Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-03-14
HEARING ON NEW CHARTER.
ANNE ARUNDEL DELEGATION
CONSIDERS TWO BILLS.
The Features Opposed In The New
Charter Extension of The
Saloons Restriction
of Suffrage Is
Urged
IMPROVEMENTS DEPEND ON
BORROWING POWER. \

The members of tie IIouse Of Dele
gates from Anne AE1ndel County have
set Tuesday Sext at4 O'Clock d. M. for
hearing cn the proposed measures
| concerning tie Annapolis City Char.
| ter, which are the propesed new char.
/ ter, prepared by the Charter Commiss.
ion. ard the bill prepared by CITY
Counselltr Riley at the instance OF the
City Council, provides more clearly
for tie exercise of tie power of con.
demnatien by the city and also allows
the borrowing Ct an additional sum of
money secured by tonds, upon con
dition that the qualified voters OF tie
city approved the issue aud the rur.
poses TO which the money is 10 be de
voted
Opposition To the new charter has
developed ID a serious degree aud it is
not believed that single delegate
from Anne Arundel county is inclined
to favor it, although they have net all
expressed tLens selves definitely. There
is areat opposition to tie, mon sed
restriction ot the suffrage on account
cf prOIertv aud educational iests and
other features do not meet " it'll gen
eral favor. The delegates will. there
fore. give ample opportunity for
those on both ideas of the question to
be heard
The central proposition of the new
charter. TO increase the responsibility
Of the Mayor by giving him practio.
ally the absolute appointment of all
city officers is much opposed. Particu.
larly is it thought that the City Ooun-
sellor should still be elected inasmuch
as it would detract from the dignity
of his important office to make him
merely an appointee of the Mayor. 1t
is also thought that there was a clear
error in taking away from the CITY
Council the appointment of their own
clerk.
The plan to give the Mayor a veto
on legislation meets with some favor,
as does the proposition to withdraw
both the Mayor and Counsellor from
membership in the Foard. A great
many residents of Germantown and
the other portions of the section that
is proposed to be added to the city be-
1ievh that an nnnnrt-s.si-- .---n-l -
there. This would probably be the
effect of the passage OF the bill in its
present shape and it is regarded as
very unfair unless the residents OF the
section have an opportunity OF saying
whether or not they wish liquor to be
sold in their section There is also
much opposition to the practical de-
struction of the signing feature to the
application for liquor licenses by al
lowing the ssigners to live or conduct
business anywhere within 400 yards.
There are. however. many good
features in the proposed new charter,
and it is possible that such amend
ments be may agreed upon as will make
the bill generally acceptable. The bill
drawn by Counsellor Riley makes only
two changes in the present law-that
relating to condemnation and increas-
ing the borrowing power of the Coun-
Gil. Both of these provisions ale con-
tanned in the new charter, but in the
event of that measure not passing IL is
absolutely essential if tcertain imper-
atively needed improvements are to be
made that the bill should pass
There is some misunderstanding on
the subject and some opposition deyel-
oped, it being believed that a bond
issue of $3.50, 600 was proposed. This
is not the case, however, that sum be-
ing the limit of the total indebtedness
that now in force or which may be con.
tracted. The residents of certain sec
tions of the city who were left out in
the accomplishment of the main
scheme of town improvement have
been clamoring for certain improve
ments and these cannot be done with
the amount yielded by taxation. a
moderate bond issue to take the place
of that of 1894, which will be fully
paid next year, is therefore contem.
plated. Unless the City Couneil's
bill passes there is little prospect fo1
the accomplishment of any Of these
improvements.