The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-02-09
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
City Extension-New Bills Being Prepared
Baltimore City's Water Supply
Contagious Diseases Among
Cattle-A Good Road
Law ETC., Etc.
ANNAPOLIS, February 7th, 1884.

Cattle--A Good Road
Law, ETC., Etc.
ANNAPOLIS, February 9TH, 1884.
Editors Union of course it made me smile
when heard various people talking about city
extension being brought up before this Legisla-
ture as preposterous and all nonsense. Some folks
know so much themselves that but little is left to
go around among "the rest of mankind" l i'm
agine that when city extension was sprung last
Friday upon our county delegation and took them
all 5y surprise and unprepared for the issue, they
became convinced that the game of shutting their
eyes to q fact cannot and will not alter the fact.
However, city extension caused at once an excite
ment almost equal to the Senatorial fight When
Mr.. Virtues leave was read, providing for COM
mittee of six from Baltimore city, six of the coun-
ty and Mr.. Plowman, of Hartford county, an amend
ment was offered from Baltimore county to have
| it referred to O committee embracing represen-
tative from each legislative district of the State.
| This was we'll debated by Mr.. Offutt, and he de-
| serves much commentator for his equability OF
| temper and ready presence of mind during the
whole of the debate. DIR. Wiener, of the city del
egation, carried off the honors on his side. The
amendment was adopted, and Immediately an or
der was put in requiring the County Commission
ers to furnish the House of Delegates with sta
tistical, itemzed report of the amount of money
received as taxes from the Belt, as also an Item
| lied statement of the amount expended In the
Belt Mr.. Offutt labored earnestly but in vain for
the paying of the cost of this order to be borne by
the city, and it was finally passed as ordered.
| Mr.. Leib is preparing an educational bill. How
far shall he go in his efforts to make better sys-
tenn? His idea is to have night schools for plain,
| practical education. No more Normal School
shines, no more $4,000 school house, but just
and proper expenditure of the school funds in
lust such way as will most benefit the great mass
of people, not the few selects. If he succeeds in
bo will do yyalI q
well.
Mr.. Jockeys idea is to get some improvements
in our road laws and in our jury laws. Are these
worn-ouJ supJectsf-Neyer, while we have such u
mass Of intelligent people, taxpayers, who don't
get the roads they pay for and who are deprived
Of their legal rights by being continually crowded
out of the jury box by the favoritism that was so
long practced.
Mr. Kelbaugh is after having better state of
things in the finances of Baltimore county. He
wants to know where all the money goes to, hence
his order of last week calling for information
about tramps etc. This order is the groundwork
for sweeping change in the manner of conduct
ing both aims house and Jail, putting them under
charge of trustees and better regulation in the
way of economy. am not surprised friend Reed
was disguised when he went there to take charge.
When such a condition of affairs is found after a
yearly expenditure of $4,000, it was quite time
to have a halt and inquiry.
IL
be the Treasurer's Office and the manner Of collect
ing taxes and sales of property. These ilcgalities
will be wiped out. Possibly some surprising
things may happen to wake up that branch of
county government also.
The Baltimore Sun keeps up terrific howl
about lobby influence and advocates making it
penal offence for any but regular practitioners be-
ing allowed to advocate measures. This means
that Chas. J. M. Gwinn, the paid counsel of the
Sun, wants to have all this in his own hands
This Mr.. Gwinn is the same lawyer that tried to
circumvent Judge Yellott because he could not
use him. I have no lobby myself, and l
claim to have perfect right to go before any
committee and advocate any measure that take
an interest in. Then the Sun never fails to ex-
hort the members upon q proper discharge of their
duties. In fact it rotates its editorials day after
day upon these two subjects.
The Baltimore American, last week, came out
also with cock and bull story about a county
politician and lobby job on the pollution bill. so
thin that no fool would believe it. The queerest
part of the business is that this same pollution of
streams bill mysteriousIy disappeared one day
last week in the House of Delegates and could not
be found. Then great accusation went around
that it had been stolen, but one cared enough
about it to resent the charge the bill was mysteri
ously found. These are charges and tricks of GER
tain parties to cause indignation and sympathy so
as to rush this outrageous thing through by work.
a tyro could not be fooled by such babyish tactics,
let alone sensible men. The idea of city of AGO.
