The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-03-02


courage and Independence to insist
upon the advantages it gives them.
rather prefer to believe that; like
Baltimore as a whole, they are only
asleep.
Every town in Germany and al
most every town in England recog-
nize that public franchises belong to
the public and preserves this COM
mon wealth to the commonwealth
In this country, Cleveland and
Toledo have walked up over this
subject and can already show results.
Chicago has been agitated and ac-
complished something. San Fran
cisco is finding a remedy. Balti-
more, to the extent of millions and
tens of millions of dollars in value,
without a thought or word turns
over these franchises to private
companies for exploitation. Balti-
more sleeps on. No Uptopian dreams
disturb her slumber. If she even
INDUCED in day dreams her future
were more hopeful.
When we turn to political condi-
lions, we find that Baltimore has re-
tanned her double barreled City
Council, although such system has
been discarded in almost every pro-
gressive city in the United States.
Baltimore pursues the good old plan
of treating public appointive Office as
the property of the highest officials
temporarily in power, and of the
machine back of them, without
thought or suggestion of change.
New York finds civil service reform
in municipal matters a necessity.
Chicago is in like case and other
cities are following in their train,
but Baltimore sleeps. One side of
her brain wakes up when a fight is
on between different factions, but
the other side, which should be con-
cerned in reform, regards the strug-
gle with the same detached indif-
ference which her citizens would
exhibit over the result of a conflict
between Zulus and Matabeles. Never
once does it occur to Baltimore that
the fight is over her and her property
and that the expenses of such fight
have to be borne by her people.
Although in the respects indicated
as we'll as many others, she has fall
en- far short of her duty not alone to
those within her borders but to the
whole State of Maryland. Baltimore
demands as thing of prime import
ance that her boundary posts be ex-
tended further into the country.
Baltimore apparently thinks, and we
may say it in sorrow, that bigness
and greatness are synonymous. To
an outsider this seems as reasonable
as if man expected his soul to be
enlarged by taking on more flesh and
displacing more atmosphere. 1t may
be that Baltimore is better house
keeper than the counties and to this
extent deserves credit; it may be
that the individual five-dollar- bill
corruption of the voter is more gen.
eral in the counties than in Balti-
more. The real corruption of the
voter, however, is greater in Balti-
more, because of the wider extension
of governmental functions without
restraint upon responsible author
tiles in the disposition of office, the
larger number of rewards to the ma.
chine and the unbridled rapacity Of
great interests. Because of these
things, it can we'll be understood
why it is that the counties are COM
paratively Indifferent to an enlarge
ment of the area of Baltimore City.
Let Baltimore move forward.
Today if she walks at all-and she
never runs-it is in her sleep. Let
her learn that there are real NUM-
cipal issues and find herself as other
cities are finding themselves. There
is due to her long trying course of
regeneration. Reform is very diff
cult to those who have never believ-
ed in their need of it, and such is
the case with Baltimore. Outsiders
can help little. Reform must come
from within. Until it does come;
until there arise among her citizen
ship men of courage and determine
ton
"Who do their duties know. but
know their rights,
And knowing dare maintain them"
Baltimore will continue to lag, and
no mere geographical extension will
cleanse her soul of its manifest i'm
purities.
Hyattsville, Md,
March l, 1917.