The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-03-22

the people until a proper initiative
amendment is submitted and adopted
will lie in the chance that some future
session of the General Assembly will be
more considerate of popular desire. In
the present letter let me urge the ne
cessitY of legislation which will make
effective home rule in the counties pro-
vided for by our constitution and so far
denied by the General Assembly.
There is no state in the Union need
ing county home rule more than Mary
land. The time of the legislature which
should be DEVOTED to matters of general
import is now spent in the manufacture
OF laws affecting only counties. The
British Parliament, representing i'm
mediatelv more than fifty millions of
people and controlling the destinies of
world Empire, contents itself with pass
ing yearly one-tifth as many laws as
session of the General Assembly of the
State of Maryland. OF the numerous
laws provided for US at the last session,
it is safe to say that three-fourths were
local and should have been treated by
the counties concerned without ever
consuming the time of the legislature.
We can readily imagine which chooses
the better part, the English Parliament
or our legislature.
Consider the kind of legislation 1919
members Of the legislature of Maryland
spend their time in passing. Within
recent years, to Illustrate, we have at
Annapolis forbidden the running of
swine across the Court House yard at
Prince Fredericton; we have made
criminal the hunting of Musk rats on
Nanjemoy Creek and the expectation
of mad toms and scaly cats from Wash
ington County. The delegates from
Baltimore City have helped to provide
a license tax on dogs to create a fund
to protect the sheep industry in Garrett
County and the delegates from Somer-
set have spent valuable moments on
bills looking to the repair of public
roads Of Calvert County; the delegates
from Wicomico have gravely voted
Eyes" or "No" on the erection of
school house for colored children in
Calvert County. and Prince Georges
delegates have helped determine the
that Hartford County might |
make of part of its Hartford Aims
House Farm.
1t needs little argument to show that |
Baltimore City should have the highest |
need of home rule and that Cecil Coun- |
ty should attend to its affairs, and other
Counties likewise, without being con- |
trolled in so dong by Baltimore City.
The real interests of the State are !
failing to receive proper thought and |
and are sacrificed because the |
members of the legislature with their
clerks and assistants sre &C.
cupied with local questions OF the ma
ture of those above Indicated, questions |
which should be determined by the |
counties is not possible today and no
advantage may be taken locally of the
latest improvements IN county govern
ment, no one having sufficient continu-
ed interest and power to accomplish
legislative work being piece
meal and occasional.
Under the constitutional amendment,
if it had been properly supplemented by
the counties would have
taken care of their own affairs and
would have exercised-for the constitu-
-ional amendment gives tia locak in
tiative enabling the citizens of the
whenever 20per cent. petition
I'd for a change, to correct their own
ocal government. Let US hope that
The next legislature will not fail as did
The last in completing the necessary
'urtherlng of county home rule.
There was no constitutional amend
nent that appealed more to the sympa-
hectic interest of the people of the