Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-10-19
Hot. Blair Lees Remarks.

Hon. Blair Lees Remarks.
During his remarks at the Democratic
meeting at Rockville last Saturday after
noon former United States Senator Blair
Lee mentioned the following as outstand-
ing features of the record of the Mont
eomery county government for the past
four years:
County Road System.
With the new State roads built through
the cooperation of the present Board of
County Commissioners and considering the
county stone roads reconstructed through
their efforts and financing and accepted
by the State as part of the State High
way System, Montgomery county's system
OF improved roads is now more nearly
complete than that of any other county
In the State That cooperation between
the Democratic Board of County Commits
sioners for Montgomery county. and the
Democratic State Roads Commission of the
State has resulted in the State Roads Com
mission recognizing the claim that the
Bethesda Rockville Ridgeville Road is one
OF the most important State highways, and
is therefore entitled to shoulder construc-
ton to be financed from the State Auto
mobile License Fund and State Gasoline
Tax
School Improvement.
Senator Lee called attention to the fact
that the MONTGOMERY county school system
is rated as one o. rb, best in the State by
the State B0s.J Of ucation. and that the
Montsole county hool system boasts
% ttiee a. al ldard rural" school
buildings ae s' OF he other twenty-three
conn'it on .ae STATE ogether.
; montgomery count. Is also the only coun-
ty that has provided superintendent of
school property charged with the response
bility for the repair. heating and sanitary
conditions of existing school houses. and
the construction of new school houses. The
State Board of Education has approved
this action on the part of Montgomery
county.
That for the past two years the Board
of County Commissioners has levied for
the school budget, as submitted by the
County Board of Education as essetial, so
that the schools have been supported the
extent deemed necessary by the County
School Superintendent and the County
Board Of Education.
Law and Order.
That Montgomery county has the best
county police force in Maryland was main
tanned by Senator Lee. He stated that
the 1922 Session of the General Assembly
created the Montgomery County Police
Force, which is an organized. uniformed
and salaried organization appointed and
regulated by the Board of County Com
missioners. Through the efforts Of this
police force, aided by Sheriff Monkey. Mont
gomery county enjoys the best reputation
for law and order Of the suburban sections
adjacent to the District of Columbia.
He called attention to the fact that the
police force was not financed by direct
taxation, but from fines and forfeitures of
the local laws and surplus dog taxes and
other indirect revenues.
That as far as is generally known there
are no gambling or disorderly houses ex-
listing in Montgomery county adjacent to
Washington, and Senator Lee said that he
felt sure that the county liquor laws were
more strictly enforced than in other locali-
ties. both in and out of Maryland, with
which he was familiar.
Senator Lee stated that he felt there was
and could be no logical prohibition OF
liquor issue in the present campaign of
Montgomery county. because the present
record of law enforcement, the conditions
existing in Montgomery county compared
so favorably with conditions throughout
the country that he did not see how the
question could be fairly agitated in Mont
gomery county either from the wet or dry
standpoint.
The creation of the Police Court in Rock
vile was especially deemed wise, since
this court gives uniform police decisions
throughout Montgomery county instead of
the many and varied types of decisions
which prevailed under the old justice of
the peace system.
Senator Lee called attention to the fact
that the Police Judge was also a salaried
official. instead of fee official as has been
the case in the justice of the peace system
Recent Reassessment.
Senator Lee called attention to the fact
that the recent reassessment of all Mont
gomery county property had been required
under law passed by the Maryland Gen.
eral Assembly of 1914. which was Demo-
cratic. and signed and approved by Gov.
Goldsborough, a Republican. For this rea-
son he did not feel that either political
party was entitled to make capital out of
the fact that periodical reassessments are
required throughout Maryland. He main
tanned. however, that the reassessment
just conducted in Montgomery county had
been fairly and efficiently made, and tina
the assessments were now equalized on
the basis of actual value throughout Mont
eomery county. This reassessment alone
has been an unusual and expensive item
of the county budget for the past year.
In view of the existing record that the
present Board Of County Commissioners
has made. Senator Lee considered il all
the more remarkable that they have been
able to reduce the tax rate in Montgomery
comfy ten cents on the 500 in 1922. and
fifteen cents on the 500 in 1923. for a
total reduction of twenty-five cents in the
last two years.
Montgomery county had last year and
still has this year the lowest tax rate of
any of the twenty-three counties of the
State, and Senator Lee argued in view of