Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1936-04-16
Prescott Answers Allen
On Request For Veto
OF Three Local Bills


three local bills. Mr.. Allen and others
including members of the Board of
County Commissioners, have contend
ed these bills are unnecessary and
partisan. Mr.. Prescott's letter follows
April 10, 1896
civilian T. Allen, Esq,
Secretary, Republican State
Central Committee,
68O0-46th Street,
Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Dear Mr.. Allen:
Il notice in the Press that you, on
behalf of the Republican State Cen
trail Committee, have written the Gov
ernor requesting him to veto the Per-
manent Registration Bill and two bills
relating to advertising of certain re-
ports of the Treasurer.
"The Press quotes you as opposing
the Permanent Registration Bill be-
cause it creates a position at an ex-
pense of $24OO.OO, annually to the
County that would be used for poll
tical purposes and that it makes no
provision for revision day and sit
would be possible for voters in this
County to stay registered forever even
though they cease to reside in this
County most vicious bill. it
should be vetoed" 1 imagine your let
ter was received by the Governor with
considerable CONSERVATION as YOU
surely could not have known the his
tory of this bill or you would not have
so described it to the Chief Executive
who advocated and sponsored as an
administration measure the original
from which this was copied almost
verbatim. In the January Session,
1885, the Governor had introduced by
Senator Fine, Republican, as an ad-
ministration measure Senate Bill No.
264 from which the local bill was tax
en- and made the following comments
in his inaugural address, 81 recon-
mend to your favorable consideration
a passage of laws which will provide
for permanent registration. 1t is need
less to argue that system of per-
manent registration is an economical
measure. 1t will save the State many
thousands of dollars and should long
since have been adopted" With re-
ference to your statement that the
worst feature of the bill is that it
made no provision for a revision day
and it would be possible for voters to
stay registered forever, I call your
attention to the following language
in the bill, which you certainly must
have overlooked or you would not
have made so gross mis-statement,
Eat the close of each calendar year
: in which there has been a Pri-
mary or General Election, the Super
visor of Elections shall direct the
permanent board of registry to ex-
anime the entries of the several pre-
cincts for the purpose of eliminating
the names of persons who have died
Or have removed from the County"
GAS far as I am concerned the mat
ter is purely an economical one as it's
provisions will accomplish at an ex-
penditure of between 100000 and
$2600.00, annually, the same results
that now cost more than 100000,
every two years. This is further borne
out by the fact that Delegates Cantrel
and Magruder, who ran on the same
ticket sponsored by your Committee,
both voted for the same. Your criti-
cisim of this particular bill that was
sponsored and advocated by the Chief
Executive of your Party in this State
is clearly illustrative of the partisan
narrowness and suspicion with which
you attempt to interpret every bill and
movement of those of opposite politi-
cal faith as the same bill that was
first introduced by the Republicans as
an economical measure when intro
duced by Democrat Immediately un-
dergoes transition so that it be-
comes political measure and a "vic-
ious" bill.
with reference to the bills relating
to the Treasurer's. Office, one directs
him to advertise his annual report as
there is no requirement at the pres
ent time that he do so. The other
directs him to advertise his tax sale in
two papers instead of one and leaves
the power of the County Commission
ers concerning any additional adver-
tisement as it formerly was.
"The sending of your letter to the
Press is Indicative that your Commit
tee desired publicity concerning the
same and / cannot refrain from say
ing that it is indeed lamentable that
Montgomery County has received SO
much unfavorable notoriety in the
Ipast, as it certainly retards our
growth as q County and materially
affects property values here, and I be-
llieve that IL the public officials vvouId