Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1915-10-28
Comment Relating To The
Proposed Amendments
Which Will Be Voted On At
The Election Next Tuesday.

To the Editor of CAToCTIN CLARION:
The Maryland newspapers have very
generally published the text of the Con-
stitutional amendments to be voted upon
this Fall. The State Democratic plat
form recommended all the amendments
to the consideration of the people OF tie
State. The Republican platform recon-
mended the Referendum Amendment and
the County Home Rule Amendment and
is silent but not opposed as to the re-
naming amendments. Therefore, we
may anticipate the adoption OF all the
amendments by overwhelming majorities.
AS one who wants to see Maryland pos
sessed of the latest well thought out i'm
provements government, rejoice over
this, although at the same time recog-
nizing that much work remains to be
done before Maryland attains that emil
hence in the administration of its public
affairs we should all wish it to possess.
1t may be worth our while briefly to
consider what the position of the people
of the State of Maryland will be after
the adoption of the several amendments.
THE REFERENDUM AMENDMENT.
When this shall be adopted, if the Ma
ryland General Assembly shall pass any
law creating, for example, monopolies
obnoxious to the people, or conveying
away part of what should be our common
wealth, without proper compensation, or
infringing the liberties of the citizens,
or creating useless offices as political or
personal rewards, without thought of the
public good, or creating public debts, and
increasing our taxes in Objectionable
ways, ten thousand voters of the State,
not more than five thousand from Balti-
more city or any one county, can call a
halt by signing petitions within sixty
days after the adjournment of the Legs-
lature, demanding that the Objectionable
proposition be submitted to the vote Of
the whole people before it shall be al
lowed to go into full force and effect.
In our several counties the Legislature
with knowledge of the fact that by this
amendment ten per cent within the coun-
ties can, as to local law, compel its
submission to the county electorate, will
be slow to pass bills multiplying Offices,
increasing county expenses, or in any
other manner outraging local sentiment
Laws of such description have been pass
ed by the Legislature affecting counties
and as everyone at all versed in Mary
land poll tics wellknows, in their passage
the wishes of majority of the citizens
of the counties have often been entirely
ignored.
All of this will mean that hereafter a
new public spirit will be created in Ma
ryland.
THE COUNTY HOME RULE.
With the adoption of this amendment,
it will be the duty of the next Legisla-
ture to determine land in this we must
hope it will be generously the subjects
over which counties shall have supreme
control, with the result that great mass
of legislation which now vexes the Gen
eral Assembly will be determined by the
counties Immediately affected. They will
organize their own local government and
will be in position to avail themselves
of the latest and best thought affecting
it. They will have the power upon petit
ton of twenty per cent to propose to
each other changes in such local govern
ment and laws as they may once have
adopted. In doing this they will be ex-
ercising a County Initiative. and later 1t
will be bnt step from such County In
itiative to State wide Constitutional Ini-
tiative.
The General Assembly by this amend
ment will be relieved of hree-fourths of
its work, now devoted to county matters,
and have the more time to pay attention
to laws of State wide effect.
TAXATION AMENDMENT.
With the adoption of the Taxation
Amendment, the Legislature of Mary
! land will be able to adjust the tax laws