The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-03-31

County and Lectures the County
Authorities.
Mr.. Clifford Friend, of near Acct
dent, contributes a third article on
the tax question in Garrett county,
which is printed below, and in which
Mr.. Friend charges that the officials
of the county have remained inactive
in coming to the relief of the tax
payers. Mr.. Friends letter follows:
To the Editor of The Republican.
At Hagerstown, Washington coun-
ty, Tax Payers League was formed
under date of March % with over four
hundred interested tax payers in at
tendance. The object of the league
will be to confer with the County
Commissioners in an effort to reduce
public expenses.
In Frederick county last week the
Board of Education and the County
Superintendent of Schools formally
announced that they and their teach
ers will voluntarily accept salary
reduction in case the County Commits
sioners and other office holders do
likewise.
In both counties the Commissioners
have announced that they will gladly
cooperate with the taxpayers in every
way possible in an effort to reduce
public expenditures.
The prevailing economic conditions
in Washington and Frederick counties
are identical with existing conditions
in Garrett county today. But, in those
two counties officials and office hold
ers are sitting at the council table
with tax payers and together they
have adopted, or will adopt, resolu
lions for economy that is calculated
to carry their respective counties thru
this emergency.
Garrett county remains inactive.
Our officials have buried their heads
in the sand. Thus they have chosen
to ignore the signs of the approach
ing storm. Our citizenry has waited
for their leadership. 1t was altogether
fitting and proper that they should
wait. But while patience is virtue,
procrastination is a sin. If the urge
for economy is so pressing in veal
thy county like Frederick then how
much more glaring must be the need
in our own modest county of Garrett?
Washington County Commissioners
have announced through their attor-
ney that the tax rate can and will be
reduced. Garrett county officials and
office holders have stubbornly main
tanned that due to certain state laws
tax reductions are impossible.
In the meantime unnecessary road
construction is being carried on. In
the vicinity of Bloomington a new
road costing seven thousand dollars
has been authorized. Money to pay
for the road is not now in the public
treasury, nor was there any hope that
the county could pay for the road in
1882. Therefore our Commissioners
have borrowed the money from a pri-
vate source and have promised that
trusting individual to pay him out of
1888 revenue.
Is it any wonder that our people are
beginning to deplore the unnecessary
spending of funds? Have we not a
right to expect of our public officials
that they consider the times?
We delegate to certain men the
power to lay taxes upon our property
in order to defray the expense of our
local government. But the power to
tax is the power to destroy. Through
taxes property can be confiscated and
no court in the land can stay judg-
ment.
This being the case, can we citizens
afford to sit by while our office hold
ers continue to draw enormous and in
defensible salaries? Must we organ
ize ourselves in order to combat the
nonsense of organized political slush?
We have asked for program of
economy because economy is so plain
ly necessary. We have not asked the
impossible. We have outlined plan
whereby quick and effective economy
can be had, but we do not ask our
officials to embrace this program in
full. Perhaps they can devise a better
one.
Our Tax Payers Committee is will
ing and anxious to meet with our
Commissioners and Office holders in
an effort to devise ways and means
to curtail public expense. We would
like to study with them the problems
of our local government. We will only
ask for fair play, square deal and
we promise a square deal in return.
CLIFFORD FRIEND.
Accident, March 20, 1881.
The following is a letter received