NUMBER OF TAX PAYERS.
Mr. MCCOMAS submitted the following or-
der :
Ordered, That each delegation from the
counties and the city of Baltimore, designate
some member or members thereof to ascertain
the actual number of tax payers in each coun-
ty and city aforesaid, and report the same to
the Committee on Representation, as early as
practicable.
Mr. BERRY of Prince George's. It appears
to me that the object of that order will be
better reached by making the request of the
several clerks to furnish the number. It would
be a very laborious duty for members of the
Convention to go home and look over the
assessment books of their several counties.
The clerks of the several counties may very
properly furnish them. I heartily approve
the object of the inquiry, but would prefer
that the request should be made of the clerks.
Mr. MCCOMAS. I presume the case will be
that the members will request the clerks to
furnish them. That would be the most expe-
ditious way.
The order was adopted—ayes .12; noes 28
Mr. ABBOTT. It is suggested by some gen-
tlemen that it will he some expense to procure
this list from the counties; and that it would
be better to make an appropriation for that
purpose.
The PRESIDENT. I do not know what pow-
er the Convention has to appropriate money.
Mr. ABBOTT. What power has the Con-
vention to call upon the clerks of the different
counties for the list?
Mr. CLARKE. I would suggest that some
member who voted in favor of the order move
a reconsideration.
Mr. PUGH. I move a reconsideration.
The motion to reconsider was agreed to.
Mr. BERRY of Prince George's. I move the
postponement of the subject, to enable us to
look into the subject of the expense. I took
It for granted that at the request of the Con-
vention the clerks of the several counties
would furnish the information. But it is a
work of great labor, and some of them may
not do it. We would better act knowingly
on the subject.
Mr. MCCOMAS. I see no necessity for a
postponement. I obtained the information
from my county merely by corresponding
with the clerk of commissioners. I wrote
a few days ago, and he at once sent me the
statement. 1. suppose it could be done by
correspondence, and the expense would not
be very great. The commissioners would
furnish it upon a respectful application with-
out any expense being incurred.
Mr. PUGH. I understand the object of the
motion to postpone to be to enable members
of the Convention to ascertain that fact from
the clerks of commissioners, if they are
willing to furnish the information without
cost, I should have no objection at all to
5 |
getting in that way. But if it is to be an
expense, it is certainly very important that
we should know how much the expense will
be before we act upon it. By a postpone-
ment we shall have time to ascertain the
fact.
Mr. MILLER. I think the information the
gentleman from Harford (Mr. McComas) re-
quires can he obtained from the census of the
United States, which was very full, giving
the amount each person is worth in all the
counties of the State, if there has been a full
return of the census published. The mere
abstract in our hands, I agree, will not give
us the information we seek. I think it can
be obtained from the Census Department in
Washington without any difficulty, so far as
the State of Maryland is concerned. And if
that can be obtained in printed form and dis-
tributed among inembers of the Convention,
it will be much better than calling upon the
various counties. It certainly is information
which I should like to obtain as well as any
other member of the body; but I do not
think the clerks of our various counties
would goto the trouble of making out a list on
a mere request, unless there was some com-
pensation to be given. I am in favor of the
motion to postpone until we can ascertain
whether the clerks will do it without pay or
not.
Mr. HENKLE. I understand the order to be
an inquiry relating to the number of tax
payers in the different counties, and not re-
quiring a list of the tax payers in the differ-
ent counties, if a list is required, it would
impose a heavy duty upon the clerks; but to
give the number simply would involve a very
small amount of labor. It can be dene in an
hour in any county of the State. The clerks
surely will not object to performing that
labor, even gratuitously. I ask if it is ex-
pected to have a list of the tax-payers, or
simply the number.
Mr. MCCOMAS. The object is to get simply
the number, and not the names of the tax-
payers. With regard to the Census Bureau,
in Washington, any person familiar with the
manner in which the last census was taken,
is well aware of the imperfection of it; and
certainly every State may have a better re-
port from its own officers. Beside, I wish
to obtain the actual number this day, and not
the number four years ago.
Mr. CLARKE. As this may he the begin-
ning of orders calling for various information
I would merely suggest that the proper mode
would be for the House to adopt some order
of this character, that its officers shall obtain
the information, and that the work shall not
be imposed upon members. Furthermore
with regard to the expense, whatever ex-
pense should be incurred would be paid out
of the appropriation fund provided for the
Convention, upon being authorized by the
Committee on Accounts, without requiring |
