Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-03-28
THE FIELD-FURST BILL
NOTEXPECTED TO PASS
The Annexation Forces Fighting
With Backs to a Stone Wall.
USING ALL POSSIBLE TACTICS.
Friends and Foes of Annexation Busy
in Every Corner of the State
House.

As the situation now stands the
Field Furst bill is beiievOj to have
thirteen positive votes IN the Senate
with a good chance of winning two or
three moro on the hna! roll-can Only
fourteen vot !, are Necessary TO pass
the measure
Without going the whole route by
promising to support the pending bill
with the new amendments offered
Senator Ogden early this afternoon
said Il realize that | am up against
stone wall, but I propose to get as
much for my people as I can
The amendments offered to win the
Fourth district Senator over would. in
effect, provide for "A tax rate for the an
neXed sections of $117. plus p cents
on the S30,000,000 of present munic-
ipal loans and with the new residents
to pay their just share of all loans for
future improvements. The second fea
turc proposing re-asessment OF the
annexed property in two years in
stead of five years is also important 10
The Anne Arundel and Baltimore coun-
~ opponents of city extension
Along with the gains the annexation
people won yesterday. however there
were also several defections. At least
one OF the Senators who is understood
to have broken away has bucked on
the proposition of Statewide referen-
dun in 1917 on the annexation ques-
tion.
This man has taken the position that
TO pass a Statewide referendum on
city extension is but a move TO relieve
the Democratic administration forces
of the responsibility of facing the fact
that it refused aid in carrying on the
Democratic annexation platform pledge
of last November
Fighting with their backs TO the wall
the antl-anneXation forces are using
every possible tactics on the Field
Furst bill in the Senate. Indications
early this afternoon are that Senator
William j. Ogden. of Baltimore city
may he won back into line behind the
pending bill through several conces-
siCns by the city administration forces
on the taxation feature of the exten-
sion, hill. -----,.--
the Senate of the amended Field-Furst
measure are brighter today than at any
time this session. but the overwhelm-
ing danger now is delay If the bill
should get past the Senate, every pos
sible hour left of the session will be
vital in the fight to also pass the bill
through the House.
Senator Ogden gives strong indica-
tions of falling into line on the basis
of new amendment to the pending
taxation feature, the concession being
that the sections proposed for annex
=, alton shall participate in $20.0000G0 OF
the present bonded Indebtedness OF the
city and second that a re-assessment
in the annexed sections shall be legal
! after two years instead of five years
| as was provided for in tho original bill
When the Senate does lake up an
| neXation this afternoon it will still be
! officially the Legislative day of Monday
! in the upper body. After fighting for
4 hours over the administration amend
ments until II a. m this in turn "a
/ give opportunity for annexation 10 be
! brought up at once on the reconven-
ing. Instead of getting to work at tho
appointed hour, however. the Senate
did not get down 70 business until
i 12.40 this afternoon.
Meanwhile the friends and foes oi
annexation were busy in every corner
Of the State House Having done theii
work yesterday neither Senator Smitl
or Frank A. Furst is here tclay. City
Solicitor Field is leading the city's
fight and former Senator Carville d
Benson is in the saddle for the antis.