The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-05-05
BALTIMORE LETTER.

Hotel Rennert,
Baltimore, May 4th, 1922.
One of the things That has done
more than any otner to cause misun-
dersi anding between Baltim Ire City
and the Counties, is the fact that
very large proportion of the people
fCTget that the city is a part of tho
S+7te of Mary IGud-in other worGs
thar baltimore is in Maryland, and
tina. Maryland is not in Baltimore. At
least three fourtbs of the De)3le you
meet fere talk AMI act On the assump-
ton that the only viewpoint that is
worth considering, is the city view
pOint-that the State of Maryland as
a whole is really Baltimore City, and
what the counties may think about any
public matter, is not to be considered
where it may conflict with the views
of the city. That public sentiment in
the State at large must give way in
all things before the public senti-
ment of the city of Baltimore, and, in
discussing the availability of candi-
dates for important public Offices it is
said with great decision that such and
such man will not do, because ne
may not have announced his position
on some subject which may be look
ed uvGI in the city by many people,
in way the exact opposite to the way
the same subject is viewed by large
majority in the country districts.
The people of the counties, regard
less of party have to decide, by their
votes this year, the question as to a
great increase in the representation
of the city in the General Assembly.
There is no doubt but that a large
proportion of the people of the State
are opposed to such an increase, and
there is no doubt but that a very
large number of people in the city are
also opposed to such an increase. The
practical effect of this proposed in
crease, would be to give representa-
ton to the vast influx of ignorant, il
literate, and in most instances, an
archiStic and socialistic foreigners,
who have crowded into the slums in
recent years, and large proportion
of whom do not read or speak our
languages, and who not only do not
understand or sympathize with out
system of government, but in fact are
hostile to it in every important partic-
ular In the session of the General
Assembly which closed last month.
there were samples of the sort of rep
resentatives these people will send
there in larger numbers, If they have
a chance. One of the city members
was an out and out anarchist. others
were thoroughly foreign and anti
American in their views and most of
them were not even taxpayers. and it
is rather startling fact that one of
the County members paid more taxes
than the whole number of city MEM
bers in the House of Delegates. When
the roll was called, the names sound
ed like those on the roll call of boil
shevike club in Russia, and a gentle
man who appeared before one of the
House Committees, said the members
of the Committee sitting around the
table, looked like the pictures of
meeting of the Russian Soviet in Mos
COW; and at another time when the
City delegation met and appointed a
Committee to visit the Governor, to
notify him that he must secure the
passage of the bill to increase the
city representation, the committee
was composed of three Jews, a Ger
man, and an Italian-and this COM
mittee actually went over to the Gov
ernor's House Che was sick at the
time) and threatened to defeat all his
administration bills, unless he secur-
ed the passage of the bill which would
give the General Assembly like them
selves. I'VE are samples" they said
in effect. there must be room for
more like us here; the Poles, the Slo-
vacks, the Checks, the Lithuanians,
the Italians, the Germans and the
Russians, are coming over here in
shiploads, and room and place must
be made for them in the State House,
and we demand increased represen
tation to provide for their wants" And
under pressure the bill was put
through. but fortunately for Mary
land, the people must vote for it, and
it is now up to the electorate to say
whether the denizens of the slums,
with their unprOnounciable names
their unamerican habits, their social
istic and anarchistic views on ali
matters of life, and religion. shall
dominate the State from the legisla
tive Halls at Annapolis.
There are several other proposed
amendments to the State Constitution
which are destructive to all the con-
sentative traditions of Maryland, ana
which should be voted down by the
people. and which will be commented
on from time as the campaign goes
on: and it is well that the voters
should learn that there are several
more important issues before the peo-
pie this year than the election of a
Senator and six members of Congress.