The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-12-28

h"'o oSeH IHe series Oh articles pub
lished by the opponents of city extern
sion, in which they have attempted to
scare county people into the belief that
city extension means the political
domination of the State by the city.
statement like that is inexcusable.
1t is so fiagrantly false that the fact of
its utterance would seem to indicate
that the opponents of city extension
don't think that county people have
any brains at all. They act as though
they consider county people so ignor-
ant and gullible that they will believe
anything they read, be the articles in
question ever so foolish, false or i'd
iCtic.
Domination BY City Absolutely
impossible.
Whenever anybody states that city
extension means city domination in
State political matters, we unhesitat-
ingly and without reservation brand it
as false. Such a statement is particu-
larly base in its falseness; because
those who utter it can't excuse them
selves by saying they acted under a
mistake. There is no excuse for such a
mistake, because the conditions are so
well known that anybody, in the least
wise familiar with either the Iegisla-
tive or the political structure of our
State, knows full we'll that city domino
ton is absolutely impossible.
Cannot Dominate Legislature.
Now let us study the case First, let
us take the Legislature and analyze
the scheme upon which it is organized
The organization of the Legislature is
fixed by the State Constitution. The
basis of representation can't easily be
changed. You can't alter the present
structure by majority popular vote.
The change has to come by Constitu-
tionaI amendment. In order to secure
an amendment, the proposition must
first be approved by three-fifths vote
of the Senate and the House of Dele
gates. In the Senate the counties have
twenty-three senators and the city has
four. How can the city get a three
tifths vote there in favor of anything
that will destroy the political power of
the counties? The city would be smoth
cred in the Senate.
How Could City Muster The Vote?
Again. when it comes to the House
of Delegates. The counties have II
members; the city has "a. How can the
city in that House muster any three
fifths vote favorable to an amendment
which would give the city control of
the State? With the counties holding
both houses of the Legislature by
total vote of 100 to %, it can be seen
by even the most stupid that any sub
mitted Constitutional amendment, hav-
ing for its purpose the transfer of con-
troll from the counties to the city, could
be and would be literally swamped.
The extension of the city limits, I'M
err the proposed bill, will not alter this
ratio one particle. The city will contin-
ue to hold the same number of sena-
tors and the same number of dele
gates. The counties will still be in con-
troll of the Senate by a vote of % to
and will still be in control of the House
of Delegates by vote of " to "a.
In view of such facts, what is the
sense of any opponent of city extern
sion attempting to deldue country peo-
pie into the belief that city extension
means the political subserviency of the
counties to the city? The figures show
that not one item of legislation can be
passed which is disapproved by the