Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-09-20

Much has been written and spok-
en- about the traditions and ideals of
Maryland and its people, but it is
seldom that we read or hear anything
concerning the nature and mechanics
of the government of the State. The
purpose of this series of articles is to
acquaint the people of Maryland, in
general way, with the instrumental
ties of their government, and to point
out how these various agencies of
the State Government affect the daily
lives of its citizens.
The people of Maryland constitute
a Sovereign State. This means that
the Government of the State, and of
the political subdivisions thereof,
must find authority for their every
act in some grant or delegation of
power from the people of the State.
That the government may be prac-
ticable and workable, the people of
the State have adopted Constitution
or Charter, which in generally broad
terms defines the powers and author
lity of the government. The present
constitution, adopted in 1867, with
several subsequently adopted amend
ments, constitutes the Charter under
which the State, City and County
Governments operate.
Although the form of Maryland's
Government is usually called repre-
sentative democracy operating under
written constitution, this is not
wholly correct. The people of Mary
land, at the time of the adoption of
their first Constitution, shortly after
Maryland and the other twelve British
Colonies in America declared their in
dependence of Great Britain, were in
the possession and enjoyment of all
personal and property rights recog-
nized under the unwritten Common
Law of England, and such right still
OUIdln dllQ d1C IIlC ALnCLtIdIICC VI
present day citizens of Maryland, ex-
cept in so far as they have been mod
flied or abolished by the Constitution
or some lawful act of their legislative
representatives
While the State of Maryland (that
is, its inhabitants as a body) is Sow
erign, this Sovereign Character Is alb
solute only within it's sphere. This
is due to the fact that the
people of Maryland in concert
with the people of the other Sow
erign States who had established their
independence of Great Britain, or
dained a Sovereign State or Nation
which we call the United States of
America, and into which have since
been admitted the people of otner
States. This novel process of a group
of Sovereign States creating Sow
erign State or Nation, and at the
same time establishing in the new and
preserving in the old, the character OF
absolute sovereignty, has given rise to
extended discussion and in 1861 LED
to bitter civil war. n'
Geographically Maryland IS divided
into twenty-four political sub-divis.
ions, consisting of twenty-three' coun.
ties and the City of Baltimore, in each
of which there functions local gov
eminent as provided under the consti-
tuition. Nine of these subdivisions OF
counties are located east of the Ches-
apeake Bay and comprise the well
known eastern Shore" These coun-
ties are: Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester
Kent, Queen Anne, Somerset, Talbot
Wicomico and Worcester. There arr
fourteen counties west of the Chesa.
peake of which Garrett is the farth-
erent north and west and st. Mary's
is the fartherest south. These are;
Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore
Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick
Garrett, Hartford, Howard, Montgom-
cry, Prince George, st. Mary's and
Washington.
The population of Maryland is Ovid
ed almost equally between the twen-
ty-three counties and Baltimore City.
The total land area of the State is
9941 square miles and the water area
1886 square miles. Maryland ranks
forty-frst among the forty-eight
states in area. The population of the
State as Of the census of 1880 was
1881 ,526, which gave it a population
rank of twenty-eighth among the
United States. The Capital Of the
State is Annapolis, located at the
mouth of the Severn River, in Anne
Arundel County. 1t has as its motto:
with the Shield of Thy Good Will
Thou Hast Covered U.s." Maryland
has adopted as its State Flower the
Blackeyed Susan and has acquired as
its nickname "Old Line State"
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