The citizen., 1914-01-30
ANNAPOLIS LETTER.
Annapolis, Md, January 10th, 1911.

The question oil Home Kule, fOr
Baltimore City will be one OF the most
important questions to be considered by
the present Legislature. This will
chiefly apply to the Police Board and to
the Board OF Liquor License Commis-
sioners. Delegate Bouse has already in.
troduced in the House bill providing
that the Board of Police Commissioners
and the members OF the Board of Liquor
License Commissioners be elected by the
City Coueci. Other advocates of home
rule believe that the Mayor should
make these appointments in the same
manner that he names all other depart
mental heads and boards. While the
people of Baltimore pay all of the ex
penses of these two departments their
chosen municipal officers have nothing
to say regarding their management or
the selection of their heads. This comes
under the State government and is with
out parallel in the State. The Police
Department costs the taxpayers of Balti-
more City considerably over 81 ,ooo. 900
a year and it is but right for the city to
have control of the department. The
| Liquor License Commissioners and their
| employees are also paid by the CITY and
| one-fourth OF the money that is collected
| from the liquor licenses goes into the
State Treasury. Within the next few
davs it is believed that the CITY Senators
| and DELEGATES will hold a conference on
the home rule question and then decide
on what urse to pursue. 1t is expected
that the entire clty's representation will
act as a unit on this question, irrespec-
tive OF what it is decided to do
Seldom in the history of the State has
Baltimore's representatives in the Legis
lature been given such leading and CON
spcuous places and offices as they have
received at this session. In the State
primary campaign it was pointed out that
the city Democracy was aiming to nom
mate one Of the strongest legislative
tickets that has ever been placed in the
field and that it did this is shown by the
way that the city members are being
treated, On the whole, the personnel of
the present Legislature is regarded as
one of the best ever chosen in this State.
and this is particularly true of the CITY
Senators and Delegates. There are four
real leading pieces in the Legislature. and
of this number three went 10 Batimor-
cans. The leading places are the two
presiding officers and the majority floor
leader in each branch Of the Legislature.
The city named Speaker lanes McC.
Trippe OF the House Of Delegates. and 1t
also played very prominent part in the
selection of State Senator Jesse d.
Price, OF Wicomico county, as President
of the State Senate. Both floor leader
erships went to Baltimore. They are
State Senator Peter !. Campbell, of the
Second Legislative District, and Dele
gate LLOYD Wilkinson, of the Second
District Senator Campbell was named
by President Price as Chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee, while Mr..
Wilkinson was named by Speaker
Trippe as Chairman of the WAYS and
MeansiCommittee of the House Of Dele
gates. These are two of the biggest
committees OF the Legislature and their
respective chairmen are floor leaders of
the majority party.
| Representative Veasey handed IN his
long expected DISTINGUISHING bill a few
days ago. By its terms the City of Balti-
more is deliberately denied the natural
right to equal representation in the Sen
atorial primary. The operation of the
obnoxious County Unit System is to be
extended SO as 10 cover the nomination
OF candidates for the United States SEN
ate.
A general protest is coming in from all
parts OF the city against this measure as
being contrary to the spirit of the Consti-
tutional Amendment providing for the
direct election of United States Senators.
The Eleventh Ward Democratic Club, at
its last meeting, passed ringing resolu-
tions of protest. setting out at some
length, the injustice of the proposed law.
THE Telegram publishes these reso-
lutions in full, as fairly expressing its
views in the matter The Twentieth
Ward Club passed strong resolutions of
protest on Friday night, and the other
clubs will do so at their next regular
meetings. Committees will be appointed
| from the various clubs to confer upon
| some concerted action to be taken by the
united Democracy of the city against the
bill and others OF like nature. The CON
census of opinion seems to be that the
| County Unit Rule System is unfair and
| un-Democratic and should be abolished
| The committees of both Houses have
been announced, and several of the com
mittees, because of their importance.
| have been made larger.
The Governor is already engaged in
preparing his Civil List of appointments
| to be sent to the Senate in a week or
two.
City Solicitor S. S. Field has prepared
United States Senatorial Primary Bill,
which provides for the mass system of
voting for the United States Senatorial
nominations. Under Mr. Fields bill the
vote of man in Baltimore City or one
of the thickly populated counties would
equal the vote of man in any of the
counties. Another bill has been prepar-
ed, which provides for the county unit
system Of making nominations, which is
the same system that is employed to
nominate all State candidates There is
no doubt that Mr.. Fields Bill is fair
and just one. There is absolutely no
reason why vote in the counties should
count more than one in Baltimore. The
city's representatives will line up behird