The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-10-29

OFFICIAL CORRUPTION.
IN 1895 every Republican leader and
speaker wrapped himself i'll robe Of
! purity, and with honied words dis
claimed partiSanShip ana pretended he
was only interested in good govern
ment. No sooner had the party been
placed in power than official raScality
became apparent. Mayor Hooper Of
! Baltimore appointed Il negro as su-
/ PEI iItgEdynt of street cleaning. Every
white man was discharged and his
! place tillel by Il negro. and the super
| intenuent made each pay tribute to
him out of his wages. ana robbed the
city by turning in false pay rolls.
At Annapolis legislation WAS bought
and sold. and the State tobacco ware
| houses were filled w.,h incompctcnts
and dishonest officials. and with IN
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 av:y with. At
| least. after much delay. lc called ut
one of the warehouses and inquired
! for it. and its receipt WAS acknOWl-
! edged. but he was toll the tobacco
| couIl 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 Il check was sent him month
| ly. This was another rt berry of the
| State.
And the Hon. Sydney f. Mudd. who
IS tn be chosen United States Senator
in the event of Republican success,
also received some OF the State to-
baccO T;lr, house funds. although he
hell 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, ut least one bank. the Farmers
ana Mechanics National Bank of
Westminster. to which Attorney-Gen-
eral Clabaugh is counsel is enjoying
the benefits of Il deposit of nearly S10,-
600. upon which no interest is paid.
THE NEW ASSESSMENT.
The new assessment has been par
ticularly pointed to with SatiSfac
ton as Il 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 I'M
taxed personal property and would re-
quirc 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 and
real property, particularly farming
lands, is dsproportionally taxed.
The law is far 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 less
rate of interest at less than half their
value. Those that had not actually
paid interest were not to be assessed
at all. This provision was repealed
by supplemental act, which provided
for assessing bonds, ETC., at their mar
ket value. and taxing them for county
and municipal purposes at 30 cents on
the 500, and no more. What injus-
tice this fair and equitable assessment
works. Six per cent bonds to be taxed
at 80 cents on the 500. and farms
paying not over four per cent taxed at
i higher figure. from 45 cents in Car
roll. which has the lowest county vote,
all the way to SIG in Calvert, which
has the hi gheSt.
In making the new assessment care
seems to have been exercised to keep
up real estate values. particularly
farming lands, so that the basis would
not fall and tax votes go so high as 70
react against Republican rule.
The mortgage tax is another dis
elimination in favor of wealth. and
is :lSo an unsatisfactory feature of
the law. In fact. there is nothing sat
isfactory about this boasted Republi-
can measure. 1t is essentially in the
interest of the taX-dodgerS. and makes
the plain people bear an undue pro-
portion Of tie public expense.
And the banks AMI financial inSti-
tutions Of the State. particularly IN
Baltimore. have had their assessments
greatly reduced by Comptroller Gra-
ham and Treasurer Shryock. and that.
too. when the market value of the
same has changed little. if any. since
the Republicans assumed control If
the State. In the general taX-dodging
done, under provisions Of the assess
ment law. the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company has gotten its share
of exemption. though it had always es-
capped tax upon its roadbed stations.
etc. This time the rolling stock was
pulled from un:er the hand of the tax
gathcrcr.
The Editors Association has pub
liShed Il number of articles against the
Republican party. One showed its
composition, and how a few whites.
and nen-taXpayng ana unrepresenta-
tive whites at that, could WELD i'm
menSe power by reason of the large
of colorcd voters under their
control.
The hypocrisy of the Baltimore Sun
on the sugar tax. Which created Demo-
cratic division in this State has been
shown ana the true facts about the
tax given. Its Inconsistency upon the
rebate on tin and hides WAS exposed.
and its deception upon the money ques-
ton.
1t has been shown by the .i>soci:.-
ton how the Republicans themselves
had used bribery and corruption
against each other in their primary
that men who would do that were not
to be trusted with control of this stare
that the State Treasury was not safe
in other hands.
Read the Republican record. 1t has
been accurately set forth by the Demo
cratic Editors Association. and Il sum
mary is given above TO recall it to the
minds of voters. The taxpayer interest
ed in good government can not afford
to vote another lease of power to the
party. Its record has been
one Of ircJmpctCncy, hypocrisy aud
corruption.
TEA CUING THRIFT TO THE
IOEN'G.
The number of minors who become
Iepositors in the pos al banks of coun-