Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1922-05-24
WEDNESDAY. MAY "a. 1922.
EMPHASIZING THE FACTs

In this issue OF the Evening
Capital appears another com
munication from Mr.. w. Meade
Holiday on the County Commits
sioner law, 10 which we also have
TO respectfully take exception.
After having stated in his first
letter that "as matter OF fact.
Baltimore county does not work
under three commissioner law.
That county has five commits
sioners from FIVE commissioner
districts and pays each Commits
sioner $2,400 a year." Mr.. Holla-
day states that he 'was perfect
ly aware of the fact that Balti-
more county had local law put
ting the affairs of the county UNI
der three commissioners. and
was also aware of the fact that
said law does not go into effec
until next year, and cannot un-
derstand that we can draw
any conclusion that the law is a
good one eighteen months before
II goes into effect"
In this connection il is to be
borne in mind that the three COM
missioner plan for Baltimore
county is not one to go into eff
feet for the first time next year,
but is plan that was in opera
ton in Baltimore county until
changed TO the five commissioner
plan by Chapter 49S of the Acts
of 1914. Section So of Chapter
495 of the Acts of 1908 and Chap
ter 100 of the same session espe-
cially provided for a board of
three commissioners. After about
six years trial of the five commits
sioner board, Baltimore county,
apparently without any contro-
versy, decided to go back to the
three commissioner board, in pun
suance of the Acts of 1920
Chapters 20 and 40. The action,
therefore, is based on actual ex-
perience under the two systems,
and was originally referred to in
these columns simply by way of
illustration of what this progress
sive county had experienced in
the way of choosing its form OF
county government.
Another point in Mr.. Holla-
days communication to which
we have to respectfully take ex-
ception. is the uncompleted quo
tation from yesterdays editorial
IN the Evening Capital. Mr..
Holiday states you say that
under the present law there is
not fair representation and call
attention to the fact that the
Eighth district is without repre-
sentation." A reference to the
editorial will show that the Ian
guage used is cas- lono as the sub
ject has been mentioned at this
time. it is relevant to call atten-
ton to the fact that. even under
the present plan, there is not fair
representation in the sense re-
ferred to-" This latter was deal
ing entirely with the argument OF
the opponents of the bill that
fair representation" meant a
"home commissioner" for each dis
trict of the county, and we also
stated that if this argument were
carried to its logical conclusion.
it would simply mean that there
would have to be a county COM
missioner from each and every
election district of the county. no
matter how many districts there
might be.
We are reluctant to have to
take exception to any statements
expressed by our correspondents.
whose communications on public
questions are cordially welcomed,
but when it appears to us that
any mistakes of fact are shown,
we feel that as matter of pub
lie information correction should
be noted. so that when we come
to the realm of discussion as to
the merits of the law in question,
we need be under no misunder-
Standing as to the facts.