The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-05-14
Correspondence Baltimore County Uaion.
A GROUND-RENT CITY.
Baltimore's Enterprise in Ground Rents
A Railroad Monopoly and it's Results
The Coffee and Grain Trade
Wanting the Belt-Gross I'm
positions-The Ring, &c.

BALTIMORE, May lUtnJ 1901.
Messrs Editors Nothing is more attractive to
capital and labor-the lubrcators of the wheels of
progress-than enterprise, and nothing so repels
these necessary factors in prosperous advance
ment as the lack Of this virtue. This is exemph-
fed-in the active, energetic, 60 ahead villages OF
New England and the far West, and on larger
scale in the great manufacturing districts OF the
Old World. Capital shuns the haunts of ease and
idIeness, and labor follows capital To be of
value to itself and to the world at large capital
must be in constant motion, guided by broad and
comprehensive intelligence, not bound down to
single object or limited to one narrow channel.
The glory of Baltimore, the foundation Of her
prosperity lies in her enterprise, her encourage
ment of labor, her bold and skillful employment
of capital in every enterprise looking to the gen
eral good, especially in the vigorous though spec
ulative one Of ground rent investments. Enter
prise is the legend on her crest and she welcomes
with prncely hospitality all foreign capital seek
ing to promote her interests by sacrificing itself
to her background rents but proffers no en-
enlargement to capital seeking employment IN
other directions. Her doors closed against
manufactures and the smaller industries that
swell other towns into cities and cities into mlnia-
ture worlds. Content to yield her aspirations to
the domination of her railroad namesake that
readily beguiles her into any measure that VIII
transfer capital into its Golfers from hers, she con-
siders not that she is nourishing giant monopo-
ly that is already her master and will soon force
her to be a mere milestone on its route to more
Northern, more wealthy, more attractive cities.
conee trade and seeking
- make good its loss by becoming metropolitan
sake may increase its wealth and power in trans
porting to her the products of the great West
ignoring not recognizing the fact that this grain
will be carried by her doors and deposited in
the outstretched hands of neighbor city. Still
she thinks herself secure for she has her ground
rents to fall back upon.
In another direction her enterprise becomes
prominent She finds just outside her borders a
thrifty population, by their energy AID activity
growing in wealth and prosperity, building man
ufactories, encouraging all the industries and
rivaling her in Importance, and promptly her
watchful, enterprising guardians seek to increase
her taxable basis by dnnering a, thereby enarg-
ing her dimensions and increasing her wealth and
population that they also may be merged in her
ground rent system.
In order to make herself attractive to this mel Oh
boring people her Mayor and City Council pro-
pose to permit certain of their number the prv-
lege of using her streets as hog and cattle drives
and, as convincing testimony of her power for good
or evil to them, this is supplemented by refusing
to send her fire engines to their relief when their
coveted property is burning, and further to indi-
cate her Jealous love for them and to show how
necessary to their own convenience and comfort is
union Win her, sne refuses 10 permit their 1arm-
ers, mechanics and manufacturers to drive over
her streets, carrying the products of their toll to
the doors OF her consumers, except they submit to
be mulcted in the city tax upon horses and vehicles
nor will she permit their children to attend her
public schools Is not this enterprise?
Yet in another way is her dauntless enterprise
glowingly portrayed She has permitted to take
root in her soil, nourishing and fostering it with
tender sOlicitude, the most powerful engine yet
known to political science for enslaving a simple
hearted, credulOus people, for binding them hand
and foot and compelling their submission. She
proudly now boasts Ring heartless and I'M
scrupulous as uncurbed rioting in unchecked power
can make it. Yet all her laws, her judiciary, her
commerce, her very life, even her cherished ground
rents are at the mercy of this Ring.
This Oligarchy, so dear to the hearts of aspiring
politicians, clothed with limitess power assemblies
at proper intervals in some sequestered nook, and
there, hidden from prying eyes, issues its man
dates. 1t names those who shall be candidates
for the various positions, whether acceptable or
not to the majority of voters, which, under the
manipulations of the Ring, is equivalent to cleo
ton; first, however, pledging those so favored to
be utterly subservient to this central power, and
the innocent voter, who imagines himself exer-
cising the right of free suffrage, is instructed and
expected to vote this cooked ticket as the only one
to insure party success. Will men, freemen,
longer submit to such ignominious slavery? I
trust not, for the sake of our great Republic and
of free, enlightened suffrage and an honest govern
ment. The blindest cannot fail to see what must
DC the tanr;ta lilo --I. 49, >f~ sSIIrs Fv-oT
Anarchy will follow corruption, destruction an
archy, and ours will perish as have hitherto per-
ished all Republican governments.
Faithfully, CHESAPEAKE.