The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-01-24
RELIEF LEGISLATION
Senator Cobourn Offers Suggestions
And Invites Criticism

]
The Legislature will be called into
Extraordinary Session the first week
of March to consider the Relief prob
/ lem. Being DESTROYS of assisting in a
| plan that will produce results without
| the terrific overhead and unnecessary
expense that now prevails / am offer
/ Ing the following for your considera-
| tion and criticism In order that its
weakness, If any, may be determined
and such changes made therein as may
be necessary.
The Gross Sales Tax was inaugural
ed at the last session of the Legisla-
ture, the purpose of the tax being to
raise revenue necessary for the States
portion of the Relief program and Old
| Age Pensions. The Federal Govern
ment has since discontinued Relief
contributions to the State SO that the
burden of providing for these people
that were formerly cared for by Relief
now falls directly upon the State of
Maryland
To take over the machinery of dis
tributing Relief as erected by the Gov
ernmnt would be out of the question.
According to figures furnished by the
Maryland Emergency Relief Admins
tration 1t cost, in Cell County, during
the month of September. 1895, $1,223.53
to distribute $3,404.46 in Relief. This
can be appreciated when we learn that
the Executive Secretary receives
$166.67 per month; three Junior and
Senior Workers receive total of
$251.0O per month; Finance officer at
$500 per month; three Clerks receive
a total of $277.90 per month and a
Commodity Distributor at $86.67 per
month. During that same month there
were 254 Relief cases in Cecil County,
which number has materially decreas-
| ed and will continue to decrease as the
Government launches projects under
the Works Program. In view of this
enormous cost it is obvious If con-
tinuation of Relief were decided upon
some new and more economical method
, of distribution must be devised.
l voted against the Gross Sales Tax
law which we now have, my reason
being that it was, in my opinion, the
most vicious and discriminatory tax
ever forced upon free people. To
| illustrate my objection to this form of
taxation: In my immediate community
there are probably eight hundred citi-
zens among whom there are twelve re-
quired to pay this tax. Twelve per-
sons, therefore, are carrying re-
sponsibility that should be borne by
the entire eight hundred. Then too,
| we have Independent merchants and
chain stores. The chain stores can alb
sorb the tax due to their wealth and
they force the independent merchant
| to do the same. Instead of this being
/ per cent Gross Sales Tax, it is, to
these independent merchants, 1915
or possibly 20 per cent income tax
which of course violates the principle
of taxation under our theory of gov
| eminent that all taxes should be borne
| equally.
The real question thereupon presents
itself Shall we have Relief as at
present constituted? If the sum
| ($3, 500, 000) is insufficient to carry on
as heretofore shall we continue the
Gross Sales Tax, or some similar tax,
and pass out the proceeds in the form
of dole? Or shall we discontinue all
taxes for this purpose and permit the
| Counties and Communities to care for
it's citizens that have met with ad-
versity and misfortune in the same
manner that has obtained since the
birth of civilization.
I favor the latter view. Am con-
scious, of course, that there are many
deserving cases on Relief but l cannot
fail to realize the impossibility of the
| State to furnish funds or machinery
under which those entitled could be
administered to. without proper ma
chinery this fund, pitifully inadequate,
would become political spoils and a
very small percentage would reach its
4
| is provided the fund would be consum-
ed in salaries to officials. Then, too,
the distribution of this fund would be
a dole and I am opposed to dole on
principle. For the reasons given
shall vote against the Gross Sales Tax
when reintroduced.
| Should the Gross Sales Tax pass,
and 1 am of the opinion it will, pro-
pose to attempt to amend 1t that the
| a h.
applied as follows;
1t Is my thought this tax money
should be distributed to the Counties,
and the City of Baltimore, in direct
proportion to their contribution to the
general fund, less their share of ad-
ministration expense. In other words
Cecil County will have at her disposal
the money collected from her citizens
less her proportion of the expense in
CURED in its collection.
| 1t Is my thought also that this
money should be held in special fund,
to the use of the County Commissions
ers, and to be expended by them in the
| improvement of third and fourth class
dirt roads In the County to the end
that these roads may be converted into
second class, hard surface roads The
material used lin the construction of
these roads to be procured from within
the County, by the County Commits
sioners and paid for from the huge
surplus that has. accumulated in the
State Roads Commission. the only re-
striction being that no County, or City,
shall receive in payment of material
a sum in excess of rs per cent OF the
gasoline tax allocated the previous
year. The men necessary to perform
this labor to be procured by the
County Commissioners from among the
unemployed in our County and the
wage scale to be slightly less than
the prevailing rate, thereby furnishing
an incentive to these men to secure
private employment. BY expanding the
money In this fashion we would in
crease the value of the property along
these improved roads and by doing so
we would increase our tag base when
We increase our base we decrease the
rate and at the same time we would be
giving employment to many of our
| citizens without cumbersome and
| costly administrative machinery.
The figures furnished me by the
| Comptroller show that Cecil County
will pay into the State Treasury from
revenues under the Gross Sales Tax
approximately $4,000, which, after de-
1 a 49,, la.