Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-07-02
Bethesda. Md, June so, 1909.

oRABLE BLAIR LEE. THE PRESENT STATE
SENATOR.
Bethesda, Md. June 80. 1909.
My DEAR SENATOR LEE:
My purpose in this letter is to define my
position upon the issues now presented to
the Democratic voters of Montgomery coun-
ty and to be decided by their votes when
they choose you or me to be their candi-
date ftf State Senator.
ASKS FoR STATEMENT FROM SENATOR LEE.
An equally clear and distinct statement
of your views upon these issues would re-
move all danger of serious misunderstood
ing as to our respective principles and
purposes and aid in obtaining plain dec
laration Of the Democratic will at the pri-
maries on July 81. next. hope that you
will see fit promptly to issue such state
ment
TAXES Too High.
| bslieve that the tax rate for county
purposes in Montgomery county is too high
and Gun and ought to be reduced. The
total county tax, as you are aware, has
been enormously increased since you were
elected State Senator. The average county
levy from 1902 to 1905. the years during
which Hon. Spencer c. Jones was State
Senator, was sis. 6S2.25. Since you took
office the successive levies have BEEN in
| 1906, $i3O,53173; in 1907, 1884, 487.72,
| and In 1908, SAL. 1854. II is well known
| that tue 4 w for 1909 will show further
increase. The average for the three COM
pleted years Of your term is $l35, 46S.29,
or Si13 for every $500 raised under Sena-
tor Jones.
| ExTRAvAGANcE AND WASTE.
believe that this increase in taxes could
have been prevented by efficient and eco
nomcal control of county affairs and that
il represents losses due to extravaganza and
wasteful methods of conducting county
business. which can and ought to be abol-
ished If nominated and elected State
Senator, ! shall use what influence and
authority have to make all such extrava-
gance and waste impossible and to obtain
a reduction of taxation.
Mr. HlLToN's MANY OFFICES.
j, | believe that it is utterly wrong that any
| person should hold. at the same time, the
two offices of County Treasurer and Clerk
to the County Commissioners. and that the
abuse is even greater when the same person
is also Chairman of the State Central Com
mittee of thedOminant party in the county
Without reflection upon the particular in
dvidual who now holds all these positions.
it is plain that the situation violates an
important principle of good government
The powers of these Offices ought to be a
check upon each other; when all are held
by the same person there is no check at
all. Although Mr.. Hilton has had your aid
i'm bringing about and maintaining this sit
uaton and II could not have continued, at
any time since the fall of 1901, without
your consent, public withdrawal of your
support, even at this date, would be re-
ceived with gratitude by all who desire to
establish the permanent conditions of good
county government. If nominated and
elected Senator. shall. at once, endeavor
to separate these offices.
ELECT THE COUNTY TREASURER.
believe that the office of County Treas
urer is of such character and Importance
that the person who Is to hold il should be
nominated at the primaries and elected by
the voters Of the county. You were form
ally asked at Annapolis, by delegation
of representative citizens Of the county, to
have this office made so elective and you
refused to do so. If am made Senator,
shall introduce bill providing for this re-
form and urge its immediate enactment
BETTER ROADS AT LOWER CosT.
believe the Shoemaker Road Law ought
to be amended in such way as to pre-
serve State aid but to secure greater coun-
, ty control of methods Of construction.
believe that roads built at State cost ought
. 10 he located In accordance with the wishes
of the citizens of the county and to suit
| local needs and conditions. ! believe that
there should be business-like and non-po-
litical local management of construction
location, repairs and maintenance Of roads
| Al. .haa . Toll. all tnna
stone OF proper quality and In ample guam
tity can be found and used with economy
and that such local stone ought to be used.
II elected State Senator. shall strive earn
estly to have these principles enacted into
laws.
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS.
believe that the School System of this
county ought to be wholly free from politics
and political influence of any kind. One
of your first acts as State Senator was to
introduce bill to increase the number of
members of the School Board and you Sc
cured its prompt passage. The effect, il
not the purpose, of this law was to give
your close personal and political associates
complete control of school affairs and TO
enable you to make your personal repre-
, sentative" Mr.. George II. Lamar. president
of the board. II is not necessary to relate
or to characterize what has followed, for
the facts are known to every Democrat in
the county. If become State Senator.
shall URGE the passage Of law reducing
the School Board to the former number of
members and shall endeavor in every pos
sibIe way to remove every vestige Of pO-
litical control Of school affairs
Only A SINGLE Term FOR STATE SENATORS,
For much more than a generation, in
fact, since the Civil War, no Senator from
Montgomery county has been given sec
0nd term You are asking, my dear Sena-
tor Lee, "a distinction which those Of whom
you are asking it never conferred upon any
| of your predecessors, and one that they
specifically denied TO their faithful, efficient,
wise and worthy State Senators, Messrs.
Peter WoOtton, BOuic and Jones.
ROTATION IN OFFICE IS WISE.
believe that this single-term rule is
wise and that the rotation in office for
which il provides is desirable and neces-
sary to good government. Four years ago.
when you we're for the first time a candi-
date at the primaries for the Office you
now hold, you. also as ] recOllect, believed
in this rule and you then urged. with some
vigor of language, that il be enforced in your
favor Indeed. have been told, that you
publicly pledged yourself not to become a
candidate for a second term. This single
Nerm rule as to the SenatOrship is Of such
Importance as to approach to the validity
Of an article Of Democratic faith in this
county. Certainly you have not brushed
it aside lightly and ! trust that you will
not be reluctant or slow in accepting my
suggestion that you make known to the
Democratic voters Of the county the weighty
reasons which have convinced you that the
rule is unsOund, IL that is your present
opinion, or that 1t ought not to be applied
in your own case II you regard the latter
as so exceptional as TO necessitate depar-