The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-04-29
SENATOR FRIEND DENIES
HE URGED TAX RATE RAISE
Records of Meeting and Number
of People Present, However,
Say He Urged Increase
COPY OF MINUTES SHOWN

Senator Clifford Friend, in letter
this week to the editor of The Republi-
can and to the Cumberland Daily
News, denies he had urged the Gar
rett County Commissioners to increase
the tax rate in the county thirty or
forty cents.
Notwithstanding Senator Friends
denial of the matter, record of the
minutes of the Commissioners meet
ing is authority for the statement that
Senator Friend did urge this increase.
In addition to the record, there are
a number of people who were present
at the time Mr.. Friend was addressing
the Commissioners, who aver that
Senator Friend did say just that.
Followin gthe receipt of Friends let
ter, the record of the minutes of the
meeting of the Commissioners were
carefully gone over to ascertain
whether or not a possible error had
been made by the person reporting the
story in last weeks issue of The Re-
publican. There was no error. To sub
stantiate this still further a reporter
interviewed John W. Herman, a men,
Der of the Board of County Commits
sioners; Water G. Meyers, clerk to the
Board of County Commissioners; Jesse
J. Ashby, Jr., County Treasurer, and
R. C. McComas, Supervisor of Assess
ments, who were present at the time
and listening intently to what the Sem
ator had to say. The persons inter-
viewed all say there was no error made
in last Thursdays report of events
and that Mr.. Friend actually made the
statement urging the Commissioners
to obtain funds for construction of an
addition to the Kitzmiller school build
ing by direct levy, raising the tax
rate 80 or 40 cents, if necessary.
Senator Friends Letter
To the Editor of The Republican.
Please publish the followingg state
ment of facts, which is a denial of a
statement appearing in your paper
last week wherein it was asserted that
| had urged our County Commission
ers to increase the tax rate Of our
county 80 or 40 cents.
l happened to be in Oakland last
Monday when a delegation of promi-
nent citizens from Kitzmiller appeared
before our County Commissioners to
request an appropriation for the build
ing of an addition to the Kitzmiller
school.
The Commissioners informed the
delegation that they believed that the
addition is badly needed and they
would be glad to provide the funds If
the Senator would pass bond issue
amounting to $150,000.00 for additions
to the several schools that are over
crowded throughout the county.
In replying to this | stated that II
the Commissioners are satisfied that
the need for an addition to the Kltz-
miller school is urgent enough to JUS
tify a bond issue, then, in my humble
judgment it would be to the best ad-
vantage of our taxpayers if they would
try to provide for the school out of
current revenues. They stated that
such a policy would necessitate a tax
raise of 30 or 40 cents.
then reminded the Commissioners
that they had just recently granted the
amount of approximately $50, 100000
to Grantsville for their school without
raising the tax rate, and if they could
do that for Grantsville this year, l sug-
gested they might be able to do the
same for Kitzmiller next year, and es-
pecially in view of the fact that the
beer ia xis now yielding in the neigh
borhood of $30,000.00 annually, which
IS an entirely new source Of revenue.
l therefore recommended that the
Commissioners designate the beer tax
receipts for that cause, and if this was
not found to be sufficient they might
increase the tax rate 10 cents. This in
crease would yield $17,000.00, which
added to the beer tax would make
total of around $47,000.00, and would
be sufficient for Kitzmiller's require
ments. It should be remembered that
the tax rate was reduced to one dollar
before the sale of beer was legalized.
It is therefore logical to believe that
by careful economy this beer tax
could all be set aside for capital out
lay.
did not urge the Commissioners to
raise the tax rate 80 to 40 cents as
stated, because, in my opinion, no such
raise is necessary. did urge, and still
urge, the Commissioners to try to pro-
vide whatever is required out of cur
rent taxes, and if possible by effecting
strict economy in all the affairs per-
tanning to our county. believe this to
be sound public policy.
would like to add that do not OBJ
Ject to a bond bill with a referendum,
but up to the present time neither our
school authorities nor our County
Commissioners have indicted that a
referendum would be satisfactory.
CLIFFORD FRIEND.
The Commissioners Office Record
The record in the Commissioners Of
tice is as follows:
A delegation from KitzmiIler,
Md, appeared before the Board in
regard tn the school building at