1876.] OF THE SENATE 897

Mr. Stevens, from the Committee on Judicial Proceedings,
reported favorably,

House bill entiiled an Act to add an additional Section, to
be numbered 220, to Art. 26, of the Code of Public General
Laws, title "Corporations," as enacted by chapter 471 of the
Acts of 1868.

Which was read the second time.

Also unfavorably,

House bill entitled an Act to prevent the taking of crabs
in the waters of Somerset county, by non-residents of said
county for sale.

Which was adopted.

Said bill was then returned to the House of Delegates.

The hour of 12 having arrived,

The President announced the order of the day to be the
following bills:

First. Senate bill entitled an Act to provide for the gen-
eral valuation and assessment of property in this State, and the
report of the majority of the Committee on Conference here-
tofore submitted.

Mr. Aydelotte submitted the following report of the mi-
nority of the Committee on Conference on House amendments
to said bill.

The undersigned, a minority of the Committee of Confer-
ence, to whom was referred the matters of difference between,
the two Houses of the General Assembly, in relation to the
valuation and assessment of property in this Sta'e, beg leave
to report that they cannot concur in the recommendation of
the majority of this Committee, in that the property of the
people of this State, invested in mortgages, should be ex-
empted by law, which we regard as being in clear violation
of the Bill of Rights, which provides that every person shall
pay taxes on all hia property in words following, to wit :
"Every person in this State, or person holding property
therein, ought to contribute his proportion of public taxes
for the support of the Government, according to his actuil
worth in real and personal property." And as the amend-
ment adopted by the House, exempting mortgages from tax-
ation, is thus, in our opinion, palpably unjust, we respect-
fully and earnestly ask the House to recede from its amend-
ment in that regard.

With the above exception wo concur with the majority in
the recommendations contained in this report.
Respectfully submitted,

WM. J. AYDELOTTE,

On the part of the Senate.

JOHN A. KOONS,

On the part of the House.