Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-07-23
SENATOR LEE ANSWERS MR..
NEWCOMB.
Demands Facts Instead of In
nMendo.

Demands Facts Instead of In
nuendo.
Silver Spring, Md, July IL, 1909.
Mr. Harry I. Newcomb.
Bethesda, Md
Dear Sir Referring to your open letter
of the 30th ultimo, it is pleasure to dis.
cuss publicly questions of Importance tC
the people which may be seriously brought
forward as issues in this campaign. Hav-
ing always stood for publicity in such mat
tiers, thank you for the opportunity thus
afforded.
1t is gratifying to hear that you wish ia
abide by the will of the majority as ex-
pressed in the Democratic primary election
Under the new primary law, enacted as a
local law for Montgomery county two years
ADO. and now substantially adopted for all
counties, a legaliZed method is provided
giving fair opportunity to the people to Sc
lect the candidates and protecting the voters
from frauds and false counting. 1t is i'm
portant that all our citizens appreciate and
respond to this law.
II there is any question upon which my
position should be clearly understood by
the people of this county, ii is as to the
State and Shoemaker Roads. You seem to
have accepted bodily certain ideas hereto
fore published by me on this matter and
no issue remains between us there AS to
the other subjects covered by your letter
the information you apparently rely on is
misleading or incorrect and much of II is
obviously derived from persons whose in
terests have been disadvantageously affect
ed by economies put in operation and re-
forms in taxation as now enforced.
At the beginning 1t is necessary to cor
rect your suggestion that the State Senator
from the county has any power over spend
IND the money of the county. The County
Commissioners have that power OF course
such remedial legislation as may be re-
uuired, can usually be enacted Two ex-
Commissioners. friends of yours. Mr.. Hill
leary Bogley and Mr. Charles G. Griffith
were commissioners for two of the years
the expenditures for which you criticse as
wasteful and extravagant. If any of the
extravagance you allege went on, they are
in position to give the details Of their acts
While must apologize for undertaking to
discuss your charges against the Board OF
County Commissioners, yet 1t seems proper
that the facts should be known to the public
You bid for support on the promise to
administer the affairs of the county for less
COSt u tiC tdApuyOio anu at thC outiS
time, propose to continue the construction
of stone roads. To maintain your charge
of extravaganza against the County Com.
missioners, you average the tax levy of the
four years next preceding my election and
compare 1t unfavOrably with the tax levy
of the last three years and 1909. You
have shown your skill with figures and how
an accomplished statistician might, unless
corrected. mislead the public.
TAXES MUCH REDUCED.
The form of your statement conceals the
important fact that the county tax rate
which was 80 IL cents in the year next
preceding my election. is reduced to 90
cents and that the State rate. then 23 IL
cents, has also in the last four years beer
reduced to 16 cents, or total reduction In
taxes of Is cents on the 500. You fail t
state the fact that, in addition to the levies
| in the first four years, there was $29.7OC
| from bond issues expended for school pur'
poses and that the old School Board left q
floating debt of $4,000. further expendi
ture not represented by the levies, anC
that the gradual payment of these debt,
amounting less premiums, to $32, 700 i,
now being provided for in the recent levie'
you criticise.
| OOkfOkAIlONS I Al lnEik cHAhE.
You skillfully give the impression tina
the additional sums of money raised by
| taxation in this county have come as AZ
added burden upon taxpayers who wert
previously paying the taxes, when, as {
matter of fact, every farmer or land holder
enjoys the whole is cent reduction. The
County Commissioners have been able Il
reduce the rate and at the same time NEE
| a.pnaIst,raa lnrdal,r ha
of placing taxation on certain corporations
that were not paying their legal share o
the taxes before, and in doing away will
the "wasteful and extravagant" way o.
collecting taxes formerly employed Or
the corporation tax there has been an in
crease of revenue to the county of abou
Sc, 900 during the last year, besides like
benefits to the county towns. Rockville
alone having received about $1,000 from
this source. The saving In the cost of col
lecting taxes under the new system hal
been about $4,000 year. In both o
these changes | was of material assistanc,
to the county, in the legislature and before
| the courts.
i By taking general averages for the frs
four years, you cover up the fact that dur
! ing the last year of these four the count!
levy was $l35. 565 as against $l30,53l fo
the first year of the next four, notwith
standing the fact that the same amount wal
paid for Shoemaker Roads. and the county
tax was reduced 8 cents for that year.
IMPROVEMENTS GOING ON.
You also failed to state for the inf0rma
ton of the people that only the last one o.
the four years of Mr. Jones' term contained
a levy for Shoemaker Roads, that law, will
all its virtues or defects. having been pass
ed while he was President of the State Sen
ate. The amount levied for Shoemaker Road
in that last year of Mr.. Jones term wal
$12, $50. The succeeding four years, which
you failed to observe. included similar
| leyies for Shoemaker Roads, aggregatinl
S58, 900.
After comparing the two periods of f0u
years each, you state your belief that lex
trayagant and wasteful methods" exis
in conducting the county business. Al
shown above. some such methods wert
| found and were corrected A similar fac
in this connection is that certain f0rme
beneficiaries of such corrected extrava
gance are now supporting you and evident
| ly think that your success would discipline
me for favoring public economy.
In making your comparison, you omitted
facts necessary to make II a fair one. APP
plying obvious corrections TO your cOmpari
son, we must take the total levy for the frs
four years, $478.737, and add TO it tn,
proceeds of $29,700 of school bonds ant
81, 100 floating debt left by the old Scho0
Board, making total Of $5l3.l37, actual,
spent during the four years From thii
deduct the amount expended for Shoe
maker Roads $12.750, as the new item il
that term, and the remainder, $500,3Si
Dives fair basis for comparison. On thu
other hand, take the $55l,40 expendi
ture during the last four years, and deduc
from it the $500 expended during tina
period for Shoemaker Roads and the re
mainder. $493 .403, shows reduction o
Sc, 1884 in favor Of the second four-yea
period, as to all other expenses.
There can be no objections to these cor
rections Of your statements. They are alb
soIuteIy clear. You have failed to INCLUDE