The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-07-28
DIR. Hill Answers Mr.. CrOSier.
DIR. Hill had the following letter in thl

DR.. Hill had the following letter IN this
weeks issue of the Gazette:
UPPER MARLBORO, July 24th, 1899.
MIR. EDITOR In your issue of June
9Th, Mr. H. Crosier attempted an answer
to my letter of May o4th, in which | pro-
posed the name of Mr.. ] ohm G. Wyvill for
County Commissioner, in which letter |
also took occasion to allude to the increase
in the tax rate under the present conrol.
Mr. Crosier prefaced his criticism by
stating that | was in hlissful ignorance of
county affairs or made statements which
| knew to be incorrect. AS Mr.. Crosier
has been County Commissioner twice,
embracing perod of nearly six years, |
am more than surprised at some OF the
statements in his letter. For instance, he
alleges that the Turnpike was purchased
by democratic board for $4,000 while
its capital stock was only $4,000. III he
will examine the records in the Circuit
Court for Prince Georges county, IN LII
Der H. B. No. 1 folio $50 and Liber I'll. Is.
No. l, folio 152, he will and the capital
stock in said company was S2o0oo He
will also find by consulting the former
officers of the Turnpike Company, that
for a number of years, no dividends were
paid, on the contrary all the earnings of
Guc COMPANY WIZ pue paNh vi lhS iNs'>''
He further alleges that a democratic
Senator and Representatives in the Legis-
lature of 1898 authorized the County Com
missioners to build the Laurel High
School, which he says is an additional eX-
pense to the county. AS matter OF fact
there was no law passed competing the
Commissioners to build said High School,
but it was left entirely discretionary with
them, as will be seen by reference to
Chapter % of the Acts of the Assembly
OF 1893 The statement made by Mr..
Crosier is calculated to entirely mislead
the public as a reader would naturally in
fer that an appropriation was made for
the building of the school. But as amat-
ter of fact Mr. Crosier knows .tuH areil that
no money acds appropriated for building the
srhool, but that bonds were issued for the
sum of $4,000, payable in five equal install
ments, in five, ten, fifteen, twenty and
twenty-five years. Such glarlng mlsstate-
ments as these must throw discredit upon
other statements in his letter; which was
evidently intended as campaign docu-
ment to help him in his efforts to secure
the nomination for some other office.
There is well known maxim which
SAYS :-"Falsus in uno, falsus in omni-
bus"-False in one thing, false in every
thing.
In 1897 the last year of Democratic rule,
the tax rate was 81 cents on the 500 al
though the cost of tie ne,r G.sesSlneht ST. go.
66 ,rttx prUrided for, the sum of S20.36S.30
was levied for public schools, and S19, 209.-
80 for roads and bridges. This year. 1899,
under Republican rule, with the taxable
basis increased by about $40, 900, the rate
is "a cents on the 800 with about the
same amount levied for schools, and over
$1,000 less levied for roads and bridges.
Mr.. Crosier will doubtless charge this
difference up to the Democratic sheriff
and Jail keeper as intimatcd in his letter.
But the sheriff this year received only
1923, more than the sheriff did in 1897,
and the keeper of the Jail Il proportionate
amount, which additional cost as every
body must know was due to the large
amount of crime in the county last year
from extraordinary causes and charge
able in no way to the administration of
the sheriff.
If we pursue our investigation as to the
tax rate a little further, we find in 1895,
under tie Democrats it was s. cents on Il
taxable basis of a little over nine millions
and in 1894, agdin under the Democrats it
was - cents on the 800. Contrast this
with the present rate, 1mde1 Republican
control, of 81 cents on basis of over
$11 ,000,0 600, the basis increased nearly 90
per cent, and the tax rate, instead Of being
diminished in a proporiionate degfee, incrfas-
ed Il cents on the 800.
Surely Mr. Crosier, as president OF the
board, and under complete control OF the
Republicans, YOU have placed the Com
missioners upon the defensive. You and
they must explain, for the people will
know
In regard to opening new roads and
building monuments in the shape of iron
bridges, the same was done in the levy
of 1898 and previous years. In 1898, $1,000
was levied to open the Harding road, and
prior to that time we saw no monuments
along the public roads in the shape of
,caste oak lumber costing $22 per. M, and
rebuilding good bridges to use more lumber.
as we now see in one particular district
Mr.. Crosier says in the second paragraph
of his letter. But granting that the tax
rate of 1899, is little higher than 1898,
can the Young man not see why 1t is or
is he so blinded by the mad rush for poll
teal honors himself that he will not see"
AS for myself will state most emphati
cally, and he knows it to be the fact, that
| am not now, have never been and under
no circumstances will be a candidate or
dCCcpt tuIS ldll
In my first communication | suggested
the name of Mr.. John C. Wyvill for County
Commissioner because considered him a
man eminently fitted for the position, and
felt justified in mentioning his name as he
is an old friend and nei ghbor whom have
known for years. The effect of the sug
gestion, which l felt certainly as "a citi
zen of the county had a right to make, has
been to bring down on me lot of petty
abuse, based entirely on falsehoods, by
certain parties who claim also to desire
the nomination of Mr.. Wyvill, yet who
are not willing he should have any voice
in the selection of the delegates from his
cwn district, and are at the same time pre-
tending to support a candidate from an
adjoining district, when they know full
well that according to Democratic usage
it will be impossible to put on the ticket
two Commissioners to represent the whole
county who live only a few miles apart.
l cannot see how any true friend of Mr..
Wyvill could object to extending to him
the courtesy of selecting his own delega-
ton which has often been extended to
other candidates, and | sincerely hope Mr..
Wyvill will not only be granted this right,
which he merits as man and his services
as Democrat entitle him to, but that he
will also be unanimously nominated and
elected by a large majority.
Very truly,