Evening star., 1927-11-01

| "The matter of taxes is having big
influence on the opinion of the people
of this immediate vicinity. Many of
them seem to be opposed to any mer-
ger plan that would have n tendency
to raise the taxes. Until some tangi-
BILE figures to the contrary are shown,
the general feeling will exist that the
taxes will be raised and therefore the
| opposition to the plan will continue.
| There are those who are opposed
to the idea because of lack of informa-
| ton regarding the proposal for those
| towns which already have improve
ments and then for those towns which
have not. They feel that some equal
izing plan will have to be worked out
and explained before they can favor
| the proposition. Considerable opposi-
| ton is heard for the plan on the
| theory that the new city will be gov
erned by a mayor and council, as are
| the other towns of Maryland Many
of the people of Mount Rainier and
Brentwood have expressed their belief
| that such government has Outlived its
usefulness in this section and that
some other plan should be adopted.
| Until the committee works out some
detail on this subject. these will con-
tinue to oppose the plan.
Taxes and the amount paid furnish
by far the biggest problem the COM
mittee has to face, and the taX-area
basis seems to be the only reasonable
method under which the plan will
work at all. In fact. the committee
has gone on record as favoring this
plan.
while it is easy to favor such a
plan, to secure its adoption is quite
another matter. In my opinion, the
establishment of such a tax area will
require an amendment Of the State
constitution, which means ratification
by n State referendum.
ITO secure favorable result in such
a referendum will require quite cam
paign of education, as Baltimore,
Hagerstown, Cumberland and other
large towns Of the State would look
with considerable jealousy on such
move. Baltimore is the only city in
the State which is a tax area to it.
self. and 1 believe that distinction will
be jealously guarded. Hence, after
the people of the area have been con.
vinced the plan is one which will i'm
prove their sections, then the people
Of the State will have to be induced to
acquieSce before it can be accom-
plished."
Further Data Needed.
Mr.. Smith said the plans for the
proposed city are so vague that lone
giving the matter any thought what
ever can only decide to wait until fur
ther developments are made before
passing an opinion on it's value"
When asked how he felt about the sub
mission of the proposition to the
Legislature at its next session, in JAN
uary, 1929. he said:
From the little experience have
had in such matters in this section.
and considering the magnitude of this
project, l would say that it was abso.
lutely impossible. There are many de-
tails to be worked out before the com.
mittee can even come to conclusion
as to whether it's own members favor
the plan. Whatever conclusion the
committee arrives at will then be SUBJ
mitted to the Chamber of Commerce
for action.
IF the project is pursued after
feasible plan is worked out, the great.
est effort will be to convince the people
of the section of the value of such
consolidation. Whoever sponsors the
plan. should the committee 's>.recom-
'fnendation be favorable to it, will soon
discover that If the plan. is ready for
submission to the Legislature in five
years considerable work will have to
be done in its behalf. Judging from the
attitude of most people l have talked
to on the subject in Mount Rainier
and its enVironS."
The upper part of Prince Georges
County pays in taxes proportionately
much more than the lower portion
This is the reverse of the condition in
earlier years, when the lower part of
the county was the richest and more
p0pulous. Today sentiment is un-
doubtedly growing in the upper part
Of the county in favor of spending
there all of the money raised there by
taxation, except that portion which
goes to the State government
Many persons in the upper part of
the county, for instance, feel that they
should be permitted to build and con.
troll their own schools. They point to
the fact that the population in the
upper county is uburban-almost ur.
ban-while that of the lower county
is almost exclusively rural. With
such wide difference in conditions,
they do not think it is logical that
their effairs should be controlled from
county seat at Upper Marlboro, in
the lower and farming section of the
county, 90 miles away from the towns
included in the proposed city area.
Center at Upper Marlboro.
All important court business is
transacted at Upper Marlboro. Law.
lyears and witnesses from all over the
fcounty have to go there for criminal
trails. During the present session of
the Circuit Court, day after day de.
PENDANTS, witnesses and lawyers are
travelling many miles from the upper
part of the county to Marlboro. They
wait around for cases to come up and
then go back home again, only to re-
peat the journey until the court gets
| around to their business. Days, and
even weeks, are wasted in this man.
ner, it is pointed out, and all because
the county seat is completely out of
touch with the upper part Of the
county geographically.
The superintendent Of schools, with
the board of education, the register
, Of wills, recorder Of deeds, treasurer's
office, license clerks-all are at Upper
Marlboro, in the lower part of the
county. All the thousand and one af-
fairs Of the county are conducted in
the midst of sparsely settled farming
community, away from the thickly
settled district near Washington.
This situation has been the subject
of comment for several years. 1t re.
suited a few years ago in a mild agita.
ton for division Of the county into
two counties, but the political infiu-
ence of the lower districts in the State
Legislature at Annapolis was great
enough to prevent a serious considera.
ton Of the proposal Many persons
believe that this influence is strong
enough today to defeat any bill to
create an independent city in the up
per part Of the county.
Coupty Issue RlocLed
A stumbling block in the way of
creating a new county Is a provision
in the State constitution that no
county shall contain less than 400
square miles. To create new county
which would include the upper part of