Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-08
LETTER OF JAMES M. MUNROE
CANDIDATE FOR STATE SENATE
Annapolis. Nal. sept. 30. 1al5.

My Fellow Citizens:
The Primary Election Law provides
that when there is only one candidate
Tor nomination for any Office his name
must not be put upon the ballots used
At the Primary Election. there being no
opposition to his nomination. Conse-
quently my name did not appear upon
he ballots al the Primary Election, nor
has been published upon any form ol
ballot. as far as / know. in any news
paper In addition to that. the Elec-
lion Law makes il a misdemeanor. sub
iecting one to Indictment conviction
and punishment. to publish or have in
ones possession any facsimile of the
ballot to be voted in Anne Arundel
county. and you will. therefore. not see
| any official ballot either in the news
paper or at the polls. until one is hand
ed to You by the election officer when
you go TO vote.
The voters evidently are not familiar
with this law, as many of them who
had heard that | was to be a candidate
for the Senate expressed surprise that
! my name was not on the Primary Elec-
1 ton ballot, while many others were
/ greatly surprised to hear that / was a
candidate, not having seen my name
published in the newspapers. in the list
of candidates and my name not appear
/ ing on the Primary Election ballot.
! ] take this method, therefore of call
ing the attention of my fellow citizens
of Anne Arundel county to the fact
/ that my full name, James Middleton
Munroe.wiH appear on the official bal
lot as a candidate for the State Senate
/ in opposition to Frank Merriken Du-
vail. The form of ballot used in this
/ county admits of no party emblems and
no designation of the party to which
the candidate belongs, but take it for
granted that every one will know that
am the Republican candidate.
| am seking election to the Senate
for the sole purpose of trying, 10 the
/ best of my ability. to serve Anne Arun-
del county. Several years ago. | work
ed as Chairman of a Commission to re-
wise the Charter of Annapolis. The
work was completed. put in the form
of Bill, presented to the Anne Arun-
del Delegation, and probably found its
way into the waste basket. In the fall
of 1913. | carefully prepared a Bin to
simplify, expedite and reduce the cost
Of litigation in this county. Il met
with the approval of Judge Brashears.
and the memebrs of the Bar. 1t was
passed by the Senate in 1914, and sent
over to the House of Delegates. where
il died upon the calendar From time
to time ! have prepared various Bills
specially intended to improve condi-
tions in connection with the admins
tration of justice in Anne Arundel
county, and in nearly every case have
failed TO secure their passage Why?
Because there was no one in our dele
CATION sufficiently interested in such
matters TO take any trouble about them
But they never failed to interest them
selves in securing political jobs for
their friends. If you doubt this, please
refer to the Baltimore Sun of August
9th, run down the list of employees OF
the House and Senate. and see if in the
| 30 days of that session Anne Arundel
county did not have 130 employees.
costing the State nearly $4,000. Look
| further at the total expense of the ses-
sion of 1914, which was $206. 6.95S.34. or
$4,000 a day. And yet you wonder at
the size of your tax bill. The assess
| able basis of this county has been
doubled in the past ten years. but your
taxes are higher than ever. IL is true
that we cannot have fine roads and
bridges, and many other desirable mod
/ ern improvements and conveniences
without paying for them, but If the
burden proves too heavy for the people
| to bear. we must do without them until
we can afford TO have them. The fault
| IS not with the County Commissioners
who must incur the expenses provided
by law: but with our legislators who
fail to provide by law for the reduc.
ton of expenses.
There must be ways of reducing oul
taxes We must either find a way OF
make one. l am willing and anxious t,
devote my time TO an earnest study o.
this question, and if elected pledge my
self to make that matter my chief con
Icern.
| We have had enough of political dele
cations. Can we not try the expert
ment of electing someone TO the Senat,
as the Peoples Advocate? Many i'm
lportant questions will come before tn,
Legislature next winter in some q
which Anne Arundel county is vitallj
interested.
| There is no question Of National Poll
tics involved in this election. Unite,
States Senators are no longer elected
by the Legislature. but by the people
and any voter may now vote independ
emily for members of the Legislature
without sacrifice to his political prin
ciples.
II elected to the Senate. will vel
come suggestions from any and ever,
quarter, looking to the improvement o
conditions in our county, and especial,
suggestions as to how we may properr
reduce our tax bills. feeling that in tn,
multitnd> of couHsellors there is wis
dom and assured that every good citi
zen has at heart the best interests o
the county ala all itS people.
With these ends in view. i respect
fully ask your support.
Very respectfully.
. 4