600 people wanting to stop owners OF factories and
lands (which their families possessed very many
years before Baltimore city ever dreamt of getting
water from the Gunpowder) from the use of their
mill streams because the waste ran into the lake
that supplied Baltimore, is itself bad enough, but
when these people say as they have said and do
say, awe owned land long years before you ever
bought % and 80 miles below us, we are willing
to let you ruin our business, take away our water
rights, you can have it ALL but for Gods sake pay
us something for it. Don't rob us; don't make US
candidates for the alms-house. We don't want
any high prices for our rights secured to us for
scores of years, and we are willing that
you may have everything your own way If you
will agree to submit to arbitration jury of
condemnation what you ought to pay u.s." "No,"
says the city of Baltimore, sit shall be mine by
right of the strong against the weak. l pay
nothing What is mine is my own and what is
yours intend shall also be NINE" 1t reminds
me of David when he lusted after Bathsheba, and
actually had her husband killed to get her. where
upon the prophet told him the parable of the one
eve lamb. But in these days the minorities have
some rights which the maj critics can be made to
respect, and the people of Baltimore county know
in this case that the enforcement of any law passed
by any Legislature making it a criminal offence
for a man to use the rights acquired under law
full possession of many years, simply because a
superior power desires it so to be, can be stopped
1t is to meet Just such eases of high handed out
rage that courts were established. If Baltimore
wants free water, or pure water, or any kind of
water, she can have all she wants by paying for
it. lust as she buys her whisky, her beer, and her
grotesque farces, called "0riole pageants," with
which they fool the countrymen regularly every
year. They can have the Belt also if they would
stop trying to steal it and for once make an hon.
est effort to get it.
Ipromsed to give your readers the points of the
law emanating from the Live Stock Breeders As
ISOLATION to prevent the spread of infectious and
contagious diseases among cattle. I don't care
particularly to say anything savage at this time,
but an extract IN The UNION, copied from
the Belair Democrat which is such gross mis-
representation that it makes me think the editor
of that paper must run himself on narrow gauge
principles An examination of the bill and an in
quiry into its history shows that it was prepared
by the committee of the Maryland Breeders As
ISOLATION after careful consideration of nearly
two years. This association is composed of about
one hundred members, leading agriculturists Of
our State and practical farmers. They are now
paying taxes on over fifty millions of property
The proposed law has been submitted to and ap-
proved by both Ex-Governor Hamilton and Gov
ernor McLane, and no veterinary surgeon has
ever had anything to do with it or even been con-
suited. 1t gives no veterinary sargeon such
power as alleged, and reading of the bill shows
that he can only do what the Governor orders him
to do. There is pending before Congress
bill the subject which is expected to pass.
If it passes and our present Legislature should
fail provide for the contingencies of the National
law, which this bill does provide for, then the
President of the United States is compelled to
quarantine Maryland, and no horned animal can
then be sold to pass out of the State. We are al
ready accused of having Baltimore county full of
cattle having pleuro pneumonia, and no doubt the
Hartford Democrat would gladly see the cattle
trade Of this State wiped out in its narrow minded
ignorance. am not surprised at the indignation
of the Eastern and Western Shore stock raisers at
the slurs of the Hartford Democrat. Why will
people talk about things they have not capacity
to understand?
The Cecil county road law contemplates the
giving cut of roads to the lowest bidder for cash
payments. Roads to be kept in good condition,
subject to competent inspection. No payments to
be made until superintendent engineer has ap-
| proved the work done and endorses the bill as
correct. Each County Commissioner has a GER
tain number of districts in his charge, with power
to appoint a competent superintendent, whose
only duty is to inspect and approve or disapprove
of the work. No supervisor getting a nominal
| pay and yet drawing all the money without any
4 check on them No having of immensa sums of