The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-09-14

effect of the Act) after that date, the
letting of any contract of sale or
purchase calling for more than three
hundred dollar expenditure, without
the advertising for bids in one or more
papers of the County, once a week for
two successive weeks, is forbidden on
pain of forfeiture of office. There are
available to you the public records in
every office in this Court House. You
have right to summon in before YOU.
the clerk to the Commissioners, with
all records which he may have, and if
you find that this law has been vio-
lated, you will so find in your report
and indict, and if you find that it has
not been violated, you will make no
mention of it in your report, because
you cannot castigate anyone or any
body without an Indictment, in your
report.
There is another Act of 1939-Chap-
ter 286, which, by its terms, it is made
your duty to investigate. The Treas
urer, by that Act, can issue checks
against funds deposited by him in
bank, provided they are not in excess
of amounts contained in the levy. No
order can be issued by the County
Commissioners or any member thereof
against any item of the levy to which
the same is not properly charged, and
which has not been authorized at a
meeting of the Board and entered on
the minutes thereof. Under this Act,
t.eir borrowing is limited to the two
months of January and February, if
the collections from the taxes have not
been sufficient to meet the levy for
orders issued against the levy, the
Board can then borrow not more than
S15,O00.Q0, but the loan must be re-
paid not later than June first. That
part Of the Act with regard to borrow
cannot go into effect until next year,
because the Act was only passed and
went into effect on April 26th. They
can therefore do no more borrowing
until October LIST, and then they may
borrow any amount which may be re-
quired to meet the amount of the
levy, to the limit only of uncollected
taxes.
There is another Act and that is the
County Commissioners, by Act Of
1899, Chapter II, have a salary fixed
for them of 100000 a year, and in ad-
dition to that, they are allowed to eX-
pend not more than 100000 for eX-
penses. That means that the entire
membership of the Board must not
eXpend more than three hundred dol
lars in any one year, and when the
same has been expended, they cannot
go into the contingent or any other
fund for that purpose. Another prac-
tice which l understand is going on
derived from the beer license and have
thrown that into the contingent fund,
so that that fund is thereby subject
to various changes in amounts of the
levy. That cannot be done, the con-
tingent fund cannot become swollen
by any additional revenues which have
been taken from the beer license or
any other source.
These are all matters of grave pub
lie interest, and there is no use in
courts or juries or anyone else blind
ing themselves to the effect that the
terrific expense to which the public is
and has been subjected to has done
more to retard human progress in the
last years than any other single item,
and public economy, rather than public
extravaganza, should be matter of
grave concern to all citizens and it
should become the duty of all law en-
forcement officials to investigate the
public records of this county or of the
community, to find whether any single
item of these laws is being violated.
These are all serious questions to
which | have called your attention, for
the exercise of your judgment, and you
have been selected to exercise that
Judgment because we felt that you
were all God-fearing, outstanding,
stout hearted men sworn to do the
public service in your capacity as
Grand Jurors.
Section % of Article 20, requires
that in all counties except Frederick
and Allegany, each Constable shall be
sworn up at each term Of Circuit
Court in the counties and in Criminal
Court in Baltimore City. This means
that you shall summon all constables
in this county before you, to inquire
into the state of the county according
to their own special knowledge, and
if they are found to be aware of any
such matters pertaining to violations
of the law in this county, and have not
made known such knowledge to their
respective superiors or to you, then,
they themselves are liable to indict-
ment and prosecution.
1t is desirable that you perform your
duties as speedily as may be consistent
with your work, but it is not required
that you sacrifice efficiency and
thoroughness to speed.