MARYLAND. 



687 



quiry virtually calls upon mo to decide a question of 

 constitutional law, which is a mutter tailing not at all 

 within the province of my department. 



In my military authority I nave not the privilege of 

 nbmitting such questions to the only tribunal compe- 

 !n them. The Constitution declares that 

 the Justices of the Supremo Judicial Court shall be 

 obliged to tfivu their opinion upon important questions 

 of law and upon solemn occasions when required by 

 tho civil brunches of the Government, but that privi- 



ing that if. at this juncture, I abandon my trust, 

 there will bo no barrier against anarchy and blood- 

 shod, I can not, under tho present circumstances, 

 recognize your authority as Governor of Maine. 



There are only two ways to settle the questions now 

 at Usue and agitating the public mind by following 

 strictly the Constitution and the laws, or by revolution 

 and blood. In this alternative, and standing where I 

 must be judged by God and man, I can only nold fast 

 in my place, and implore those who have the power 

 to decide these questions by appeal to the peaceful 

 courso of law. . Believing that this aaswer must com- 

 mend itself to your judjnnent as tho only one possible 

 for mo to give, and with tho highest respect and es- 

 teem, I have tho honor to be your obedient servant, 

 (Signed) J. L. CHAMBERLAIN, 



Major-General. 



The Republicans proceeded with their legisla- 

 tive action, and submitted a statement of facts 

 and a series of questions to the Supreme Court, 

 which gave a decision sustaining their action 

 as legal. This statement, with the legal points 

 of the questions and the answers thereto, will 

 be found under the title PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 

 Daniel Davis was chosen Governor by a major- 

 ity of the members sitting in the Republican 

 organization. General Chamberlain gracefully 

 surrendered his sword to him ; the Fusionists 

 became demoralized ; some went over to the 

 other body, and some retired. 



MARYLAND. The condition of the State 

 Treasury for the last biennial period has been 

 as follows : 



Balance In the Treasury September 80, t87T. . . $897,981 18 

 Receipts for tho fiscal year ending September 

 80, 1878 2,295,268 79 



Total amount $2,698,244 92 



DUbursements 2,489,079 14 



Balance In tho Treasury $204,165 73 



Receipts for fiscal year ending September 80, 

 1S7*... 2.126.83687 



Total $2,330,492 25 



Total disbursements for same time 1,774,233 26 



Balance In the Treasury $556,20399 



The debt of the State is as follows : 



Sterling debt bearing Interest at 5 per cent . . . $4,482.222 24 



Currency debt bearing 5 per cent 180,634 68 



Debt bearing 3 percent 269,000 00 



Debt bearing 6 per cent 6,871,700 28 



ToUl $11,259,607 85 



As an offset to this debt the State holds 

 stocks and bonds, npon which interest is prompt- 

 ly paid, amounting to $3,585,827.17, leaving as 

 the net debt npon which interest has to be pro- 

 vided, $7,674,280.18. The following stocks and 

 bonds held by the State, which heretofore have 

 been classed as productive, are now put down 



as unproductive, the payment of interest hay- 

 ing ceased : 



Stock In Bohemia Bridge Company $15,876 09 



Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company 81,250 00 



Bonds of Columbia and Port Deposit Kallroad 



Company 60,000 00 



Susi|iu-hunna and Tidewater Canal OonpMjr 



mortgage 1,000,000 00 



Total $ 1 , 157, 126 09 



The largo amount of unproductive assets 

 owned by the State, amounting in the aggre- 

 gate to $25,000,000, would if sold be more than 

 sufficient to provide for the entire indebted- 

 ness. 



The valuation of the property of the State 

 for 1879 was $466,470,995 ; adding to this the 

 stock and assets of corporations, valued by the 

 Tax Commissioner at $42,742,896, the total as- 

 sessment for taxation amounts to $509,13,891. 

 The increase of valuation over 1878 amounts to 

 $37,358,577. 



A number of disputed questions relating to 

 the liability of property to taxation were car- 

 ried by the State to the Court of Appeals, and 

 some important decisions were obtained. The 

 Court decided 1. That the stock, franchises, 

 and property of the Annapolis and Elkridge 

 Railroad Company are not'exempted from tax- 

 ation. 2. That the stock, property, franchises, 

 and gross receipts represented or earned by the 

 entire line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 

 Company between Baltimore and the Ohio Riv- 

 er, and all buildings and works necessary for the 

 operation of the railroad company within the 

 meaning of its charter, are exempted from taxa- 

 tion ; but that buildings owned by the company 

 which were used in the business of warehousing 

 were liable to taxation ; that hotels belonging to 

 the company used asplacesof summer resort, and 

 interests acquired by the company in connecting 

 roads, were liable to taxation ; that interests in 

 steamships and other corporations owned by 

 the company, and all its interests in lines of rail- 

 way built by it under franchises acquired subse- 

 quent to the date of its original charter, were 

 subject to taxation. 8. Shares in building asso- 

 ciations owned by residents of this State have 

 been declared to be subject to valuation and as- 

 sessment, although the whole capital of such 

 association is invested in mortgages. 4. All 

 bonds of other States, and of municipal and 

 other corporations, owned by residents of Mary- 

 land, have been decided to be completely with- 

 in the taxing powers of the State. 5. The 

 bonds of all railroad and other corporations 

 which are secured by a mortgage or mortgages 

 npon property which is not wholly within the 

 State are, when owned by residents of Mary- 

 land, subject to valuation and assessment in the 

 State. 6. All shares of stocks in corporations 

 incorporated by other States are subject to val- 

 uation and assessment in the State, whether 

 such shares of stock were exempt from tax- 

 ation by the State creating such corporation or 

 not. 



The State has five warehouses for the recep- 



