The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-04-05
ANNAPOLIS LETTER.
Special Correspondent to THE CITIZEN


the session on Monday night, OF -a,her
Tuesday morning, with ITS files cleared of
all important legislation, and a most eX-
cellent record in the wav of laws. which
will no doubt rebound greatly to the
benefit of the people of the entire State.
In fact not in many years has a General
Assembly wound up its career with so
much to It's credit in every important par
tlCular, and so little to its discredt in the
way OF work undone, and broken party
pledges, and it may be truthully said
that the members of both parties have
gone home with the proud consciousness
that every campaign pledge made in the
Platform of both the Republican and
the Democratic parties has been redeem
ed almost to the letter and that every
promise made by the leaders of both
parties on the stump last fall, has been
fulfilled and placed on the statute books
of Maryland in the shape of laws. For
the platforms of both parties were almost
Identical IN substance, and the laws which
have been passed were enacted in accord
ance with the letter and true spirit of
those platforms. Such facts as the above
are unique in the history of this as well
as other States, for heretofore platform
makers have done their work on the the
DRY that platforms were made to get IN
on, not to stand on, and that party
pledges were made to secure votes. not
to be carried out in legislation. What
will be the effect of all this so-called pro-
sressive legislation time alone can DEM
onstrate for much of it is largely theoret-
iCal and experimental in its character,
and whether for evil or good will become
known later on. And that there will be
a prolonged howl over much OF 1t is rea-
Sonably certain, for the tax rate will be
much greater than ever before in the his
tory of the State, and the taxpayers will
find, as the years pass on, that the tax
rate will not be lessened, but rather in
creased, owing to the bond issues and
other appropriations made by the reform
legislation and the redemption of plat
form pledges in the General Assembly of
1912.
Reform legislation and the carving
out of the great public improvements, the
creation OF great institutions, charitable
and otherwise, are very expensive lux
urles, and make high taxes, and what is
Tar more important, they keep up the
high taxes for many years to come. The
State tax rate will be thirty-one cents.
an amount much higher than ever before
in the history of the State. Great public
institutions, great public highways, great
hospitals and great asylums, and great
universities cost great sums of money,
and If the people must have them then
they must be ready to pay for them with
high taxes
Senator Matthias and the members of
the county delegation are much elated
over their success in securing the pas
sage OF all of the local bills in which thev
were interested. Not a single Frederick
county bill of any importance tailed of
passage, and whether for good or bad,
the county authorities have secured all of
the legislation that they asked for, and
IN some instances it seems that they
really got more than they wanted-es-
pecially in the way of road laws.
The county authorities should feel I'M
der especial obligations TO George r.
Dennis, Esq, for the able way in which
he managed to secure the passage of the
bills to reimburse the county treasury for
the extra expense incurred by the care of
State patients at Montevue Mr. Dennis
prepared the bills, took them to Annap-
oils, presented the facts and figures to the
Senate and House committees, and is en-
titled to much OF the credit for their pas
sage, as result of which Frederick coun-
ty will receive over twenty thousand dol
lars from the State treasury. Senator
Matthias and delegate Wertenbaker were
especially active in pushing the bills
along, and were ably assisted by the 9TH
er members of the delegation.
The lobby against the passage Of the
Anti-Saloon Local Option bill, which
went to its death on Saturday night, re-
ceived large and influential reinforce
ments from Frederick for several days
before its end. All sorts and conditions
OF men from Frederick were in the State
House while the bill was being slowly
strangled to death by its sympathzng
friends" and, judging from the telc-
phone, telegraph and other messages
which were received by the Frederick
Senator and delegates on the subject,
there must have been great amount of
excitement at the home of the late Bar
barara FritChIe over the matter.
But the Baltimore people should be
credited with the slaughter of the Anti
Saloon League measure, in the battle
over which the chief leaders against the
bill, were President Price, of the State
Senate, and Senator Carvllle d. Benson.
OF Baltimore county, aided by Senator
Spelcher, of Garrett.
But for good or for evil the session of
1912 is over, and the only sure result of
its efforts is largely increased tax rate.
PAUL WINCHESTER.