The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-08-03
Omitted Lands.



nomination and election of county
commissioners in Allegany and Gar
rett counties, deem it my duty as
Especial Agent employed to locate
and report the Omitted lands" in
these counties to call the attention of
taxpayers and voters generally, re-
gardless of politics, to some of the
sins of omission chargeable to most of
the boards of county commissioners
that have served during the past
twentY-seven years.
For the information of the inquir-
ing public, will, as briefly as posi-
bic, explain my peculiar connection
with the affairs of these two counties.
! In the spring of 1887, while engaged
as practical surveyor. in making an
analysis OF the assessment books, !
discovered the startling fact that
nearly one-tifth, OF 20 per cent, Of the
wild lands in Allegany and Garrett
counties, (mostly belonging to non
residentsl were entirely omitted from
the assessment books. then notified
the Garrett county board of my
acceptance Of the long standing offer
to surveyors of "a contingent fee of
One-half the first years taxes realized
from the assessment of Omitted
lands located and reported by them.
My attention was then called to
schedule of "Omitted lands that had
recently been submitted by a certain
local surveyor and attorney, but
which was obviously all wrong, be-
cause he simply hunted up the names
of the soldiers to whom the Military
Lots were originally awarded and
then had them assessed to 1.-The heirs
Of such soldiers. After examining
the Deed Records of Washington and
Allegany counties I found that near
ly all these lots had been sold by the
soldiers themselves.
Hence, as their heirs had no
titles. of course no taxes could be
collected from them. In January,
1888, new and sensible board came
into power with Brison Welch as
president and the late Messrs Veitch
& Townshend as their attorneys
When these Omitted lands were
called to their attention and pointed
out on the plats, they held a consul
: tation and decided to send Il Special
Agent to the Land Office at Annap.
oils to make abstracts of all the titles
and transfers of titles to all the Orig
5 inal Tracts, Military Lots, Resurveys,
Escheat Patents, Vacancies, etc, and
offered me the agency to do the work
| agreed to accept the contract pro-
vided the board would advance suffi-
cient money to defray my living eX-
penses while engaged on the work in
Annapolis, Cumberland, etc. The
= board then consulted with their at
torneys and decided that they could
not make advances on my contract
} for a contingent fee but as an
: afterthought, they concluded the
/ county ought TO have abstracts of
| the titles and transfers, prior to 1873,
copied into permanent record books
} for the use Of the public.
} The board then offered me "a fair
and reasonable compensation" for
| compiling my abstracts and data into
such books and decided that, under
the second contract they would have
2 the right to make reasonable ad-
t vances out of the contingent fund to
, enable me to complete the work.
= accepted the terms offered and my
l second contract was recorded January
S 6, 1888. Soon after accepting the
/ terms Of Garrett county the Allegany
, county board, Samuel J. Edwards,
l president, unanimously urged me to
: trace the titles to the omitted lands''
in Allegany county on the same
= terms, which ] agreed to and my con-
= tract was recorded in their minutes.
? For twelve years ! have faithfully,
diligently, and in the face of the most
. remarkable obstacles, pursued my
labors under these contracts, and nv
Y work is as nearly complete as it is
possible for human agency to make it
e without the cooperation of the boards
1 of county commissioners.
0 1t was obviously impossible to make
/, complete schedules of the omitted
e lands until the Allegany-Garrett
e boundary was established.
t Long before the assessments and
a levy Of taxes were made for 1899. !
Y submitted to Allegany county sched
ules of upwards of $4,000 acres OF
omitted coal lands lying right in the
heart of the Georges Creek coal basir
r and to the Garrett county treasurer
e schedules of upwards of $4,000 acre,
'. of omitted coal lands located in tn,
o western edge of said coal basin, under
n which numerous coal mines are now
II being worked. Il am still at work OF
J unfinished schedules of 81, 1000 acres O
p omitted coal lands lying in othel
= sections of Garrett county,
RAfnN, L.,