The midland journal., 1917-10-26
CITY Seeking POWER
Hal Tor "aocm to Grew" Term
cd Sa.Lrf ge
Opponents Claim Suburbs Are Enjoying
Cheap County Form Of Government,
Which Should Not Be Taken From
Them Without Their Consent
fPrepared by the Baltimore County Nom
Partisan Citizens Protective Committee.)

fPrepared by the Baltimore County Nom
Partisan Citizens Protective Committee)
What is city?
Many persons believe that it is q
rye collection of people and houses,
with streets, railroad terminals, troll
ley cars, street lighting and other
Facilities for business and comfort.
Others seem to think that city con.
eists of mayor and city council, a
multitude of other Office holders, q
bonded debt, high taxes, minor priv.
iieges and similar things which are
Characteristic of municipal govern.
nlents. The opponents of annexation
urge that the actual city Is not neces.
sarily the same In extent as the
political city, and may grow at liberty,
regardless Of the boundaries Of the
latter.
Baltimore, they urge, in its true
sense, and as 1t is known to business
Tnen elsewhere, consists of the whole
tig settlement located about the
nayigable portion Of the Patapsco
river. Part of it is under the control
os mayor and city council and has
the other municipal features mention
ed above, the emainder is under the
governments of Baltimore and Anne
e7ch section, it is asserted, are satis-
fad with their present form of govern
&ent.
5 Governments For the People.
The settlements came first; the
county and city governments came
afterwsrd to facilitate the business,
safety, con fort and pleasure of the set
tiers The governments were created
for -'.e people, not the people for the
&c ns2erts.
Lack of proper consideration of this
(, ii is cl imed, causes some per-
ssas unwittinrly to fall in with the
fsNeme to extend the political boun.
es of Baltimore. These boundaries
vere set to define the section over
Web TIE people residing therein
w'a'.ed the city government to have
coatrol of their public affairs. The
ctr officials, 1t is urged, have no in
b. ont ris.tt to extend their sway over
naonle without their consent. 1t is a
fsadamental maxim of law that all
Fe~ernment should be by and with the
consent Of the governed.
The county people allege that the
crv tn Baltimore must have room
to grow" is subterfuge. They in
that the city, in its real sense of
a.ge-colleetion of people. with all their
paraphefnalia of business and pleas.
u~e, is growing all the time-much
Foster than If it we~e all controlled by
tie Mayor and City Council. Within
tie past few years. owing to a great
expansion in manufacturing, the rate
Of Increase in population and property
values in the suburban sections has
been very rapid.
No Factories In Annex OF 1888.
The annexationists claim that this
Influx of big bus ness would have
come just the sar e. even If the city
had controlled all the territory in
which these factories are located. The
answer of their opponents is that the
CITY now has thousands of acres Of
8 vacant land in TIE Annex of 1883, and
not one factory of any Consequence has
been located there. On the contrary,
they say, there are many instances
where large plants have been located
Just across the line-in the counties
and purposely. to be beyond the juris-
diction of the city government.
County Cove: nment Cheaper.
The co,nt:es have the commission
fo.in of goyernn,e:t, which is cheaper
than that of the city. The salary roll
O. Office holders of the city was ST.
2.9,392.11 in 1915, the last year for
which a published City Comptroller's
reoort is available, according to state
ents of tie anti-annexationists, who
I lat out that the corresponding pay
re,l for Baltimore county was $685.
Sr2T4 The tax rate Of Baltimore
{ ratv this year is $1.06, while that
tie city is $1.98 But the county
IS sll its expenses from its tax levy.
c. lin City Wants More Power.
tn enjoy the lighter taxes and other
attractions which the county has to
oyef in TIE way of fewer restrictions
and more room and quiet, some of the
former residents of the corporate city
heve moved into Baltimore county.
E..ny more have gone into that sec
ton from other parts Of Maryland and
f.om other States. The opponents of
!. annexation claim that the rulers of
the political Baltimore. which they in
sist is not at all identical with the
real city, want to grasp all these peo-
pie and all the wealth of the suburbs
and thereby acquire the power which
this mass Of people and taxable prop
erty would give them-a power which
sit is alleged would enable them to ex-
pand the limits of the city at will
thereafter and control the political af-