Milford chronicle., 1929-12-13
WHY MARYLAND
HAS NO POLL TAX
An Early And Bitter Experience Led To Its
OutLaUry

into parishes of the Church of Eng
land. Vestries were created and Civ
en- certain police authority over all
pei sons living within their jurisdic-
ton. Provision was made for the
appointment of rectors to these jar
ishes because of induction by the
Governor, and later by nomination
of the Lord Proprietor. This last
should be borne in mind in consid-
ering the type of clergymen who
now began to infest the parishes of
Maryland. They were mere jobhol-
ders appointed by civil authority
alone and they ran, as has been said,
from bad to worse"
With occasional shining excep-
tions they were sorry lot, who
made a small pretense to the regu-
lar performance of their ministerial
duties. Far too often the Maryland
parsons main occupation was being
a boon companion to the wealthy
planters, with far more concern over
horses and hounds than the Holy
Communion. OF the more respec-
table parsons one was also said to
be a dull and heavy plain preach
err" but this is not wholly surpris-
ing. Another seems to have been
quite eloquent, for he filled capaciL
GUS old st. Andrews until the con-
gregation crowded about the doors
and the windows. But he complained
that he could not stand driving over
the mountains" of St. Mary's Coun-
ty, where nothing more rugged than
a gently sloping hill has ever been
heard of. So he, frail creature, re-
signed and returned to England.
If they did not resign OF die, there
was no way to get rid of them. Once
presented by the proprietor and in
Quoted by the Governor, they held
their Giving" for life and were rem
dered secure and Independent by
the forty pounds Of tobacco per poll
that was levied upon every person
in the parish, irrespective of his
church afiliation for his support. 1t
is no wonder, then, that the poll tax
became an object Of loathing in the
tradition Of Marylanders.
The people looked around among
the clergy and saw every man do
ing what he thought best; they
sought a power to protect their spir-
itual interests by Furnishing the
agents of the Government |
in things spiritual and they found |
that power nowhere.
No wonder that such a bastard |
establishment as that of Maryland |
was odious to so many of the peo-
pie; we think their dislike is evil
lence of their virtue. 1t deserved to
be despised, for it permitted clerical
Drofigacy to murder the souls of
men.
In the face of all this there was
still the forty pounds per poll ex-
lcted to maintain the nuisance and
o aggravate the injustices of the
people.
In fairness it should be said that
here were undoubtedly some excep-
ions to the noisome rule and that
here is at least a possibility that
he hatred of the poll tax tended to
Xaggerate the evil report of even
he worst of the Maryland parsons
# this era. The Church of England,
90, is to be- acquitted of any cor
Iorate responsibility for the unfor-
innate situation, except in that it /
ad so far lost itself in Erastianism !
S to have surrendered control over
lany vital spiritual functions to the 1
ivil power. Thus it found itself !
elpless to remedy the Maryland ;
once the proprietor had !
ppointed and the governor had in {
ucted an unworthy minister to a {
wing in Maryland. f
In the absence of a legal way to {
ct rid of these tax-intrenched /
lergymen sporadic attempts were c
lade to drive them out by force. E
A remedy was not found until
Ome true son of Maryland discover r
4 that the law imposing forty i
ounds of tobacco per poll did not c
pecify the quality of the tobacco. 7
hereafter all the trash and sweep A
lgs of tobacco barns found their h
ay into the same church treasury r
nd the income of the endowed par
ms, which had been considerable,
egan to dwindle so that many
complaints were sent to :
ngland and conditions became /
'mewhat improved by the removal 1
offenders.
In 1771 an act was passed Great
g a court of three clergymen and
rec laymen to sit with a member
the Council as court of eccle- q
astical discipline to sit in trial of "