The citizen., 1914-02-20
ANNAPOLIS LETTER.

I NAssCA (DF+~p~-A[ rA-L A4Ao EEA4AAs la1fE
/ already gotten control Of most Of the
/ State Departments and institutions
| there are few which during the Dast
iWo years have renamed under Demo
/ cratic control The most prominent Of
I those now under Democratic manage
ment are the Maryland Penitentiary and
/ the House OF Correction and also several
| State hospitals. Governor Goldsbor-
I Ough will be called upon TO make NUM-
Der Of appointments for these institutions
i during this present SESSION Of the Legis-
4 lsiUre and should his aDpointees be con
I frmed. then al Of these institutions will
4 be mauuged bv the Republicans There
/ is 10 doubt that should the Republicans
i get 4he control Of the MARYLAND Peniien-
/ tiary and the House Of Correction they
would make sweeping changes among
! the many employees in each. Not only
/ would new SuperiDtendents 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
/ 70 act upon the appointments made On
I these various boards by Governor Colds
( borough. simply allowing his appoint
/ nenis 10 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
I will remain in the hands of the Demo
| ocrats.
Il mas developed al Annapolis that q
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
/ GoldsbOrough 70 get control OF the
! county school systems through the ap.
| pOintment Of Republican School Com
missioners. Some Of the county people
/ claim that a Z result OF this Republican
control the county school systems have
/ in a number Of instances gone backward
| instead Of forward. They believe that
/ the county school systems are better In
| the hands Of Democrats than Repubh-
| cans. and for this reason they would be
pleased 10 see some Legislation passed
/ by which all Of the couaty school boards
could be controlled by Democratic ma
| iofiiy. Most Of the county Senators and
| Delegares, who are IN favor Of such a
| plan. believe that the Legislature should
/ pass d bill bY which II shall elect a State
! Board Of Education and that It shall then
| empower the State Board 10 select the
| County School Commissioners. A sim
/ liar project was launched AT The Legisla-
| iure oi 1912. but il 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 cheerlully line up behind
the Home Rule Bills for Baltimore CITY.
| The possibilities are that a 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 ne Mayor
| Of Baltimore 10 appoint the Liquor Lii
| cense Commissioners was introduced in
! the Legislature last week considerable
| comment was made because the bill pro-
vlded 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 If.
| As soon as Mayor Preston learned that il
was proposed 10 have a Change 90 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 10
the Police Board and the Board of Ii
Guor License Commissioners. and he
| made II plain that should the change be
| granted by the Legislature, he did not
want il to become effective until Nav,
| 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 eleciiye officials who are called
upon TO make these appointments, or IN
whose hands II IS proposed to lodge
them IN the future. IL was pointed out
| by Mayor Preston in his speeches that
| should the present Legislature give the
| people OF Baliimare 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 Baltl.
more. At the same time the new Gov
| ernor would know before hand that he
would not be called upon 10 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
number Of advocates Of Home Rule in
this city who believe that the Mayor
should appoint these two boards this
year, but the Mayor will not listen to
/ fhGfr T.. .,.a..4-