ture adjourns; because if the legislature does
not act upon the matter the report stands ipso
facto the law of this State. That is now fixed
and certain if anything is fixed and certain ;
and I insist therefore that the moment it goes
into operation we of the counties should be
relieved from this taxation which we are now
required to pay for the support of our schools
in the several counties. As I said last night
I say now that the levy published in the
county papers show that we are already pay-
ing a very large amount for the support of
our county schools.
Mr, RIDGELY. I do not desire to enter into
the discussion at all; but I wish to refer to
some facts with regard to which the gentle-
man from Charles (Mr. Edelen) is in error,
I know personally that from the national
taxes his county is almost entirely exempt.
I know that the national tax of the 5th col-
lection district, is four fifths of it paid in
Baltimore and Howard counties.
Mr. EDELEN. How is that?
Mr. RIDGELY. Because you have not the
subjects of taxation there.
Mr. SANDS. It is a fact that nearly the
whole federal taxation of the district is paid
by the manufacturing interest lying along the
river in Baltimore and Howard counties. I
have heard that the collection of the federal
taxes in the county my friend represents
hardly pays the commission on collecting.
Mr. EDELEN. I ask my friends whether we
are not required under the United States law
to pay a tax of three per cent.; I believe now
it is increased to five per cent,? I know this
much that I am paying a tax upon income.
I think my assessment was $16 or $17. I
think there are taxes on carraiges and yachts;
but we happen to have few of them,
Mr. SANDS. I think our federal tax was
hardly less than 160.
Mr. ECKER. I rise to a question of order.
Is this discussion in order?
The PRESIDENT ruled it to be out of order.
Mr. MILLER demanded the yeas and nays
upon his amendment.
The question being taken, the result was—
yeas 17, nays 41—as follows :
Yeas—Messrs. Berry, of Prince George's,
Bond, Brown Clarke, Dail, Davis, of Charles,
Duvall, Edelen, Gale, Harwood, Hollyday,
Lee, Mitchell, Miller, Parran, Stockbridge,
Turner—16.
Nays—Messrs. Abbott, Annan, Audoun,
Baker, Cunningham, Cushing, Daniel, Earle,
Ecker, Farrow, Galloway, Greene, Hebb,
Hoffman, Hopkins, Hopper, Keefer, Kennard,
King, Mayhugh, McComas, Mullikin, Murray,
Nyman, Parker, Pugh, Purnell, Ridgely,
Robinette, Russell, Sands, Schley, Scott,
Stirling, Swope, Sykes, Thomas, Todd, Val-
liant, Wickard, Wooden—41.
The amendment was accordingly rejected. |
FREE COLORED SCHOOLS.
Mr, BERRY, of Prince George's, submitted
the following amendment:
In line 9, before the word "population"
insert the word " white."
Mr. HEBB. I am in. favor of that amend-
ment. There are 10,287 children between
the ages of five and twenty years, of whom
3,537 are white; while in Allegany the whole
population is 10,761, of whom 9,038 are
white. I prefer making the distribution on
the basis of the white population.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. Is it the purpose of the
gentleman from Prince George's to have the
tax for school purposes taken off of negroes,
or are they to be compelled to pay taxes to
support schools for the benefit of the children
of white, persons only ?
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. The gen-
tleman has already by his vote assisted in
freeing the negroes under this constitution,
and therefore they are no longer property
and their masters do not pay the tax; and
they do not pay taxes, for there is no per capita
tax.
Mr. STIRLING, Those owning property
must pay taxes.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. I do not
intend to give the free negroes the privilege
of going to school with my children or as-
sociating with my children, and I mean to
guard against it.
Mr. STIRLING. That is a. very singular way
to guard against it. This bill proposes to
give to the slave holding counties this school
fund in proportion to their whole population,
with the right to spend the whole of it in
educating their white children, if they are
going to refuse it I am willing to back out of
it. I was willing to vote to give it to them as
some little return, not to compensate them for
the negroes, but to give them out of abund-
ant charity in consideration of their having
this black population among them. If gen-
tlemen will have it, I was disposed to give it
to them,
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. No, sir;
we won't have it; and I think the abundant
charity of the gentleman is entirely gra-
tuitous.
Mr. STIRLING, The only reason why I decline
to accept it is because I want to protect the
poor white people in the lower part of the
State and give them money from the taxa-
tion of the rest of the State to educate their
children.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's, demanded
the yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
The question being taken, the result was—
yeas 30, nays 27—as follows :
Teas—Messrs. Annan, Audoun, Baker,
Berry, of Prince George's, Bond, Brown
Duvall, Edelen, Gale, Galloway, Greene,
Hebb, Hoffman, Hopkins, Hopper, King,
Lee, Mitchell, Miller, Mullikin, Nyman, Ridge- |
