Evening star., 1927-03-26
PARKING BILL PUT
THROUGH HOUSE
Stubborn Debate Fails by 81
to 9 to Block Subur-
ban Measure.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEN.
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.


ANNAPOLIS, Md. March 26.-
While the bill establishing the Mary
and-Washington metropolitan district
and providing for the organization OF
the Maryland National Capital PARK
and Planning Commission passed the
lower house of the Maryland Leglsla-
ture with substantial majority, the
vote being 81 to .. it met with stub
born resistance in the debate. The OPP
position was substantially thrown
down by Delegate George l.. Edmunds,
Rockville. chairman of the Montgom-
cry County delegation. and Delegate
Burton l.. Ford. College Park. OF the
Prince Georges County delegation.
The measure, which has been sent
to the Senate, will be faVorably re-
ported early next week, and, aside
from some show of opposition from
delegates from Baltimore City, is eX-
pected to pass with an easy majority
there, according to the leaders IN both
houses. The test in the upper house
comes on the SIe0, 900 State approprla-
ton, which was adopted Thursday
night. Practically all opposition to
the measure so far has come from
members of the Baltimore delegations
To Be Greatest Capital.
Delegate Edmunds, in urging pas
sage of the measure. recalled some oi
the totterinc capitals of the Old World
and said the outstanding leaders there
TODAY are London. Paris and Rome
The purpose of the park and piannllS
measure he told the lower mousse 10
simply to set up the necessary ma
chinery to cooperate with the euc
eral Government and the Dlstrlct VI
Columbia to make the Capital OF tne
United States the greatest IN tie
world
IT is coincidental that Montgomery
and Prince Georges Counties are 10
Gated adjacent to the National cap
ital. he said. The National Capital IS
expanding, and in order to eXpaho anu
develop it must have territory.
Daniel c. Joseph. Delegate from the
fourth district of Baltimore Guy
scharged that a smoke screen was be,
ing thrown up to obliteIate the feal
purposes of the bin and urged tlle
Delegates to decide the case on l's
merits
Delegate A. Percy White OF Puts
Vile asked Joseph if he didn t beiieFe
that the State would receive more
than S100 600 in taxes from the i'm
nroyed area. and f so wasn't II a good
investment? Delegate Joseph respond
ed in the negative, and added tnat
the State will not buy parks Tor
Baltimore.
Calls Law Unconstitutional.
Mr. Joseph then attacked the con-
stitutionalitv of the BILL telling the
lower house that it gives powers TO
the county commissioners which nave
already been declared invalid by the
Court of Appeals of Maryland. lie
cited as the unconstitutional section
that which prohibits an owner OF
property from building on any land
mapped out as public hlghWay py
the proposed commission, and pro
hihitiug him from collecting damages
for destruction of buildings erected on
such highways before they are I
ppened. He read from the courts |
decisions in an effort TO support ms /
point. He conceded. in answer 10 a /
question from Delegate Fendali Mar
bury of Baltimore, that the measure |
gave powers Of condemnation TO the
county commissioners.
Mr.. Joseph said that the measure |
also gives legislative powers 10 the
county commissioners which he al
legged were invalid. and he read let
ter in which II was alleged that the
measure had never been submitted TO
the people.
He then sought to read an anony-
nous printed circular, circulated IN
both Houses. attacking the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commission
when Delegate Ford jumped TO his
feet and asked him who signed the
circular Mr. Joseph said it came TO
him accompanying a letter signed by
James +. Steele Of Hyattsvilie. Dele
gate Henry l.. Morris then pointed out
to Mr.. Joseph that the sanitary com
mission was not included in any part
of the pending bill. Joseph closed by
SAYING that this measure was a sister
bin 10 one in the Senate which would
make the state taxpayers pay for the
proposed parks
Defends Sanitary Body.
Mr.. Ford told of the early history
OF the sanitary commission and how
il was fought in its early days, but
he ventured the assertion that not one
person in Prince Georges County
would want TO return TO the old meth
ods of disposing Of sewage.
The question Of how much the bin
affects the taxpayers Of the Two coun-
ties. he said. was their business. and
IL they wanted 10 assume the taxes
they had q right to get the measure
passed. He pointed out that Bladens-
burg was great city in Revolution.
ary times. but has gone backward.
Once ships used to come TO Bladens-
burg, he said. but now a frog cannot
Jump from stone to stone in the East
ern Branch there without getting
mixed up with the debris and tin cans
dumped there. This bill he said
allows these people 10 take care of
their own business.
He said that thousands Of people
travel from all parts Of the country
TO the National Capital by automo-
bile and that they said Washington
was beautiful city, bur those little
towns outside of il Tia Maryland were
terrible places. This bin was to cor.
rect this and make this territory as
beautiful and as inviting as the Ma
tional Capital and TO conform with il
Mr.. Joseph questioned Mr. Ford a to
why the sanitary commission had not
cleaned up the Eastern Branch. and
the latter replied that the 80 nitary
commissions duties did not include
such reclamation work. but was con.
nned 10 the provision Of q water sun.
ply and the disposal Of sewage.