Evening journal., 1906-11-12
ANAL
YET DISCUSSED
One Enthusiast Expresses Be.
lief That DeIawareanS
Favor the Dream


Il have been greatly interested in the
two letters. one signed "Queen-Kent" the
other Attorney" urging the wisdom and
propriety Of the annexation by Maryland
Of the State of Delaware and the two
Eastern Shore counties of Virginia. How
gladly would Maryland do the annexation
act If only Delaware would consent and
the state Of Virginia would let go OF her
Eastern Shore holdings. But 1 fear that
your correspondents are only chasing
rainbow-hued dream in seriously advo-
eating such a proposal. AS to Delaware
it is not to be imagined that the poliu-
clans of that State would ever let a gov
ernor and two United States senatorsmps
-plums Of tho very first magnitude-slip
out of hand so long as they have voices
to raise in protest. And then there Is
Delaware's historic pride. Delaware is
little, but no pentup Utica bounds her
pride Delaware is just as proud as
Texas, and II anything a little prouder
They do say that there are people now
living in Delaware who are Of such heavy
importance that. when they travel down
to one end or up to the other, the whole
state is thrown out of equilibrium. 1 am
making no reflections on Delaware, how
ever. It's a bright little. tight little State
"a land overfiowing with peaches and
lovely women.
."And if Delaware (Which is to say the
Delaware people, could be. persuaded that
IL is best for them to join forces with
larger state, by natural affinity Delaware
would cast lot with Maryland For, as a
matter Of fact, the geographical boundary
between the three Delaware counties and
several of the Eastern shore Of Maryland
counties cuts no practical figure. There
Is a constant migration going on from
one state to the other. Seventy per cent
Of native Eastern Shoremen have Della
ware family connections. It is just as
natural for Maryland young men TO go
a-wooing across the Delaware line as ii
is for swallows to fly to Florida IN octo-
Der. But Delaware, with her three coun-
ties, is a sovereign state" with as great
a swing in the United States Senate as
New York or Pennsylvania. And will Del
aware give up this potential position IN
natural affairs until she has to? And. even
/ II there were any disposition in any
quarter to reduce OF to eliminate Della
wares power in the Legislative branch OF
the national government, there isn't any
provided way of doing it unless Delaware
were willing. and Delaware, as has been
before remarked, is not likely to be viii
ling. do not pretend TO say that an
nexation Of Delaware to Maryland is en-
/ tirelv impossible. After all. the people
in Delaware, and not the politicians, are
the arbiters. But those who believe an
nexation desirable-from the Delaware
point of view as well as from the Mary
land outlook-should bunch their argu-
ments to demonstrate the good things
that viii flow to Delaware from annexa-
ton to Maryland. Start the campaign OF
education right away.
CAS- for the two Virginia counties on
the eastern side Of the Bay, Marylsnd
ought to have them, and it is quite
likely that the people Of those countries
would willingly rejoin to Maryland,
since they have no national political
perauisites that would be sacrificed.
But how shall Maryland coax Virginia
to make the transfer 1t is geo.
graphically absurd that the Peninsula
between the Chesapeake Bay on one
side and the Delaware Bay and the At
llantic Ocean on the other should be
divided between three States. But,
since the thing has been done, 1t is
difficult to have it undone.
I wish to heartily endorse the sug-
gestion of Queen Kent" that the
state of Delaware and the Eastern
Shore of Virginia be annexed to Mary
land. At the same time and partly
for the same reasons advanced by
Queen Kent" I would advocate the
annexation Of other territory to the
western part of the State. The people
of Maryland and the people of Clarke
county. Va, are, 'by the nature OF
things. made a people of similar, con-
centrated and perfectly harmonious IN
terests." Clarke. county is geographi-
cally and IN nearly every other way cut
off from the rest OF the Old Dominion
II baltimore is. in many. respects, of more
interest than Richmond or Washington
To that county. It is closer than Gar
rett or Allegany, in Maryland, to Balu-
more and the railroad facilities between
baltimore and Clarke are decidedly
better than those between this city and
some of the Western Maryland counties
What I have said with reference to
Clarke may be as forcibly said or
Berkley, Morgan and Jefferson counties
w. Va. These four counties, Clarke, IN
West virginia--are in every respect ex-
cept politically, Maryland territory
Virginia could, with very little incon-
venience. part with Clarke, and the
three West Virginia counties mentioned
would hardly be missed from the
Little Mountain State. 1 feel sure
that If the question were left with the
people of these four counties the vote
would be overwhelming in favor OF an
nexation to Maryland.
with these counties, the Eastern
Shore of Virginia and the State Of Del
aware, Maryland would become a
powerful State Her voice in Congress
would command greater attention, aud
she could reasonably expect to send,
at no far distant date, one of her sons
to the White House. She could, with
this additional territory. population and
wealth, accomplish in a short time
more than any of the four States could
in a generation. It seems, therefore.
TO be to the best interests Of the peo-
pie of Maryland and OF the territory
mentioned above to unite in forming a
Greater Maryland.