MARYLAND. 



505 



missioner, L. Woolford. United States Sena- 

 tors, Arthur P. Gorman and J. B. Groome. 



Members of the Forty - seventh Congress: 

 First District, G. W. Covington, Democrat; 

 Second District, J. F. 0. Talbott, Democrat ; 

 Third District, F. S. Hoblitzell, Democrat; 

 Fourth District, R. M. McLane, Democrat; 

 Fifth District, A. G. Chapman, Democrat ; Sixth 

 District, M. G. Urner, Republican. 



Members-elect of the Forty-eighth Congress : 

 First District, G. W. Covington, Democrat ; 

 Second District, J. F. C. Talbott, Democrat ; 

 Third District, F. S. Hoblitzell, Democrat; 

 Fourth District, J. V. L. Findlay, Democrat; 

 Fifth District, Hart B. Holton, Republican; 

 Sixth District, Louis E. McComas, Republican. 



FINANCES. The receipts into the Treasury 

 during the fiscal year ending September 30th 

 were $1,924,481.47, being $72,159.61 less than 

 those of 1881. The State debt is $11,269,031.- 

 78, of which $401,529.18 have been, in fact, 

 paid in advance and deposited in the sinking 

 funds, leaving the outstanding debt $10,867,- 

 502.60. The interest of the State in works of 

 internal improvement is held for, and when 

 sold is applied to, the payment of this debt. 

 The value of these works, in the opinion of the 

 Comptroller of the Treasury, is at any time 

 fully adequate to pay the entire debt. The 

 declared policy of the Legislature of Maryland 

 is to reserve her securities, and to fund her 

 debt, as it falls due, at a lower rate of interest. 

 Under the '* Defense Redemption Loan " act of 

 this year, the defense loan of 1868, amounting 

 to $3,000,000, bearing 6 per cent interest, fall- 

 ing due in January, 1884, will be converted 

 early in the next year at par into the new loan 

 at3'65 percent interest. The total revenues 

 of the State for the fiscal year were $1,924,- 

 481.47, which, together with the balance in the 

 Treasury, September 30, 1881, of $752,198.29, 

 make a total amounting to $2,676,679.76. While 

 the actual value of property of every descrip- 

 tion throughout the State has increased largely 

 since the assessment of 1877, there has been a 

 decrease in the assessed value of property upon 

 which the direct tax is levied, owing, says the 

 Comptroller, to '' the notorious fact that every- 

 body whose taxable wealth decreases demands 

 an abatement from the tax court, and every- 

 body whose wealth increases avoids a reas- 

 sessment. . . . Not until every person holding 

 property," continues the Comptroller, "shall 

 be required to go once a year to the assessor 

 to be taxed according to his actual worth, will 

 taxation be equalized and its burdens be im- 

 posed so as to fall lightly on the many rather 

 than heavily on the few." The State levy for 

 1882, at the rate of 18| cents on the $100, was 

 $871,546.59, of which only $490,923.79 were 

 paid into the Treasury, leaving $380,622.80 un- 

 collected. The amount due by collectors of 

 previous years, exclusive of interest, is $545,- 

 964.83, which, with the sum uncollected from 

 this year's tax levy, makes an aggregate of $926,- 

 587.63, demonstrating the necessity for the 



adoption of an improved plan for the collec- 

 tion of the taxes of the State. The receipts of 

 taxes from incorporated institutions were $63,- 

 336.41, leaving due and unpaid $108,125.83, 

 steps for the enforcement of the payment of 

 which have been taken. The receipts from li- 

 censes and taxes of foreign insurance companies 

 were $49,442.24. The gross receipts of the to- 

 bacco-warehouses were $72,070.53, and the net 

 earnings were $3,667.10 a sum insufficient to 

 pay the salaries ($1,800 each) of the tobacco in- 

 spectors. The receipts on account of the oyster 

 fund were $57,751.05, the expenses chargeable 

 to which were $39,070.59. The total capital 

 and credits of the State on September 30, 1882, 

 amounted to $31,475,338.85, of which $4,960,- 

 293.27 are classed as " productive," and $26,- 

 515,045.58 as "unproductive," that is, in ar- 

 rears or worthless. The total disbursements 

 for the year were $2,038,173.13, leaving a bal- 

 ance in the Treasury at the close of the fiscal 

 year of $638,506.63. The State holds the fol- 

 lowing bonds and stocks, on which interest or 

 dividends are promptly paid : 



Stock of the Baltimore and Ohio Eailroad Com- 

 pany $968,615 70 



Stock in Washington branch, Baltimore and 



Ohio Railroad Company 550,000 00 



Stock in Farmers' National Bank of Annapolis. . 40,470 00 



Stock in Annapolis Water Company 30,000 00 



Bonds of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company 866,000 00 



Bonds of Northern Central Railroad (mortgage). 1,500,000 00 



Bonds to credit of sinking funds 401,529 18 



Cash to credit of sinking funds 495 46 



$3,863,110 34 



The dividends and interest on these securi- 

 ties amounted this year to $230,978.85. 



STATE LEGISLATURE. The General Assem- 

 bly of Maryland met in the beginning of Jan- 

 uary. The chief subjects of proposed legislation 

 were a law for the registration of voters, and 

 laws to secure " a free ballot and a fair count " ; 

 an improved system of taxation ; laws for the 

 more effective protection of the oyster-beds of 

 the Chesapeake against spoliation ; a revision 

 of the statutes relating to the inspection of to- 

 bacco, and several matters relating to the city 

 of Baltimore, including propositions for the re- 

 organization of the Board of Police Commis- 

 sioners, an extension of the city limits, and a 

 reduction of the passenger fare on the city rail- 

 roads. Great interest was felt in the proposed 

 revision of the tobacco-inspection laws. To- 

 bacco-growing is one of Maryland's most im- 

 portant industries, and one which might be 

 largely increased, say the planters, were the 

 inspection laws less oppressive than they have 

 been hitherto. Their chief objection has been 

 to what is called the "compulsory clause "of 

 the inspection law, by which, under a penalty 

 of $500 for each infraction, the planter was 

 compelled to pack his tobacco in packages of 

 prescribed dimensions, containing not less than 

 600 pounds, and ship for inspection to one of 

 the State warehouses in Baltimore. The regu- 

 lation as to the size of the package was pecul- 

 iarly objectionable to the small planter. While 

 an acre of land will produce as a rule an aver- 



