The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-02-11
Municipal Progress.

Municipal Progress.
We recently asserted in The WING
that Elkton had grown more IN the
past four years than in any previous
twenty years of its history. 1t was not
an idle assertion, but statement fully
sustained by an exhibit OF the list of
buildings erected in the town within
the period named, as we'll by the gen.
eral evidence of spirit of improvement
awakened by the location here of i'm.
portant industrial enterprises.
Now while this growth with its Incl
dental increase of population are mat
tiers of local congratulation, because
they afford welcome evidence of indi-
vidual enterprise and business activity,
yet it almost goes without the saying
that there should be corresponding
public spirit awakened if the town is to
realize the full benefits of its growth.
In other words, municipal progress
must keep pace with individual enter
prise if the spirit of improvement is to
be fostered and encouraged. And it is
in respect to this public spirit by which
the aggregate community receives the
the benefit OF the individual activity of
few that Elkton, like most other
Maryland towns, has in the past been
most deficient. As the result, however,
of intelligent discussion IN LATE years,
and sensible appreciation of the fact
that each individual citizen directly
shares IN the benefit of successful public
enterprises, there has been a marked
advance made in many Maryland towns
in their sanitary condition, in the char
acter of their public buildings, in the
improvement of their streets, in the
methods of lightning them, in the intro
duction of water for public, domestic
and industrial uses, ard in improved
systems of municipal government. This
has been the case noticeably at Ches-
tertown, Easton, Salisbury, Cambridge,
Centreville, and other towns that might
be mentioned. To make our meaning
PLAIN, it is the development of this
public spirit in any community that
lifts the aggregate of a given number OF
buildings, stores and dwellings out of
the category OF villages and places it in
that of thriving towns. We think it not |
a matter of local vanity to believe that
Elkton has ceased to be a country vii
lage, and, by virtue of its growth and
an awakened impulse of public enter
prise, deserves to be considered a thriv-
ing town, withal the county seat.
1t is therefore because we desire to |
see Elkton share in the highest degree
the benefits of an intelligently directed
and active spirit of public improvement
that we welcome the local discussion
which the meeting of Tuesday night
promises to excite. Inspired by a COM
mon purpose to advance the public
good, not by dogmatic assertion of in
dividual notions and ideas, but by toll
Grating differences of opinion as to
means and methods, every citizen of
the town who has the public welfare at
heart should lend his influence in
securing needed municipal improve
ments.
As the outcome of the meeting of
Tuesday, committee of seven business
men has been selected to whom has
been referred for consideration and
report certain municipal changes and
recommendations, and particularly the
question of permanent water supply.
We are not aware that the province and
duty of this committee will be limited
to the single question of deciding upon
a suitable fire appliance for the town.
Important as this may be there are
other local questions equally SO, such
as the question of the extension of the
corporate limits of the town; the
reassessment of its property, some of
which has deprecated and other
appreciated since its last assessment,
the restriction of municipal suffrage to
taxpayers without regard to sex, the
the reorganization of the Board OF
Town Commissioners, the change in the
number of its members, and in their
terms of office; the change in the
method of selecting town bailiff; and
the correction of long existing practices
of favoritism and discrimination in
public improvements in the town.
These are all important local questions,
and involve radical changes in the pro-
visions of the towns charter, and which {
should be carefully considered by the
committee and duly presented to our ,
citizens and taxpayers. /
But whatever may be the recon- {