Evening Capital And Maryland Gazette

MAJOR DOUW REPLIES TO PRESIDENT WALTON
Former County Commissioner Takes Exception to Statements of Head of Present Board.
MUCH ROAD-WORK STATE-AIDED.
Politics an Issue in Fifth District---The Factional Fight---State Politics in the Question of County Finances.
(Contributed)
Mr. Editor:
County Commissioner Walton, representing the Sixth district of this county, has given you quite a lengthy article in regard to the tax rate for this county for a number of years, and what has been accomplished by the Board of Commissioners during the last two years. Mr. Walton states, quoting President Lincoln, "You can fool all the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time." Evidently the article written by Mr. Walton was intended to fool somebody, how many, I cannot state. Mr. Walton states, with great detail, the expenses of the county and pretends to show that these expenses have been doubled in a number of cases and that the tax rate has remained about the same. He fails to state that the assessable basis of the county has been materially increased, which, in effect, is the same thing as increasing the rate. He fails, also, to state that the school tax has been increased materially on an increased assessment. Mr. Walton makes claim and credit as follows: "First-Compelling the State Roads Commission to build the College Creek bridge." The Commissioners did all in their power (and rightly so) to make the State Road Commission build the College Creek bridge, but the courts decided that the State Road Commission had discretion to build this bridge when they so desired. "Second-Completion of the South River road from Annapolis to Calvert county." I am under the impression that this road was built by the State Roads Commission and was paid for by the State. This is one of the causes for the increase in the State tax. What President Walton, of the Board of County Commissioners had to do with it, I fail to understand. "Third-Building of the Bay Ridge and Arundel-on-the-Bay road. This is creditable work and should have been done long ago but it is, I understand, State aided road and is paid for by the State and the taxpayers of the Second district. It does not come out of the general rate of 62 cents. "Fourth-Loan of $125,000 saving $4,562.50 for the year." This is good finance, but is it not a sad commentary on the condition of the county that such a floating debt is in existence? "Fifth-Elimination of Stone House Cove bridge, Fifth district, thereby saving nearly $800 yearly." This is a matter that I know nothing about, but saving $800 is an item for which the Board deserves great credit. "Sixth - Installing heating plant, plumbing, etc. at the County Home." Too much credit cannot be given the present Board for doing this work as the condition of the County Home was a public scandal and needed correction badly. Mr. Walton states that the county has spent with State aid, $46,559.25 in building roads. This amount, also, did not come out of the general rate, but was paid for by the districts in which they were laid. As Mr. Walton states, a large part of the expenses for which the Commissioners have to provide, are a matter of law, but the laws which compel these expenses are passed by the local members of the Legislature oftentimes in the face of protest by the County Commissioners themselves. Mr. Walton appeals to our people not to allow those parts of the Fifth district surrounding Baltimore to be annexed by Baltimore city. This, in my opinion, is an effort to bring State politics into the question of county finances. As everyone knows, there are two factions in the Democratic party of this county, and one of them is supporting the Hon. Blair Lee for Governor. As Mr. Lee stated that he was in favor of giving Baltimore city the right to control its surrounding water front, an effort has been made to make our people think that if Mr. Lee is elected our county will lose a large and valuable territory. As it would take a majority vote of the people of this district to give any territory to Baltimore or any one else, the present campaign for the Governorship has nothing to do with the matter, and why the question should be brought up in relation thereto, is beyond my comprehension. Whether the county would gain or lose by giving up a part of the Fifth district to Baltimore city is one that would require great study and thought, but when making any estimate of the gain or loss, ALL income and ALL expenses must be taken into consideration before any correct estimate can be made. How the question of the Special Privileges Act can enter into the matter is beyond me. I will admit that I know nothing of the county finances at the present time, but the income from the 5th district must have increased wonderfully in the past few years. When a member of the County Commissioners five years ago the receipts and disbursements about balanced. It is true that the Fifth district pays an additional school tax of 2 cents, which is for the bonds required to build their school house. The people of the Fifth district were willing to pay this extra tax when they found they could not get their school bill through the Legislature without it. Mr. Walton refers to the annual report of the Commissioners and, on paper, the county looks to be in excellent condition. I am not an accountant, but I am of the opinion that if nothing but live assets were shown in this report we would find the county bankrupt. In regard to the statement that those who are howling about economy and reduction in expense are those that have appeared before the Board asking for appropriations. This was true during my term, but I was under the impression then, as I am now, that the Commissioners are paid to run the county and if, in their judgment, the county could not afford to grant the request, it was their business to refuse it and prevent extravagance and high taxes. In closing I wish to state that I am not writing to you in any spirit of enmity to Mr. Walton, personally, as I feel, and believe he feels, that we are friends, but I could not sit quietly by while he was "claiming everything in sight" and making statements which, in my opinion at least, tend to give the wrong impression as to conditions in our county.
Respectfully,
JOHN deP. DOUW.