1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Maryland

MARYLAND (see ). The pop. in 1920 was 1,449,661, as compared with 1,295,346 in 1910, an increase of 11.9% as opposed to 9% in the previous decade. In 1920 the urban pop. of Maryland (that is, residents of towns of 2,500 inhabitants or more) was 869,422 while the rural pop. was 580,239, or 60% urban instead of 50.8% in 1910, the first year in which urban exceeded rural. A part of this increase of urban population may be accounted for by the annexation of portions of Baltimore and

Anne Arundel counties to Baltimore city in 1918 (see ) by which the population of Baltimore received more than the normal increase for the decade.

The population of those cities in Maryland having more than 11,000 inhabitants and the percentage of increase for the decade was as follows:&mdash;

History.&mdash;A series of Acts passed since 1910 indicate a progressive quality in the administration of the state. These Acts created the Public Service Commission (1910), the State Industrial Accident Commission (1914), the Conservation Commission, (1916), the State Board of Prison Control (1916), the State Tax Commission (1914), the State Roads Commission (1908), and the reorganization of the State Board of Education (1916). In 1916 the budget system was adopted and in 1920 a merit system for state employees was put in operation. During the World War, Maryland furnished the following volunteer organizations: three regiments of infantry, one battalion of field artillery, one troop of cavalry, four companies of coast artillery, one field hospital, one ambulance company, two battalions of naval militia and one company of negro infantry. With the exception of the coast artillery companies and the coloured company these volunteer organizations became part of the 29th Div. and the infantry personnel, as the 115th Regt., saw active service on the American front in France. The 3rd Coast Artillery Company, and volunteers from the others, became the 117th Trench Mortar Battery, and as part of the Rainbow Div. was actively engaged at the front in France for many months. By the selective draft 34,000 men were sent from Maryland. Four great military establishments were located in Maryland during the war: the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, the Edgewood Arsenal, Camp Meade and Camp Holabird. Because of their good locations and convenience to Washington, these establishments have been retained for military purposes by the War Department.

Maryland subscribed to the five Liberty and Victory loans $290,247,200, a sum which exceeded the total of its minimum apportionment by nearly $43,000,000, and was $13,000,000 larger than the total of its maximum apportionment. Maryland was the sixth state to ratify the Prohibition amendment but never ratified the Suffrage amendment. Recent governors have been Austin L. Crothers (Dem.), 1908-12; Phillips Lee Goldsborough (Rep.), 1912-6; Emerson C. Harrington (Dem.), 1916-20; Albert C. Ritchie (Dem.), 1920-. The latter was elected by only 165 votes over his Republican opponent, polling 112,240 votes to 112,075.

(L. C. W.)