Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1868-10-09

lowed from your correspondent. We as
serted that we were victims of an onerous
law. This is so. What other county in
the State has such one? None, ,--and
why? Neither the representatives (mor
any portion Of the people of any other
county.) except St Mary's, ever thought
of making such a law. And though the
delegates from ST. Mary's seemed dispos-
ed to adopt it, the people thereof secuted
lit. Doubtless had matters been as well
manipulated as in Charles the thing would
have been twisted through. Who ever
heard of a law elected before by. special
lelection2 We asserted that twas but the
/ ''semblance of law" and proposed to
back our judgment by an appeal to tribu-
nails, of the highest order, in vindication
of that assertion. We asserted this be-
cause we claim to live under, and be gov
erned by, a properly constituted, delegat-
ed government, not under an irresponsi-
ble, non-representatsve n,obocracy, not
under a system by which the people may
be called out, if you please, the 9th of
June-unadvised, untutored and unqual-
ified-to deal with the serious, RESPONSE
BILE matters of legislation. If this be the
modern theory of legislation, where and
hov may it end? May they not again be
called out the 9th of October to alter, "a
mend, or abolish the work of but four
months creation, and thus the work of
creation and destruction, of building up
and pulling down, may be perpetually
going on every four months. The strong
er party to-day, the master-to-morrow
by little clap-trap and hanabug, the
slave resulting in discord, discomfort and
confusion, such only as irresponsible leg
islation has ever produced In all countries.
Will our correspondent from monkey land
tell US under what clause or article of our
Constitution, or any other to which he
can appeal, our Legislature found the au-
thority to remit bach; to the people the au-
tiority or po,oer rested II, them alone, to
naahe, to amend, to alter, or to abolish a
law? Or, en- masse. to give force and
vitality to a legislative enactment, other
than through their moral support, hold
| ing up and strengthening the hands of the
Judiciary and their executive officers. -
VIII he point us to precedent? Call
to his aid ''all the lawyers who value their
reputation ?" They have already been in
og1sssEs''e.Iv gEs7sss q :
Wild chimerical vagary Enquire if they
can find. the constitutional authority, or
lthe precedent If so, will not you, Mr..
Editor, publish it? If not, tell it in
Gath-publish it in the streets of Aske-
lon" Let this vexed question be settled.
Cease to worry and annoy the people.
If the people, en- masse, can be and
are to be ordered into legislative, law
making power, by hasty, running. ILL
considered act of the Legislature-if to
them the Legislature can remit its autho-
rity, then must it not, with that authori
ty, remit also the rules and time -honored
laws and customs that inaperitirely govern
them? Can the Legislature act upon or
pass any bill without quorum That
is to say, without majority of all its
members being present and voting2 Aud
that too yiua roce and not by ballot? All
bills must thus be acted upon, upon their
final passage. Was there a quorum of
the voters Of Charles county at the polls
on the 9th of June, and did they vote p
If so, did they vote orally. and were their
votes recorded? There a1as not a quorum,
nor did they vote orally, nor were their
votes recorded. 1t will be idle to answer
that the bill authorized this law-meahing
election to be held, as all general cleo
tions are held" How many votes were
there cast for aud against the bill, the 9th
of June? Not much, if any, over one
third of the registered voters Of our coun-
Ity. Remember there are somewhere near,
or over, 1, 700 registered voters in the
county The returns show there we're
491 votes cast in the whole county-276
for, and 215 against the Road Law-ma-
ljority in favor of the law 81. Now, il
Tess than an actual majority can pass bill
to bind all the rest, how many less shall
it be? Shall it be 500 out of LOO p
If 500 can, of course 400 can, then 300
can, so can 200, so can 100, so can 10,
yea, so can one And this is the one man
pouer towards which this conscriptive, CO.
ercive, confscative and onorous bill IS
drifting as. And here we mean to fol
low and burrow him, leaving him dot
Hed-up," to be dug out when we want an
, other chase. =. This is some of the ''pow-
f wow"
The one-naam power is that against
which we are contending. 'Tis thu un,
warranted, unconstitutional principle in,
volved, that justi6es US in calling this
| ''the semblarce of a law without its sub
stance" Is our declaration not a safe ones
5 We are not afflicted with ''phantoms
and shadows, D nor does the assumed
: substance" Of this law alarm us much
, That bright unobstructed light emitted
t from the sun of truth and justice eve
beaming alike upon the clear headed eau
: cassian is canopy enough for our protec
> ton.
: q What is involuntary servitude ?" I
: it the performance of service and labor
S with or without our consent? Hand th
+, child prin,ner. and let him consult tn
). photographers; for though familiar. per
n haps, with the spirit Of ''Old John Brown
: marching along" he seems not to be u
-with that Of the age.