The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-17
THE ALLEGANY-GARRETT BOUNDARY
Mr.. II. p. TaslSer, Special Agent for the
Two Counties Has Something to Say
Anent this Question.

vi lllC lVllI lllSl. lllC lDdlllll
EUeni1tg NelOS contained the follow
ing letter from Mr.. II. p. Tasker, writ
ten from Cumberland to that paper,
and by request we reproduce it in our
columns:
"In the beginning of the session
Senator Ravenscroft introduced bill
providing for the Definite location of
! the boundary line between 'Allegany
and Garrett counties This impOr-
tant bill is now being held up in
the Senate and Finance Committee
and fearing its defeat, am requested
by prominent taxpayers in both of
these counties to send a brief sum
mary of the facts in the case to The
Ne1OS for publication, as a means of
enabling the Legislature to vote in
telligently.
"ln 1872 certain politicians devised
a scheme to divide Alleganv county
and secured the passage of the Act in
1872, Chapter 212, authorizing the for
nation of Garrett county out of the
territory lying TO tlle westward Oh Il
StralSht lile from the mouth OF 0aF-
age river "here II eihPtles INTO foto-
lnac rlNFr' 10 'lle summit Oh savage
lllou uil'"lh WHERE IL Is crossed py Mason
and DiXOn's line The pretended
SurVe! OF TINS line was perhaps the
iiloS' pareIaceu lrauo OF crime ever
perpelrateu III tile 0ta'e OF maryland,
Inc surveyors VINO were employed
pE polItlclahs' were instructed 10 start
at the mouth OF savage river ana run
a reference line TO the summit OF
savage mountains put he careful to
pear 10 the west OF the true terlhlhal
halLcu III lile la"'alu wien you strike
-h"HoIl an" DlAoll lllle measure the
distance eastward TO the summit, then
plaI out the true Illle ana paSe your
report on the pat; doh attempt TO
survey the true line Oh the ground LOT
II you co. the coal companies Will get
Oh 10 our ne" county schelhe anu
| ueleat IL at the polls inns mas Deeh
uetalleu 10 lie repeatedly pE surviving
members OF the corps that maze the
pretended survey ana Will DE sworn
TO by all OF them, II necessary
AIthough no pIats ana certlncates
were ever returned ana recorded as
required py the Act (loE, Ch. >l2)'
yet the election TOOK place the county
was dlNlued' by very small majority
ana 0arrett county was organized on
tllls IlihsE ana lrauduleht pasls.
Ever since there has been perpet-
ual douotS ana Ve&atlous contentious
as TO the Jurlsdlctloh OF the courts as
SCISSORS ROAD supervisors school trus-
| tees, tax collectors, registrars of voters,
sheriffs Surveyors. constables and
o4,,o,os en-, f+bo Law. 10 ,,,lno
va
their jurisdiction begins ana ends IN
this disputed belt of territory, which
extends inward of 1S miles through
H. o+ I,o1,,ot>Io oool Io,a, :; ~
Wv i'-''
state. IN pursuance OF contracts
with Allegany and Garrett counties
recorded in .Januarv. 1883. I made a
,os,,I oI,,i, 80 +,o o.aooa,,,,,,+
o'i VI '',i'' 'i' VI 'ii| ~, ~
books ana demonstrated the TACT That
there are upward of $1,000 acres of
land in Allepanv and 125 OOO acres i'm
C,a.,++ 4,,a4 ,,a4 aaaoa-oI
""i le'o O0uii'' ''i'' ''' = ii0' ="
for State or county taxes at all. In
compliance with these contracts | un-
dartook to olocate +hesesunta,ed lands
.1 +.o. .Loi, 4;4,l, ,,.,
ol lhy pia'o anu trace 'iieil 'l'iee up
to their present owners III order that
they might be legally assessed. In
n,onv INSTANCES 7 wae comneIIad +o
.e4,,sI ~. !
lllahe "o'uai SulNeyo oil 'lle Sloullu
at my own expense before l could ac-
curately locate these untaXed lands
on my plats. These surveys revealed
the fact that the most valuable of
these 'untaXed lands extend for Is
miles along both sides of this disputed
boundary line through the George S
Creek Coal Basin, where the Big
Vein coal land alone is worth $4,000
an acre.
"These surveys also revealed the
ram a rlx a hlp fact that tbprp aetna V