The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-08-15
The writer, Major John I. Yellott, of Towson,

,eared in the advertising columns of your paper
Of August sth.
The writer, Major John I. Yellott. of Towson,
supposed that the article would have
more effect by concealing the name of the au-
thor than if he signed it, as very little attention
is paid in this county to any of his political
utterances as his political career has been of
SO checkered a nature that he is very hard to
find on the chessbOard.
1t is true as Major Yellott says, that my asso-
citation in politics in Baltimore county has been
with the men ne names together the with many
and control of party affairs shall remain in the
hands that they have been in rather than drift
into those of Major Yellott and Others of his
stripe, as there has been. within my recollec-
ton no party in the county that he has not been
allied with. Ee has been Potato Bug, Demo
GRAFT independent Democrat, independent Re-
publican, Independent Republican, Prohibition
list, a Gold Democrat and Silver Democrat
within the last 20 years: HIS IDEA OF politics
principle cut out. We all recollect that he once
got control of our affairs in Baltimore county,
and at the first convention that was held after
he got into power he surrounded the building
with a Gordon of police officers, taking them
from their duties around the city and placing
them where they could carry out his orders, and
admission to the convention was to be gotten
only by presenting card bearing the Majors
name. Should the eye of the good people OF
Frederick City fall upon this statement it viii
take them back to the time when the Major was
Federal Provost Marshal in their town during
the Civil War. 1t will be source OF gratifca-
ton to me if our people could learn how they
were treated while this paragon was administer
ing the government there under military rule,
My professional life has put me e, in touch with
large business interests in Baltimore county,
and among others the United Railways ana
Electric Company, but the people here, Win
out exception, will vouch for it that I nave
never left stone unturned with that OrgaliZa-
ton to benefit them, both from the standlolnt
of getting reasonable fares and good acconmo
- I1.xf1 vsalI r,aNrIi fpA
aasons es m naHe me nee County aafrs By rfg
my efforts to get good roads, by the rs blish-
ment of lighting system and by tp extension
of suburban electric roads in the cunty. do
not know anyone who has tried harer to repre-
sent substantial business interest than Major
Yellott, but my observation an experience
teach me that men of affairs h@e discerning
minds and know whom to employand whom not
to. have never been employs as the attor-
ney for any person or corporation TO help them
AVOID paying their proper shar OF taxes; on
the contrary, it has been my firnconviction and
reason that tbe El nor should fa
as equally as possible on all, individuals and cor
porations alike, and if l become a member of
the Senate propose to devot my energies and
statement that have askedthe County Com
missioners undne favorS fo' the corporations
that l represent in the coInty is absolutely
without foundation. In tie first place., the
United Railways have had 10 favors to ask, as
almost their entire rights ofway in the county
are on the beds of turnpikeSOr private property
purchased and paid for by the company.
have always been heartily in favor of law
limiting and restricting tbs granting OF tran
chises by our Commissioners, for the reason that
often the indiscriminate granting OF rights
would put spectators in the position of holding
up drge @ th act ct t a
ing the Commissioners 10 sell the franchises
has broken up all schemes of that kind, as !
knew it would. The grant that Major Yellott
refers to as having been applied for few
months after Mr.. George w. Yellott went into
office was the right to lay 500 feet OF track on
Garrison avenue That application was made
by the United Railways Company upon the So
lcitation and the petition of over 800 patrons
of the road living near the intersection of the
Reisterstown road and Garrison avenue. 1t
was simply a piece of track to connect the
road between the city limits on the west and
the tracks of the road on Belvidere avenue at
Electric Park. This connection would enable
the citizens in that vicinity to get scent fare
over the Edmondson avenue line and a shorter
route to the city. The line that was then being
operated was much longer, with Decent fare.
The administration of our county affairs dur
ing the past four years has been admirable and
all that could be asked for or expected under
the circumstances, but do not think that any
one or two of our Commissioners should have
the credit for these results. which results have
been brought about by legislation that sugges-
ted, prepared and had passed at the session of
1900, and it was this: After a conversation
with Mr.. E. Lynn Painter about our affairs, and
just prior to the holding of one of the annual
taxpayers conventions in Baltimore county Che
being leading spirit in those conventionsl,
suggested to him (Mr. Painter) that law re-
stricting the Commissioners expenditure of
public moneys to the amount levied for county
purposes annually would be decided step to-
ward getting the county out of dept and keep
ing it out of debt, and he agreed with me.
prepared the law, Mr.. Painter had the same in
dorsed by the taxpayers convention that met a
day or two after our interview and he either
sent it or took it to Annapolis, and exerted my
efforts, together with my friends, in having it
passed. That law is the means that brought
about a reduction in our tax rate, and to that
law is due more than to all the LEGISLATION and
all the acts of the Commissioners that have oc-
Cured within the last four years.
Now, when reference is made to the part that
Mr.. George W. Yellott has taken in this redue-
tep~ the Eeeards az -orr~ee commissioners the
tax rate had been reduced in the county, that
the county was out of debt and that the follow
ing spring of 1902, about five months after his
election, the rate was fixed at rs cents, and this
was due to the efforts of Messrs. Knox and
Slade, the Democratic members of the board
which preceded the present board. This year it
is 65 cents, and the credit of the same is due to
the whole board. and not to any one or two
members of it.
1 do not intend to close this communication
without calling attention briefly to Major Yel-
LOFTS reference to the interests that represent
in this county. He must embrace not only cor
porate interests, but he must embrace some of
the largest private interests in Baltimore
county.
Now, in conclusion, some six months ago de-
cided to be candidate for the State Senate. /
came out openly and avowedly, so that any fair
criticism against my candidacy could be presen-
ted. My case will be presented to the conven-
ton for its action. Before Major Yellott pre-
pared his distorted statement he should have
called to mind the old adage, 20 that mine
enemy would write book
My private life, my business life and my
habits, by reason of my candidacy, have be.
come public property: do not object to it. ]
am willing to submit them to the closest scruti-
ny of a critical public, and to Major Yellott
bow and say, reform, like charity, should begin
at home, :" and / refer him to the seventh chap
ter, third, fourth and fifth verses of st. Matthew
Aug. l5.-t M. W. OFFUTT.