ANNAPOLIS -- An anti-tax demonstration outside the Governor's Mansion yesterday morning -- one of many such protests across the United States -- drew only about 150 taxpayers, but what it lacked in size it made up for in rancor.
When Gov. William Donald Schaefer appeared by the iron fence surrounding the mansion about 10:45 a.m., the crowd in Lawyers Square began booing and chanting "Recall!" and "Pay cut!" One man screamed that the governor was "incompetent."
Mr. Schaefer told reporters that one of the rally leaders was "a rabble-rouser" and repeatedly called the most vocal protester "big mouth."
The Annapolis rally was one of 200 demonstrations planned for around the country as part of "Taxpayer's Action Day," promoted by the Washington-based group Citizens Against Government Waste. The group's president, Alan L. Keyes, was the featured speaker here and at other rallies in Baltimore, Upper Marlboro, Rockville and Washington.
Mr. Keyes, a Montgomery County Republican and potential candidate against Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski next year, arrived too late to witness the protesters' confrontation with the governor.
But he joined the criticism of Mr. Schaefer, saying that the governor preferred to cut programs for the poor and elderly and for law enforcement "instead of looking for waste, mismanagement and abuse."
Arriving near the pagoda in Patterson Park about 1 p.m., Mr. Keyes told a gathering of about 50 people that the more taxes the government imposes, the more power it wrests from its citizens.
"These dollars aren't just dollars," he said. "They are human choices and human lives."
Jim O'Donovan, 71, a retired city truck mechanic who lives in Butcher's Hill, agreed.
"You're goddam right taxes are too high," he said. "For what we pay, we get nothing."
The Annapolis rally was the centerpiece of the protest in Maryland, drawing anti-tax leaders such as John O'Neill, president of the Maryland Taxpayer's Association; Robert Shaffer, president of the Anne Arundel County Taxpayers' Association; and William S. Shepard, former Republican candidate for governor.
Some protest leaders expressed disappointment at the small turnout. Mr. O'Neill, who led an unsuccessful campaign last year to limit Baltimore County property tax increases, told the outdoor audience, "Your power is pretty weak."
In recent months, he said, voters seeking new taxes to avoid cuts in services have been making a lot more noise than foes of taxes.
