The Republican., 1947-11-20
SENATOR FRALEY
ANSWERSCHARCE
OF DELEGATES
Declares His Interest Is TO Do
What Is Best for County and
What People Desire

Accepting full responsibility for
not including Garrett county in the
strip mining bill and declaring his in
/ terest in the matter was to do what
the people Of the county wanted done
and to do what was to the best inter-
est of the county as a whole, Senator
J Lawrence NJ. Fraley replies this
week to the statement of the three
members of the House of Delegates
published last week.
| The letter follows:
To the Editor of The Republican,
Last week you published state
ment signed by the members of the
House of Delegates in which they
stated that "the full responsibility for
not having the strip mining operations
back filled and levelled is Senator
Fraleys." | accept full responsibility
/ for the fact that this county was not
! included in Allegany County's bill
concerning strip mining in that
County notwithstanding the fact
that one of the members that signed
the statement asked me in private
conversation to do what could to kill
the bill in committee.)
The delegation in the House knew
my position in regard to this matter
before the Special Session convened.
| want to make it clear that | have
no interest, directly or indirectly, in
any coal lands in the County and that
| have no personal axe to grind what
ever. Neither am | mad" at anyone
who happens to have some coal that
can be stripped nor do | have reason
to get even" with anyone who has.
My only interest in this matter is to
do what the people of the county
want done and to do what is for the
| best interest of the county as a whole
! There are many acres of coal land
J in this County on which the owners
have been paying taxes for years. 1t
is we'll known that lot of this coal
cannot be profitably deep mined and
: the only way that the owners of this
coal can realize anything from it is
to remove it by strip mining. Surely
these citizens have every right to cx-
! pect and demand that their repre-
sentatives in the Legislature give
full, careful and complete consider
alton to their rights and that
hasty and ill-considered legislation
not be passed without giving them
every opportunity to be heard, and as
far as | am concerned | shall not do
so. Neither do | intend to support
any bill on the subject just for the
sake of passing bill. We have had
experience in this county when such
legislation is passed without giving
those interested an opportunity to be
heard and their views expressed. |
refer to the so-called "Forestry Act"
We all agree that conservation of our
natural resources is desirable and
necessary, but it does not necessarily
follow that the way to accomplish it
is by 'must legislation" We have had
too much of that in the past ten or
/ twelve years.
| do not feel that | was elected to
represent the people in the Senate of
Maryland for the purpose of assist
ing in the enactment of legislation
that will impede or obstruct the in
dustrial progress and development of
our County. have always lent my
aid to further its developement and
shall continue to do so.
! During the Special Session this
month, | received one communication
asking me to support a measure of
+ this kind. On the other hand, | have
talked with scores of citizens, buSi-
ness men, farmers and taxpayers, and
without exception they have advised
careful and thoughtful consideration
before passing any legislation on the
subject.
In recent months a fire brick plant
was built in our County and they en-
ploy many men. They obtain their fire
clay by strip mining methods in re-
mote section of the County. This con-
cern has invested upwards of a mil
llion dollars in the County and have
reason to believe that this is but the
beginning of such industry here. Do
the people want their representatives
at Annapolis to pass legislation to
discourage and hinder such progress? {?
do not believe so.
A law somewhat similar to the Al
legany County bill was recently en-
acted in Pennsylvania and it became
effective on September 1st of this
year. Already the Constitutionality
of this act has been attacked and the
case is pending in the Supreme Court
of that State.
| When it is demonstrated to me that
! it is the will of the people of the
County that legislation of this type
Ishould be passed and that it is to
the best interest of our County that
it be done and that it is within the
law and the Constitution, | shall not
only support it, but ! will introduce
such a measure myself.
LAWRENCE NJ. FRALEY.
State Senator.