The Baltimore County union., 1881-11-26
EXTENDING THE CITY LIMITS.

The question of city extension Is again cngross.
Ing the minds Of the people Of Baltimore city and
county and We find that many persons In the coun
~ who before opposed the scheme. now strongly
favor Il. Upon this subject the Baltimore Gas.n.
Of Saturday last rays;
THE people Of baltimore are entitled to legi,la
tive relief from the narrow boundaries which con.
strict them. There are plain facts In regard 10
this matter which comm N sense will not ignore.
The city limits have not been extended since lsIG
when our population was $4,000. That was sixty.
Eve years ago. In those sixty five years the pop.
uiatiOn Of Baltimore has multiplied six times-has
grown TO 332, 900, besides the large portion Of II
nearly equal TO $4,000 noTe-that has oveFhOwed
into baltimore county. Yet Baltimore has been
forced 90 content itself with its ancient boands.
rics, being In this respect striking exception 20
all other large cities. IL is Of the greatest and
most immediate Importance 20 Baltimore and 20
the annexabe adjacent sections that this thing
should be radically changed. II II 10 not done
within very short time the city and the parts of
the county which must sooner or later be annexed
20 the city will inevitably be put 10 many millions
OF dollars Of unnecessary cxpcnse. The building
Of streets and avenues in the suburban districts
has already made considerable progress. and these
improvements only conform indilTeTehtiy well with
the projections Of PoppletOns plat, the basis Of all
our city surveys. That plat and the surveys upon
which IL rests are by means accurate TO the de-
gree which modern science requires. They do not
take in the typographical situation at all. The
city is growing very rapidly, and this growth and
the rapidly increasing density Of population, the
consequent sanitary considerations and the nescs.
sity Of looking more carefully after the economies
ot time and material in transportation, all point
TO radical changes which must soon be made in
the citys surface. There will be n careful topo.
graphical survey &c the city aud ts environs there
will be the adoption. once for all aud peremptori.
ly. Of comprehensive and complete system Of
sewerage, and, when this Is perfected, a hnal re-
grading and paving Of streets, n final rearrange.
ment Of superficial and linear contours, including
the port-wardens line, the beds Of eur streams,
&c.. &c. To perfect this system there must be one
surrey and one administration for the parts ada
cent Co the city well the city ITSELF otherwise
proper sewerage system cannot be carried Oat.
II the Belt should continue 60 act independently
oi the city in this scheme of Improvements there
will not Only be divided souascIs hut conflicting
plans. and. when the lielt l. finally annexed Il
will be put 20 the expense of having its sewers re-
canstructcd its streets altered. regarded aud re.
paved. and long lines of houses in every direction
torn down in order TO conform streets aud avenses
to their sources within the present city limits.
As things now the city, IL IL adopts. a. il
soon must. comprehensive system of sewerage
will not only have 60 drain it, area, bat will
be- forced to drain against the 1jaccnt couHty
aud 60 protect it, own limits at great expense
from ovcrfoWs of water and filth from the county.
How diucult tins - 10 do. the ease OF jenkins
run will illustrate. But in fact no rutnp
system of sewerage can be adopted without the
county, consent and co operation, which could
not be obtained. since the people Of the county
would never agree To- tax themselves for the cost
oi a system Of suburban sewerage on such large
scale a. Is demanded by a city with such a pops.
laiion and such topography a that of Baltimore.
II u. indeed wonder that the people of the coun.
y at large have 30 long patiently submitted to the
addition of annual Slju.O0O 10 their taxes fur
the support of police and Ere departments. lamps
roads. bridges aud streets in the parts of the
county adjacent 10 the city. This l. county money
spent for the permanent improV eincnt Of what. In
the nature Of things il only incidentally and TEN.
porarily in the county-impToyements Of which
baltimore IL the FINAL beneficiary. 80 far ~ the
residents of the Belt are concerned. while they pay
full taxes for these things, they 10 not any
thing like full benefits aud return. from them for
the reason set forth aboye-ihai, not being con
formed with rigid accuracy a. the city's plan of
extension. and especially No; being part and par.
eel Of the FINAL al u.tnent of contours consequent
upon general typographical survey. they will in
a large measure need 10 Be done over again. The
Legislature will be able 90 arrest this uniowari
staie Of things by giving the people Of the district
g. be annexed another opportunity 90 vote on the
subject. There would be no better time than one
just anieeeient 60 a rsappofiionmen; of the eiiys
wards and precincts. aud a new Tesisiraiion.-
The people of the Belt undersiand their relations
to the city better than they formerly did. And.
in any neE canvass for q vote on this question.
the TOwsontoWn managers Will have no aims house
reserve fund 90 draw upon for expense. The
vote will be free and unirammeied."