The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-04-07
The Maryland Legislature.

This hcdy adonI NJ d on ,hr oath of March, after
a session ,fficiertl! long TO consume the FIVE dol
ars ler day lIovid,d l.y tie Consritution-hut no
longer. If ", NE 10 judge fem the tone of the
press throughout the Stale, VT would say that this
assen hIape Of Soons have separated without do
ing much 10 satisi, Or crafty their constituents
Indeed il is diff ult TO find my thing useful or
wise With they have dcne. But this is hardly
TO lie wondered at; no, much could he expected
of perhaps the weakest body of mtn who ever rs
semhled in tn. city of Annapolis, in the chnrac-
ter OF Legislature. True there were few, and
very few good men and men of ability anon them
but they were always in hopeless minority, and
therefore powerless for good or to avert evil.
We had intended during the session just ended
to have kept Our readers informed Of The duincs
Of our law makers, thinking. naturally enough
thai being the first session after the adoption of
Constitution which wrought such radical chan
ges in our system of State Government and laws
that some important legislation would take
place; but when we found that they were ap-
propriating, their "very precious time" to the
passage of acts to add one hundred dollars TO
their mileage, and to the discrediting of green
backs by requiring their per diem in gold-we
thought it useless to incumber our columns with
their proceedings. And yet, the people should
know all these things, so that in future they may
guard against the election OF men whose only OBJ
ject seems to be, how they should hest advance
their financial interest. Is it possible that the
people of this State no longer to be represen-
ted in the Legislature, but governed by men Sc
lected as their public servants2
Among the acts to be found in the proceedings
Of this never-to-he-forgotte assemblage of wis
dom and virtue, is ole which, we think, for abb
surdity, caps all former legislation of this State,
or even the "Skimmed Milk Act' of the Ohio
Abolition Legislature. The majority in the
House of Delegates declared, by resolution,
that the election of the Hon. Richard Grason to
the Judgeship of the Eighth Judicial Circuit,
was ''null and void" Consequently Baltimore
county has been without Judge ever since the
adoption Of the Constitution; but by the refusal
Of the majority to adopt the resolution of Mr.. Mil
Ter, subsequently offered, these same sagacous
statesmen declared the acts of a man valid
whom they had but few hours before declared
never was elected. Not that they passed an act
making valid the acts and DEGREES passed and
done by person having no authority TO act, but
substantially saying in their legislative capacity
that the acts of person illegally and wrongful
ly excl cisng the Office of Judge, were neverthe-
less binding If this is not an anomaly unheard
OF before in legislation, we are mistaken.
But this is only one Of many absuldites equal
ly as ridiculous. 1t is said that 'wonders will
never cease, and The wonder tina, majority of
these men were ever selected TO legislate for The
people Of this State, may yet he solved by some
kind calculator OF lunar eclipses.