The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-02-23
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
A Correction-The Maryland Central and
B. & O.-Passenger Railways-Oleo-
margarine-Ci City Extension, &c.
ANNApoIIs Februarv 21st 1854.

margarine City Extension, &c.
ANNAPOLIS, February 21st, 1884.
Editors Union BY some process my letter last
week got transposed in that portion relating to the
Western Maryland Railroad. 1t should have read
Messrs Seth and Offutt advocated the passenger
train amendment, whilst Messrs. Handy, Wiener
and Gunther opposed it.
The Maryland Central Railroad people were
down here seeking legislation to enable them to
get into the city. They have Judge Robert Gil
NOR and others assisting them. There is no doubt
of the desirabeness of having city depot for that
road, and it seems to me access can be easily had
into the city by line track, either grade or
elevated, along Jones' Falls, but it should be
quired by amicabe arrangements made with the
other companies now occupying the ground.
There is still an immense hullabaloo kept up
over the Baltimore and Ohio bill for the construc-
ton of lateral lines, and giving to the Mayor and
City Council of Baltimore the right to grant per-
mission to streets at, above or below grade
the case may be. 1t is only necessary for the
B. & o. to ask for anything to enable people to
see lots of snakes and other animals BESIDES and
many persons want to compel the company to say
at once ,ohdt streets will you go along. Suppose
they were compelled to do this. The officials
affirm most positively that they don't know them
selves and therefore cannot say. Again, if the
property owners along certain streets knew that
this company would be compelled to buy property
along these certain thoroughfares or stay out alto
gether, how much increased per centage of value
would they ask for their property? Proper re-
strictons ought to be placed upon corporations,
but when gas companies can go to work and tear
up any and every street in Baltimore, without say
ing so much as by your leave, and when horse
railways have gridironed the whole city, it seems
farcical that the very powers of the Mayor and
City Council already possessed by them should be
denied to this one corporation. This bill of the
a. MaVOr
Council shall also, in their case, exercise the same
rights over the streets as have been already exer
cised for horse railways.
This brings to mind the bill of Mr.. Ofutt, reg
| these horse railways. The way in which these
poor fellows are ground down is fearful shame
upon these corporations and the most heartless of
the whole batch, from the stories told down here
is certain horse railroad in your county.
Mr. Brady also is taking hand in the passen-
ger railway business, in the effort to resusctate
and revive the Peoples Passenger Railway Com
pany of the city and county. This road runs from
Druid Hill Park to Fort McHenry. He also has
bill for the paving of west Baltimore street, from
the city limits to the cattle scales This is much
needed improvement and no doubt should be done
by the State. Whether it will or not depends
much upon the view taken of it by the Ways and
Means Committee. The property holders most
interested in it seem to be exceedingly Indifferent
to the matter.
This B. O. railroad bill brings another point
up for consideration, which is that these people
who want everything laid down absolutely by
Legislatures are running on the line of making
the Legislature the supreme dictum in all matters.
Do they forget the history of New York city, which
absolutely has no charter in fact, being entirely
governed by the Legislature. All its corporate
rights taken away and the city absolutely disfran
chised. imagine after all it is not so much love
for vested rights that influences the opposition as
it is hatred of the B. & o. R. R., and perhaps the
desire to make them "sugar up"
Senator Hayes has introduced bill to repeal
the law forbidding the sale Of oeomargarine and
adulterated butter By contrast to this | would
call attention to the New York Legislature, which
has before it very stringent bill to protect
sumers of butter from being imposed upon by
authorizations. 1t provides that every dealer in
these authorizations shall have q sign painted in
letters not less than three inches in length, and
placed prominently and conspicuously upon his
place of "0leomargarine butterne or
suine for SALE" 1t compels him to tell the pur
chasers that it is oleomargarine, butterne sune
he is buying, and failure to comply forfeits the
goods sold and 81 900 fine BESIDES one-half to the
informer. This movement to repeal our law and
the further fact of the adulterated sugar bill of
Mr.. Kelbaugh being decapitated in the Committee
of Inspections by city member, looks very funny.
Perhaps it is in the line of 'free trade" and more
revenue" Glucose, tallow and soap-fat may be
good things in their way, but we don't care to eat
them as sugar or butter.
An order was offered On Tuesday for the APP
pointment of two additional members from Balti-
more county upon the Committee on City Exten-
sion. 1t was moved to lay this motion upon the
table. This was defeated and the order was final
ly adopted. This really the first successful move
made by the county members in this issue, and they
deserve much credit for it, particularly Messrs.
Brady and Ofutt, who have in this instance dis
EzVIz l.
order to increase the representation from Anne
Arundel county, which was also carried. 1t APP
pears that the bill which has made its appearance
down here from the hands Of Mr.. Bernard Carter,
is SO sweeping in It's character as to gooeie up ana
appropriate the whole of. the river fronts and
wharfage facilities Of Baltimore and Anne Arun-
del counties, and make them part of Baltimore
city. ! don't know whether to call this kind of
work "sounding BRASS" but it certainly has no
thinking cymbaP about it, and is very likely to
result in the defeat of the annexation bill. There
is an innate sense of propriety in human nature
that makes us all detest the wolf that acted SO
voraciously towards the poor lamb, and none of
us Ike to see any practical illustrations of Esops
fable. City extension then comes off the list of
certainties and goes among the doubtful things.
Thus the county delegation scores one more point
and has pulled in another county to make COM
mon cause against the city's scheme, as developed
in Mr. Carriers bill.
Mr.. Offutt in addition to the order for increased
representation on the committee, also succeeded
in getting adopted by the House further order
requiring the Mayor and City Council to furnish
the House with a statement of all the cty's prop
erty in the county on which they paid no taxes.
The additional members on this committee are
Messrs. Offutt and Lindsay, Baltimore county, and
Lyles and Owings, Anne Arundel county. /
Ordered that the Mayor and City Council OF
Baltimore furnish for the information of the House
I IF lon in
the corporate limits of Baltimore city; what as
sessment per front foot the same bears on that
portion lying on the line between the city and
county and contiguous thereto what amount of
taxes is collected from the same, and what amount
of said taxes is expended upon that said portion,
and that the same shall be furnished by the ZSth
of this month"; or as soon thereafter as possible
Rejected.
Ordered that the Committee on City Extension
be allowed maps and papers, showing the exact
boundaries and limits of the territory proposed to
be annexed, Adopted.
These are the latest phases Of city extension,
and show that thecounty delegation seems to have
got upon its muscle and manifest quite sklllful
disposition of means.
Mr.. Cockey has been sick all the week and made
his appearance to-day quite unfit for duty.
Mr.. 0ffutt acted as Speaker pro tenn of the House
part of the day Wednesday.
Leave was asked for g bill to compel railroads
to guarantee and pay the wages OF their labofers
when the contractors failed to do so. This has
reference to the late troubles of the Italians on the
new 3. & 0. road.
Mr.. Leib's bill for night schools in Baltimore
county passed its second reading
Leave to introduce bill to certain fines to
the use of Law Library for Baltimore county.
Bill passed the House for the protection of fish
in Bush river.
Mr. Kelbaugh asked leave to introduce bill
to build bridge over the Gunpowder, at the
DEVILS Back Bone, in Baltimore county. 1t
strikes ne that this must be good place to put
the bridge, but [ don't think it will help any
body to get ahead of the devil. BILLY BARLOW.
GOV. McLANE'S APPOINTMENT.