Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-01-31

ASAeHhmeuts
To the Editor Of the EUening Capital:
notice In a recent issue of your
paper that Mayor Levy appeared be-
fore the Board Of County Commits
sioners in the Court House on Tues,
day last and explained the City's pos
tion in regard to some change in the
method of Tax assessment wherein
sections of the County enjoying police
and fire protection Nctc. should he paid
FOR by the communities enjoying the
ne Also the Taxpayers" commit
Zee recommended the same in their
report.
wow &r Editor | leg to differ with
e Mayor and committee upon this
sai9ee Living in a portion of the
Gopp{ss j his time that has no rep
onf6tivs IT al in any part of our
Igo}eniacn; ana from District that
sroNng more than any portion OF
liz gan Il seaas 0 me an imposi-
illan 81 ;he rar. OF any one TO advo
cate sametb ng at this time that Will
have a tendency to curtail' the future
growth OF our progressive District.
Looking 1t the situation from a
usiDess standpoint you must grant
that the Villages OF Linthicums, Glen
pnrnic. Brooklyn Park, and other
sections Of our County are building
expensive homes for Taxpayers who
derive no benefit you may say from
the roads at all and in many cases
are paying for the education of their
children in the City schools. These
same Taxpayers are contributing TO
the County their proportion OF taxes
which you must gran, is the top Of
the assessment. The past year ] have
/ cen informed that there has been
fortysor more houses built at Linthi-
cum Heights and as many more built
lat Bsooklyn Park and Glen Burnie,
rang0g in cost from two TO eight
thousand dollars per house, and many
more would have been built under
FORMAL conditions Now. Mr.. Editor
do you think this a good investment
when the County spends a few hun
dred dollars In so called special priyi-
leges and gets thousands 10 dollars IN
return? This cry went forth some
few years ago and the consequence
was protest came from the Tax
payers of Brooklyn and vicinity TAX
ing the stand that if they were going
to be deprived of the privileges that
are essential for the future progress
of the towns then ii would he better
to he annexed into Baltimore City
What was the outcome of this agita-
ton? It is too well known to the
Taxpayers of the County for me to
meDsion. The same thing can happen
to 1inthicums and Brooklyn Park il
Che County is going TO hamper the
growth of these expanding towns by
additional Taxation.
This is a delicate proposition and
must receive careful consideration
not. looking al It in a selfish manner
ut \ from standpoint where the
County as whole enjoys all priv
loges it matters not where they are
if it is building up the County anc
adding To the Taxable basis more by
far than the County would receive
should there lie placed upon the resi-
dents OF the aloYe mentioned towns
IN additional tax for something they
are Justly entitled to. Does Annapo-
lis derive any benefit AT all from the
county as a whole? AS Annapolis
doesn't nay any road tax do the peo-
pie Of Annapolis who have free ac-
ceSS To all the roads in the county
htnk It would be right to require
hA,n to pay a special privilege tax
for the use of the County's roads?
alB in favor of abolishing all use
!esss jobs and reducing the county
expenses wherever there is just cause
tor doing So but | am utterly onpos-
ed 10 advocating special taxation for
any section OF CTR County that VIII
county that has such bright future
Build up our county as a whole and
encourage people to build homes: il
matters not what section they may
select Extend Q welcome hand and if
few hundred dollars invested in SO
called special privileges viii add
thousands OF dollars 10 the taxable
LASTS e wise To the situation.
This is my position in the matter
Mr. Editor not rejecting upon the
Recommendation Of the Mayor or the
Itaxpavcrs committee hut just an hon
csc difference OF opinion.
Very truly yours.
JAMES s. SMITH