The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-08-23

House of the last-named year, and it
is consequently untruthful to say that
the Republicans gave Us peaceful,
far and free elections" So far as the
amendments adopted in 1896 were con-
cerned, the Republicans and Demo
Gratis alike were instrumental in pass
ing them, and it is manifestly inaccu-
rate TO say the Republicans alone gave
us that law, The election law, like
many other statutory systems, is the
result of development. Assuming, but
not admitting, that We now have any
more peaceful, fair or free elections
than we formerly had, and assuming
that this improvement is due to the
law as 1t stands today, the origin of the
improvement must be traced to the
Act of 1890 adopted by Democratic
Legis allure, and whatever of merit
the amendments of 1896 contain could
not have been secured without coop
Grafton of the Democratic Senate. In
the face of these patent facts it is rash
ness, if nothing worse, TO claim that
the Republican party conferred the
blessings and benefits ascribed to the
election law
The "R-puhlicAns reassess-
ed property ami equalized the burden
of taxation The reassessment was
made under several statutes passed in
1876, but not one of those statutes
could have become laws had not a
Democratic Senate concurred in their
adoption. For the Republican party
to claim the sole credit for this meas
ure i for it to claim that to when ii is
mauifestly not entitled.
But the "Republcans in
case of laborer ana farmer assessed
?60,00o,00O additional stocks an
bonds" Did they? When? How?
Was it under the assessment law of
1896? lfso could that law have been
passed without the concurrence of the
Democratic Senate? Certainly not.
Then it is not true to say the Repub-
lcans brought about this result But
suppose we are wrong, and suppose the
Republican party alone caused the as
st>sment of $50 600, 900 of stocks and
bonds Was that in case of laborer
and iarmer? Bonds are assessed at
thee dollars on the thousand for
county purposes. The lahorer VITO
owns house worth Il thousand dol
lar. an tn" farmer who owns q parcel
OF land worth a thousand dollars each
pays the full county rate of taxation,
which in some couhties is more than
three times as much and in this county
j. earl three times aS much as the
bond-holder pays on his bond. The
holder of bonds is thus favored at the
expense of the land owner. TO make
this a little more clear, take this case:
y bond-holdcr owning ten thousand
dollars in bonds pays thirty dollars
county taxes on them. a farmer own
in Il farm assessed at ten thousand
dollars pays in some counties over one
hul,ircd and in this county eighW-fro
dollars county Mes on his farm. A
bond-holder in Baltimore City pays
on ten thousand dollars of bonds Milty
dollars city taxes, whilst the man who
is assessed with ten thousand dollars
worth of houses pays on that assess
ment one hu0c{rcd and Sirtl-serca dol
lars, or over five and half times as
much as the bond-holder pays on iden-
tIcally the same amount of property.
Is such a discrimination ain case of
laborer and farmer" The Republican
State platform says it is, but we doubt
whether the toiler and tiler of the soil
Will agree with that statement
The Republicans gave
free school books to our children" No.
The bill providing for free school books
was introduced in the State Senate on
January seventh, 1896, by Hon. John
Walter Smith, then Senator from Wor-
cester County and now Governor of the
State, and was passed by Democratic
Senate on March the sixth, and was
concurred in later on by Republican
House. Was it truthful to say that this
measure had been adopted by Republic
cans and by so saying to create the inn
preston that Republicans alone had
enacted it, when in point of fact it was
of Democratic origin and could not have
become a law in 1896 without the con-
currence of Democrats?
But enough has been said for today.
We have exposed some of the preten-
sions Of the Republican platform, and
we will next week splinter other planks
that are quite as windshaken, brash and
uusound as the ones we have thus far
dealt with.
SENATOR MCCoMAS seems deter
mined to have his cousins, his uncles