The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-12-28
City Will Not Dominate Counties

by more than 3 to 1. That can't be
changed except by the voluntary &C
ton of the counties themselves.
Counties Will Remain In Control.
Under the present Maryland Consti-
tuition, it would not matter if city eX-
tension gave the city three-fourths of
the whole population of the State, the
control of the Legislature would re-
main in the hands of the counties in
almost the same proportion that it
does now. The distribution of legisla
tive representation, under the Consti-
tuition, is such that the transfer of a
half million population to Baltimore
city would not shake the grip of the
counties in the slightest degree.
Remember, you can't alter the leg
islative representation except by.Con-
stitutional Amendment. Such an
amendment, before it is submitted to
the people must first be passed by
three-f1fths vote of the General Assem-
bly,. You can't submit the question to
popular vote unless it has been sane
toned by legislative act.
You can't pass such an act unless
the counties want it. The counties, as
a consequence, hold an absolute
check Is there anybody so fatuous as
to believe that the counties, which now
control the Legislature by vote of 100
To will ari1u
mendment which will invest Balti-
more city with full mastery of the sit
Uation? And if the counties themselves
won't surrender their control of the
Legislature. there is no power to take
it away from them.
There is nothing in the City EXten-
sion Bill which in the leastwise affects
the present status. There is nothing in
the bill which by indirection can shake
this power of the co;;efties in the fu-
ture. Nothing can change the county
control but voluntary abdication of
that control by the counties themsel-
YES Nobody can forciEly depose the
counties from their existent mastery.
And anybody with common sense
knows full well that the counties have
not the most remote idea of giving up
this power voluntarily.
Counties Never Will Yield Too Much.
1t matters not what additional rep
resentation, in their generosity, the
counties may yield to the city in the
future, they are never going to yield
enough to give the city the dominant
position in the state. The counties
hold that dominant position now; they
control the maintenance or weaken
ing of that position; and they will con-
tinue forever to hold n to it with a
fixed and firm grip.
How About The Governorship?
So much for the legislative end. How
about the Governorship? Even that,
despite the scheme OF popular nomina-
tions, is completely in the hands of the
counties. While it is true that this plan
was not established by State constitu-
tional provision, it is subject absolute
ly to the will of that very same Legis-
lature which is so overwhelmingly
dominated by the counties.
The Governorship nomination is not
by majority mass vote of the people.
1t is by convention, under legalized
promary, in which delegates to the
nominating convention are chosen by
counties in exactly the same proper
ton that senators and delegates are
elected to the General Assembly. I'm
der this present primary system,if Bal
timore city should give its entire pop