Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-10-04

-------~ ee--
Hsg-At it's last session, the Legislature Of
Maryland framed bill, for the better regulation
of the free colored people, in certain counties
enumerated, and provided, that the said bill
should be published by the SheriAs of the sever
al counties interested, at the time of his giving
the usual election notice; and further provided,
that, at the Presidential election, the sense of
the people should be taken upon the bill, when
in case majority Of votes were cast for the act,
it should become law of the land, SO far as the
CJIIC6Iueu, anu sTOuIu tt De
found that majority were opposed, it should
become null and void. This late act has been
published in our paper for several issues back,
and we presume our readers are all sufficiently
acquainted with it's provisions to judge of its
merits or dement's, and have generally made up
their minds as to how they will cast their votes
on the question. 1t would seem, however, that
there is new question in the matter, and for its
solution no provision is made in the act By
our reading Of the act, we conclude, that ma
jority, for or against the law, in any county
interested, will establish or defeat it within the
limits of that county, but others are of opinion
that a majority Of all the votes, of all the ooun-
ties specified, will defeat or establish the law in
all the counties. Be this as it may, we surely
are of the opinion that the Legislature never
intended such a construction to be placed upon
the act. 1t would assuredly give rise to serious
objections, aud much dissatisfaction. When the
bill was before the House, it was presented and
discussed as local affair, and is in its title call
ed, can act to add new article to the Code of
Public Local Laws of ST. Marys," &c. The
counties included in the act are, st. Mary's, Cal
vert, Howard, Kent, Baltimore, Worcester, Som
erset, Talbot Queen Anne's, Prince Georges and
Charles, in all eleven. Now suppose three or
four of these counties shall vote by large MAORI
ties against the bill, and seven or eight should
vote for it, the latter having number sufficient
to overcome the large vote of the former, and
the opinion, expressed by some that a majority
in all the counties makes it the law in all the
counties, should hold good, will it not be saddle
ing an Objectionable enactment upon certain
Commissioning upon people system at
once unpopular and it may be injurious? When
local laws of this sort are to be enacted it GER
tainly should be borne in mind that what is
wholesome in some regions may be very unpala-
table, or perchance poisonous. in others :? And
so the Legislature must have thought, else why
submit it to the people? We confess that our
conclusion is arrived at, not from the wording
of the act, but from what we presume to be the
intention of the Legislature. Tt cannot be de-
died that the act itself would say the majority
of the whole is necessary, and if we are to be
governed by the language of the bill, all must
take it, how Objectionable soever it may be to
some; or all must loose it, how much soever
some may desire it, or even absolutely need it.
What a pity it is that matters cannot be made
explicit from the beginning and an intention fair
ly and fully expressed in writing. so that the
Yankee system of guessing may not be so Otter
n ,cessary.