in the State that does not pay an average tax
of 15 cents upon the $100 for its own county
system, doing nothing for a school fund. Up
to last year 10 cents on the $100 in the State
of Maryland was paid willingly for the sink-
ing fund for the extinction of the public debt.
By the destruction of the bonds and stocks
held by the State for the payment of the pub-
lic debt, this 10 cents have been withdrawn
and reduced the rate of taxation by that
amount. Putting it back is no more than
bringing the State taxation where it was last
year. It adds not one cent of taxation in
the State this year, but diminishes the tax in
every county.
Meet the question fairly and squarely, If
you wish to argue about taxation, whether
it will be greater or less. But do not take
the 20 cents on the $100 and omit all refer-
ence to what you receive in your counties.
That is not fair argument. Do not ignore
the facts with reference to the counties. That
is not the kind of argument which should be
used in the formation of the constitution of
your State. Even if you added the 20 cents
it is worth that and more to you. If added
to the taxation you paid in the counties, and
to the State taxation yon had last year, it is
worth that to you, and your property under
it will increase for every 20 cents on the $100,
40 cents. But as the case stands your county
taxes are decreased, and your State taxes not
increased over last year. You will pay under
the proposed provisions of this report every
year $300,000 to the school fund, which will
finally free you from this last 10 cents on the
$100. The proceeds from the first tax of 10
cents to the $100 will not be a dollar to each
inhabitant of your State between five and
twenty years of age. The State of Massachusetts,
with exactly one-half more than Mary-
land, as I see by the last census, raised from
her annual tax three times what you are
asked to raise for your sinking fund. The
gentleman has not seen the common school
systems of the free States of this country,
He has not read with they are doing for com-
mon school education; or if he has read, he
has forgotten. The whole tax is not a dollar
a head upon your people.
Nor will it take you eighteen or twenty
years to form your school fund. The gentle-
man forgot to allow for interest. The
$300,000 increases every year by its own in-
terest. He forgot that you add to it all the
sinking fund the State has now. He forgot
that the State has power to add to it all its
bank stock. He forgot that the State can
add to it its interest in the Washington
branch of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
whenever it pleases. He forgot that as soon
as there is a spirit manifested in this State
to educate the people, there will be found men
liberal enough and rich enough to give money
to the State. There will be an inducement |
to every lover of progress to give money to
the State for so good a cause.
Take the history of other States. Have
they grown poor under their school taxes?
The State of Maryland has twice the square
miles of Massachusetts; her industrial pro-
ducts are worth forty-three millions a year,
and those of Massachusetts two hundred and
sixty-six millions. Has Massachusetts grown
poor under a school tax three times what is
asked of you? For years the State of Mary-
land has been paying this school tax under
its present system, and has never accom-
plished anything and never will. It has
been frittered away. There is in scarcely a
county of the State a school-house which you
would not be ashamed to show a stranger.
If some school-houses in Anne Arundel
county are to be taken as indicating their
love of literature and education, I think they
have grossly misspent their money if they
have imposed a school tax of one cent on the
$100. Has the city of Baltimore grown poor
under a tax every year one-half of all that is
asked from the State upon the first 10 cents
on the $100? You have not heard a word
from her representatives upon this floor,
against this tax upon the whole taxable prop-
erty of the city of Baltimore for the benefit
of the counties. Not one word of opposi-
tion have you heard to that, although into
this report was deliberately put the whole
taxable property of the State, that the whole
property of the city of Baltimore may be
taxed for the first 10 cents on the $100 for
the benefit of the counties.
I am prepared in defence of this system to
meet any fair argument that may be urged.
But I am surprised when a gentleman pro-
fesses to desire a free school system, and then
makes an argument which shows but half the
fact and that half opposed to the object. It
is hard enough to advocate anything in this
State that looks like popular improvement or
progress, when met by fair objections, when
we have only to overcome fair prejudices, and
fair doubts, and honest ignorance. But let
them, I pray you, be always fair, and let the
arguments advanced be such as a man may
honestly and fully believe to be actually
sound,
As the quorum has diminished so that we
have not enough now here to vote upon this
question, I will say that I think if gentlemen
before they sleep to-night will think over the
taxes they have paid last year in the counties
of the State, and will figure this up, they
will find that so far from increasing, this di-
minishes their tax. There remains but one
of two things; either to undo all that you
have done this day upon this question, or
to provide sufficient means to carry it into
effect. This convention cannot afford to
stultify itself by declaring itself in favor of
a certain system, and then declining to pro- |
