Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-04-02
Favors "County council."
To the Editor of the Montgomery Count!
Sentinel:

AuC last Legislature StdIluS Out ILOtu all
other Legislatures for certainly fifty years
in the variety and Importance of the con-
stitutional amendments it has submitted
for the consideration of the voters Of Mary
land. One of them, of the least Importance
Of all. relating to the shrievalty in Balti-
more City, was adopted last fall and may
be dismissed without comment. The others.
however, mark the waking up of the State
to the progressive movement now going
on throughout the United States. and if
they are adopted Maryland, instead of
being called a backward State. will DEM
onstrate itself to be in legislative way
the most progressive State east of the
Mississippi River. That the amendments
in question will be adopted, the people
once understanding their purpose and effect,
| have no doubt. am seeking this occa-
sion, through availine myself of the cour-
tesy of your columns, to call the attention
Of the voters Of this county to some of the
more important features of the amend
ments to be voted upon.
The amendment which has attracted
the greatest amount of notice perhaps in
the newspapers of the State, certainly those
in Baltimore City, is that providing for
home rule in the counties and Baltimore
City. Under this amendment. if adopted
when over twenty per cent. of the regis
tered voters of any county. or ten thousand
petitioners shall so demand, there shall be
created charter board of eleven in Balti-
more City or five in any county (the cleo
tons being non-partisan). whose duty il
shall be to frame charter for the city OF
county. which charter will provide for a
law-making body for the respective juris-
dictions. which shall be known in Balti-
more as the City Council. and in the coun-
ties as the County Council. This body
which may meet during one month of any
year, may pass all necessary local laws
having power also to repeal or amend local
laws enacted by the General Assembly. Its
detailed powers shall be such, however. as
the General Assembly shall at its next
session prescribe. and the General Assem-
bly, may extend or modify or repeal the
same.
The voters, by their adoption Of char
ter. shall have power to fix the number
compensation. powers and duties of the
County Commissioners, and generally as II
may be stated TO control the forming and
operations of the county government.
The charter which may be adopted by
the people of the county will be subject
to change under an initiative. which will
call for the signature of twenty per cent
of the registered voters Of the county. OF
not to exceed ten thousand the provision
as to fixed number, of course. applying
in effect only to Baltimore City. and when
proposition is so made, it shall be sub
mitted to the voters of the city or county
at the next general or Congressional cleo
ton.
One of the greatest governmental evil
in the State of Maryland has rested in the
fact that the Legislature of the State in
stead of devotine its thought and attention
to matters of real public interest, has haf
its time taken up with the most trivia
county affairs. Serious thought and worI
for the benefit of the whole body of thu
State has been materially interfered will
and the purpose Of the creation of the Leg
islature largely defeated. This may bt
illustrated by the fact that the last Legis
lature passed 1854 bills, the immense ma
jority of which related to county affairs
1t also passed twelve joint resolutions ant
directed the submission of five constitu
tional amendments. Furthermore, eacl
House was called upon to pass a larg,
number of orders relating particularly t
the conduct of its business.
1t was. of course impossible that an,
large number of the mem ers could Civ,
particular attention to the several bill
upon which they voted. the more so Of
nearly all of the work was crowded int,
the last thirty days of the session. MOI
could members Of the Legislature take 6
large degree of interest in the things
with relation to which they acted Can W,
imagine, for example, that the delegates
from Baltimore City cared anything about
an act providing for license tax on dogs
to create fund to protect the sheep in
dustry in Garrett county, or that the dele
gates from Garrett county were interested
in bill providing for the repairs of the
public roads Of Calvert county? The dele
gates from WicOmico have no large interest
in bill for a school house for colored
children at Cove Point in Calvert county
nor in the disposition that Hartford county
might make Of part of its Almshouse Farm
For the consideration of all of these sub
jects. however. the time Of the Legislature
Of the State of Maryland was commando ed
at the last session.
The proposition is a simple one and
should appeal to every citizen of the State
from whatever part he comes. Baltimore
City should be entitled to take care of her
own affairs in such manner as seems meet
to her citizens Prince Georges county
should attend to its affairs without inter-
ference or control from Baltimore City
The liberty that we want for ourselves we
should readily grant to others. II is only
by the full exercise Of liberty on the part
of all that we learn to know and to avail
ourselves Of its benefits and to guard
against its possible abuses. We ought not to
be children held in leading strings controlled
by outsiders. but, for good or for III. full
grown men exercising and developing our
political powers in the manner our theory
Of government contemplates.
The constitutional amendment we have
described is by no means perfect. nor was
II to be anticipated that first effort toward