The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-02-21
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
TO THE LEGISLATURE OF MARYLAND
No. VIII.

The question of extending the city limits into
the county appears to have been laid to rest for
| the present and the most reliable information to
! be had on the subject indicates that it is settled
| for the session. But, as has been stated in a
| former paper, its ghost may not clown" at the
| bidding in the future. And there should be steps
taken by this Legislature to ward off this encroach-
ment hereafter. The folks who want city extern
sion within the section to be taken in will likely
renew the contest at every recurring Legislature
unless some definite thing is done which to large
extent will be equivalent for city extension
| There are many conveniences in the way of local
| improvements that these people desire to have and
which they fancy cannot be had except by having
the city limits extended to the territory in
| which they live If they can have these improve
ments and conveniences with less expense and
| trouble than they can be had from the city they
will cheerfully embrace the chance to remain in
| the county limits. A large portion of these peo-
pie have come to the county from the city, and one
drawback to dealing with the things they want
arises from the fact that they expect the
comforts and conveniences that the city furnishes
at the county rate of taxation. And they attend
| to their business in the city without paying any
attention to the trouble detail and expense of the
local government except paying their tax bills
To have similar things in the county at the coun-
ty rate of taxation will require considerably more
attention on the part of those who want them.
There is no plan that can be devised in the
county to supply this need efectually-if at all
| as the town system of the Northern and Eastern
States. What is furnished in the city in the shape
of money to pay officials to look after the intricate
| details of government could be supplied in the
way of attention to the local wants of those mme-
| diately interested without or for nominal pay
] Unless something of this character is done this
| question of city extension will continue to be ag
| tated until by some unforeseen contingency
in political affairs it will in all probability become
| n Constitutional nrovieions for foIv
system that shall meet the demands of the
will be far preferable to either the inadequate
mode of dealing with things by the County Com
missioners or to the expensive luxury of being
within the embrace of Baltimore city with her rate
oftaxation. AS the thickly settled sections around
the city governed at present there is but little
community of interest among the inhabitants and
there certainly is not that deep interest in the
| common welfare that is desirable for the highest
advancement of the locality. All local matters
are left to be attended to by the general county
government instead of being looked after by
local committee, a town council or whatever other
body may be designated for the purpose of meet
| ing the demands of the case. If these people
| could be drawn together occasionally or frequent
" to discuss measures for their local benefit and
bethus obliged to look after the details of the system
it would develop local pride, thrift and progress
that does not exist at present and that cannot
list with these affairs being entirely under the
troll of people at Towsontown.
What is applicable and desirable in the improve
| ment of a town in section of the "Bet" may
not be either practical or desirable in another sec
ton of the "Belt." With the town system each
could adopt that species of improvement that is
applicable to its own wants and suta bic to its own
ability to furnish. And when they obliged
to furnish their own local luxuries in the way of
| improvements they would see to it that there
no money expended uselessy that there
no fat jobs' for the purpose of furnishing useful
or useless politicians with place and salary in
order that they may keep the party machinery
No political hacks would be foisted upon them for
the reason that each man would feel that the money
is taken almost directly out of his own pocket
As it is now each section thinks it pays more tax
| into the county treasury than any other and con-
sequently when it asks for a special assistance
from the county treasury for local Improvements
| it feels disposed to make the demand as large as
possible upon the principle that they want to get
as much of the money they have paid back as they
possibly can, and they are not at all scrupulous
about looking after its economical expenditure
A street could be graded from 30 to 40 per cent.
cheaper by local government that will look
closely to the judicious and economical expendi-
ture of its money than it can be done by a central
county government that is too far from the scene
of action to knolo ohen or hoc its money is squan-
dered or deliberately ilched from its Golfers. This
principle would be carried through this local sys-
TEN from the lowest to the highest item in its an
nual disbursements and would be signally efficient
in saving money and at the same time in pro-
| viding more efficient government and more desir-
| able improvements.
| We ready to welcome the foreigner who is
willing to rough it, and exercise no enterprise
in putting ourselves in the best condition to in
vite the wealth, intelligence taste and enterprise
to our midst that is Over-crowded in the New
| England States. The man who has been reared
with all the advantages of the town system of the
| Northern and Eastern States if he desires to
| change his residence will be much more likely to
locate in county where he can find the advantages
of that system than he is to locate where it is not
| to be found. 1t is public spirit, energy and en-
terprise that we want to invite and induce to
| to us and this is what the town system will do,
| because it will entice the enterprising who
| has been accustomed to its advantages and bless
| ings. The tests of the economy of the system is
established by reference to those States that have
adopted it and lived up to it for century or more.
1t will be found that these States and localities
would emphatically decline to abolish the system
| on the score of economy alone.
Every one, almost has heard the charges
whether justly or unjustly it boots not to in
! quire here-that Clerks, Registers and Sheriffs
have been in the habit of charging exhorbitant
| fees for various things done in their respective
| offices. If these charges true the following
recommendation should be adopted to protect
those who pay them, and if they are false it should
be adopted for the sake of the good repute of the
officials. The recommendation is this: There
should be posted in a conspicuous and convenient
| place in each Clerks, Registers and Sheriff's
Office schedule of the legal fee for each thing
that may be required to be performed by each so
arranged that any intelligent person could make
out his bill of costs or have at his service the
| evidence Of any over-charge that may be made
| The honest official will cheerfully acquiesce in
this and it is essential for the protection of the
business community against the mpostions of
| the dishonest. CITIZEN