The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1947-05-29
Around Town With
The Editor

County Museum of Fine Arts, and
it richly deserves adequate financial
support from both the city and the
county.
Unfortunately, however, bill in
troduced by Senator Mclaughlin in
the 1947 session of the State Legis-
lature and passed by the Senate,
providing adequate financial sup
portion an equal footing-for the
Museum by both the city and coun-
ty, was so mutilated by the Wash
ington County Delegation when it
reached the House of Delegates, that
in its final form it emerged as bill
that puts the onus of responsibility
for financing the Museum squarely
on the shoulders of the taxpayers of
Washington County only, and leaves
any support it might receive
from the taxpayers of the City of
Hagerstown, dependent upon the
whim of the Mayor and Council.
The exact wording of the bill as
finally passed and signed into law
by Governor Lane, will be found
elsewhere on this page, but reduced
to simple and plain language, here's
what it does:
L. II authorizes the Board of
County Commissioners to appropri-
ate ANNUALLY in perpetuity for the
support of the Museum, the sum of
$5,000 but it merely tells the Mayor
and Council of Hagerstown, that
they may-at their discretionary
propriate any amount they care to,
as long as it does not exceed $4,000,
and that any amount they see fit to
appropriate shall remain good for
one year only.
In other words, if the Mayor and
Council saw fit to do so, they could
appropriate as little as a hundred
dollars for the museum in any one
year, but the County Commission
ers must appropriate $4,000 every
year
2. II not only authorizes, but also
directs, that in the event additions
to the Museum building are made at
cost Of at least 100000 (and these
additions are going to be built as a
gift to the Museum), then the Board
of County Commissioners must in
crease their appropriations for the
Museum to $4,000 a year in per-
petuity.
But on the other hand, the bill
goes on to say that when these adj
ditions are completed, then the
Mayor and Council may, il they so
desire, enter into a contract to APP
propriate the sum of $4,000 for the
care and maintenance of the Mu-
scum. The bill does condescend to
add that in the event the Mayor
and Council decides to appropriate
the $4,000, then such appropriation
WOdtNl NC LII DNl PGJultNs
Here again the taxpayers of
Washington County are forced by
law to support the Museum, but the
taxpayers of the City of Hagers-
town are exempted from such sup
port, unless the Mayor and Council
see fit to furnish it.
In fairness to the members of the
City Council, however, let me add
that those councilmen to whom
have talked tell me that they knew
nothing whatever about the provis-
ions of the bill, which was never
discussed at any meeting of the
Mayor and Council.
Now comes the double barrelled
$64 question.
Who was it that persuaded the
Washington County Delegation "a
Delegation that through Simon
Downey's illness is Democratic con-
trolled) to change the provisions of
Senator McLaughlin's BILL so that
it blatantly favors the city and dis
eliminates against the county?
And why did Govern Lane (who
vetoed the Library J because it
contained the We 'In Perpetu-
ity") sign the Museum bill, which
not only contains the words TN Per-
petuity" twice when referring to
the County Commissioners, but also
orders the Commissioners to appro-
pirate funds for the Museum, but
allows the Mayor and Council to
use their own judgment in the mat
ter?