The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1853-10-08
For Tie Cecil lTajg.
MIR. LlG0N, THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY AND STATE REFQRM.


ernor, so say his friends, boasts of hi
readiness to meet Mr.. Bowie upon an,
and all the questions at issue between
the two parties, and furthermore declare!
ms intention TO ''catechise the " hie
candidate on the subject of reform
whether he is supporter OF the present
constitution. and in favor Of such addi.
tlonal reforms as the requirements of The
age shall seem TO point out" It. rs
rather sad comment on Mr.. Ligon's
own support Of the present Constitution,
that he already declares Emsefin favor
OF "additIons," and we suppose, per
consequence, aHeratioae, when it has
been only a little over two years in
operation, but we let that pass.
We bad thought that this hobby OF
Reform, faded and worn out as it must
have been by the hard tour which the
/ present gU5crn2toriai incumbent gave IT
three years ago, would have been allow
ed short season Of rest, but it is now
apparent thatits doom is to be Jestridden
by every new Democratic aspirant
Does Mr. Lyon suppose, that the peo-
pie OF Maryland are SO grossly ignorant
o! political affairs, az to be bamboozled
INTO the belief that he and his party are
the only friends of reform in this State!
( Strange Infatuaton, Whan he knows that
every ludicious reform. that has been
made within the last ten years, has been
originated and carried ont by Wings.
The reduction Of officers salaries AMI
levying taxes upon the same; making
the sessions OF the legislature biennial
instead OF annual: the tax upon lotteries,
and upon bonds, Judgments, notes, ex.
ecutors, administrators and collateral
InhPrltances, by which persons, whose
capital was invested in s peculation, and
who were previously almost entirely
exempt from taxation, were made TO
bear their proportionate share. all
these reforms, by means of which the
expenditures of the State were greatly
decreased, and vast sums annually added
TO lis revenue, the Wing party in Mary
land hav" brought about and Mr.. Lyon
dares not deny it.
With all their clustering and clan.
trap we ask what have the Democratic
party IN this STATE ever done to ontine
them to the name Oh rciorncrS The
glory of jringj4g aioW the Convention
IS doubtless theirs, and gladly do We
concpde il to them. That convention
together with the two sessions of the
legislature consequent thereon cost the
state OF Maryland, at rough calcua.
ton, fire hundred MoumnR doliars
During this time, there would have been
one session Of the l"gslature, of iitl,
over two months in duration. coSt,nr
the state about sixty thousand dollars,
Thus we see that the only measure y
reform, TO which the Democratic party
can lay any claim, has involved the
State in AN additional expenditure 81
nearly four hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. Fortunately for her the -four.
lshlng condition Of her finances for
which, as we showed in a previous art,-
Gle, she was indebted solely to the
" hlg party-enabled her to bear this
increased expenditure without seriously
affecting her treasury.
With regard TO the New Constitution,
IT cannot be- m1dr subject OF Il political
discussion. A majority of the conven-
ton were whig~, and consequently had
1t in their power to defeat the action of
the democrats bad they been the anti
reform party that their opponents pre-
teno. But the wing party were never
opposed TO conventional reform, they
only doubted the practicablIltv Of cali.
ing Convention, with a knowledge of
the enormous expenses attending il,
while the people were groanIng under
such weight Of taxation.
But there is another matter connected
with the New Constitution and the SUBJ
sequent action OF the Democratic le cis.
lature thereon which we would like Mr.
Lyon to explain. Article Ill, section
81, of the Constitution provides, that
the legislature shall pass laws to protect
from execution reasonable amount of
the property Of debtor. Since the
ratification of that Constitution, thor
ough Democratic legislature has had two
sessions OF nearly half year EACH and,
though the subject has been several times
before them, have obStinateIy refused 10
take any definite action upon It, Here
IS specimen Of that Support" which is
given to the New Constitution by Mr..
Ligon's party, and what evidence have
we that he would have done otherwise.
Has he on any single occasion by word
or act endeayored to procure the p,s-
sage Of such an act, or even given as
surance that he was in favor of il! In
vain does the poor debtor, weighed down
by misfortune, look for aid to a Demo-
cratic legislature. Sick and disprited
he sees his household effects sacrificed
piece by piece TO satisfy the greed
OF a mercless creditor, and hears the