highest.
In making the new assessment care
seems to have been exercised to keeT
up real estate values, particularly
farming lands, so that the basis would
not fall and tax votes go so high as tC
react against Republican rule
The mortgage tax is another dis.
elimination in favor of wealth and
is also an unsatisfactory feature OF
the law. In fact, there Is nothing sat
isfactory about this boosted Republi-
can measure. 1t is essentially in the
interest of the tax-dodgers, and makes
the plain people bear an undue pro
portion of the public expense.
And the banks and financial insti
tutions of the State, particularly In
Baltimore, have had their assessments
greatly reduced by Comptroller Ora
ham and Treasurer Shryock. and that
too, when the market value of the
same has changed little. if any, since
the Republicans assumed control of
the State. In the general tax-dodging
done, under provisions of the assess
ment law, the Baltimore and Unio
Railroad Company has goi C." its share
of exemption, though it had always es-
capped tax upon its roadbed, stations,
etc. This time the rolling stock was
pulled from under the hand of the tax
gatherer.
The Editors Association has pub
lished number of articles against the
Republican party. One showed its
composition, and how few whites,
and non-taxpaying and unrepresenta-
tive whites at that, could WELD i'm