The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-05-07
WANTS ANNEXATION BILL
PLACED BEFORE STATE
Let Public From One End of The
State to The Other Judge of It's
Fairness.


The Merchants and Manufacturers
Association. Baltimore's biggest com
! mercial and industrial organization,
/ comprising 5000 business houses
| and manufacturing plants, in the
! city and suburbs, would like to see
! the corporate limits of Baltimore eX-
| tended. 1t is approaching the coun-
! ties in the attitude Of brother to
brother The association has no axe
/ to grind other than the upbuilding of
! the whole State. 1t has no political
machine to build and none to smash.
1t is not interested in personalities,
and has no grudgeS to satisfy. The
organization is d non-partisan, mem
political, non-personal body. 1t is
far more interested in seeing the city
and counties knitted together in the
bonds Of lasting fellowship than in
seeing them hopelessly divided into
hostile and embittered political
camps.
The association feels that the
counties are ready TO upbuild the
States metropolis if it is known that
the plan OF that upbuilding will
stand the closest scrutiny. That Is
why The association favors a bill that
can be definitely completed before
the Legislature meets. 1t is dead OPP
posed to any tentative. makeshift
measure which finally will be subjec-
ted to many last-minute amend
ments. These hurried patchworks of
plasteTing amendments ofttlmes COW
ers up a vast volume eof unfalrnesS.
Hasty undigested changes, forced in
to measures at the last moment, are
the things which frequently give rise
to subsequent bitterness.
There is no reason for any such
condition to arise in this case, and
the Merchants and Manufacturers
Association is opposed to any such
condition. This proposition is en-
tirely too big to be settled in the Sc
Fcrecy Of committee fsoRffss It IS en-
tirely too important for hasty final
hour alterations, it matters not from
where the alterations may emanate.
1t is matter of supreme value to
the State and should be laid before
the whole State in all its nakedness
before the General Assembly meets.
The fundamental groundwork upon
which the whole problem is to rest
must be laid bare. Nor should that
plan in any of its essentials be devil
ated from to any marked degree af-
ter the general outline is presented
to the people.
"Our position is fair" said Frank
n. Hoen, president of the Associa-
ton; ''our fight is open, straight,
honest and clean-cut. We favor no
measure which, by subterfuge, will
take advantage of the counties from
which the territory will be taken,
nor do we favor any measure which
by reason of ambiguity is liable to
put any annexed citizens under
hurtful conditions. We are playing
on the level with all. We are ap-
preaching the counties in the spirit
of open friendliness and confidence,
with no concealments, reservations.
receptions or suspicious. We want
! to deal as man to man, and present
| our case according to the strictest
rules of truth We want the esteem
| of our fellow-citizens in the counties
| and we are going to win it by an
| openness that will demonstrate our
| sincerity.
The association feels that the
| counties will destroy the prestige of
the State as we'll as the standing OF
! our chief city if it fails to protect
I Baltimore in the acquisition of its
/ just claims"