The citizen., 1914-02-20
ANNAPOLIS LETTER.
Annapolis. Nd, February 14th, 10

ernor Goldsborough and his friends have
| already gotten control of most of the
State Departments and institutions.
| there are few which during the past
! two years have renamed under Demo
| cratic control. The most prominent of
those now under Democratic manage
ment are the Maryland Penitentiary and
| the House of Correction and also several
State hospitals. Governor Goldsbor-
ough will be called upon to make a num-
| Der of appointments for these institutions
| during this present session of the Legis-
lature and should his appointees be con.
| firmed, then all of these institutions will
be managed by the Republicans There
is no doubt that should the Republicans
get The control of the Maryland Peniten-
tiary and the House of Correction they
would make sweeping changes among
the many employees in each. Not only
would new Superintendents be chosen,
but there would be wholesale changes
among the guards and attendants. Many
| Democrats believe that strong steps
should be taken by the Legislature to
prevent these institutions from passing
into the hands of the Republicans. Some
are suggesting that the Legislature refuse
to act upon The appointments made on
these various boards by Governor Colds
| borough, simply allowing his appoint
ments to die in the committees Should
| this course be followed then the present
| Democratic directors would serve for the
next two years and the several boards
will remain in the hands of the Demo-
| ocratS.
1t has developed at Annapolis that a
number OF county Senators and Delegates
are anxious for the Legislature to adopt
some plan by which the county school
systems will be returned to Democratic
| control. Two years ago the Legislature,
! although Democratic, allowed Governor
| Godsborough to get control of the
! county school systems through the ap-
pointment of Republican School Com
missioners. Some of the county people
claim that as result OF this Republican
control the county school systems have
| i'll a number of instances gone backward
instead of forward. They believe that
the county school systems are better in
the hands of Democrats than Republi.
cans, and for this reason they would be
| pleased 10 see some legislation passed
| by which all the county school boards
could be controlled by Democratic ma
| iority. Most of the county Senators and
| Delegares, who are III favor of such
plan, believe that the Legislature should
pass bill by which it shall elect a State
! Board of Education and that it shall then
empower the State Board to select the
| County School Commissioners A sim
| liar project was launched at the Legisla-
ture OF 1912, but it did not muster
enough support to win. Many of the
county Senators and Delegates frankly
say that if Baltimore City's vote in the
Legislature would unite with them they
would in return cheerluly line up behind
the Home Rule Bills for Baltimore CITY.
| The possibilities are that conference of
| Democrats will be held next week when
| the school board situation will be dis.
cussed and some definite action taken.
When the bill empowering the Mayor
of Baltimore to appoint the Liquor Lii
cenSe Commissioners was introduced in
the Legislature last week considerable
comment was made because the bill pro-
vided that it should become effective this
| year. The measure was prepared by
City Solicitor S. S. Field and it was Mr..
| Field VINO inserted the year OF 1914 in it.
As soon as Mayor Preston learned that it
was proposed to have a change go into
effect this year, he Immediately COM
municated with Mr.. George Arnold
! Frick, the Chairman Of the City Delega
| ton, and asked that the change be made
effective in 1916. During the last State
campaign Mayor Preston in his tour of
the counties advocated Home Rule for
Baltimore City, especially in regard to
the Police Board and the Board of Lii
| Quor License Commissioners. and he
made 1t plain that should the change be
| granted by the Legislature, he did not
- - "a,
1916. Al that time Mayor Preston's
term as Mayor of Baltimore will have ex-
| pired, and in addition the term of Gov
ernor Goldsborough would be at an end.
| This would not in any way effect the
present elective officials who are called
| upon to make these appointments, or IN
whose hands ii is proposed to lodge
| them in the future. 1t was pointed out
| by Mayor Preston in his speeches that
| should the present Legislature give the
people OF Baltimare City Home Rule,
that when they elect the next Mayor both
the elected official and the people would
know that these new department heads
were to be named by the Mayor OF Balu-
more. At the same time the new Gov
ernor would know before hand that he
would not be called upon to appoint a
Police Board or Board of Liquor License
Commissioners for Baltimore City In
other words, Governor Goldsborough
would again appoint the Board OF Police
Commissioners and the Board of Liquor
Licenses for the next two years, after
which these appointments would be
made by the Mayor in the same manner
that all municipal officials are appointed.
In fighting for Home Rule for Baltimore,
Mayor Preston is fighting for what he be-
lieves to be right and for the best inter-
ests of Baltimore. He does not want TO
name the Police Commissioners nor the
Liquor License Commissioners and he
does not want to strip the Governor of
this power. 1t is true that there are a
number of advocates of Home Rule in
this city who believe that the Mayor
should appoint these two boards this
wear hui the Mauor u,ill not Iista., u