The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-10-28
Levi r. Mearnes as a Legislator

The Legislature of 1868, which took its
seat in January of that year, was famous
for its extravaganza and disregard of the
will of the sovereign people. Cecil was
represented in the House of Delegates that
session by Messrs. John w. Davis, James
Touchstone, William Richards and Levi r.
Mearnes. The latter gentleman being
before the people, seeking the responsible
position of their representative in the ses-
sion which will convene in January, 1872,
it would be we'll for them to examine his
record as maker for them in 1868
One of the Acts passed at that session
which has considerable local interest, was
can Act to regulate the issuing of licenses
for the sale of spirituous and fermented
liquors in The town of North East, passed
January session, 1864, chapter 34e, the
same is hereby repealed, and the following
enacted in lieu thereof.
"Sec. 2. 14nd be it enacted, That the
Judge of the Circuit Court for Cecil county,
shall before the first day Of May in each
and every year, after the passage of this
Act, furnish to the Clerk of the Circuit
Court for Cecil county. the names of two
persons. householders in the village of
North East, to whom, and to whom only,
the said Clerk shall issue an ordinary license
to vend fermented and spirituous liquors."
The citizens of North East having petit
toned the Legislature, in 1864, to prohibit
the sale of spirituous liquors in their vii
lage, had their request, which was almost
unanimous, granted, and the law had stood
thus for four years. Its consttutionality
had been tested before the Court of Appeals
which confirmed the opinion of the Circuit
Court, by pronouncing the law consttu-
tional and valid; but in the face of these
facts, and in defiance of the petition, signed
by 95 per cent. of the citizens of the place,
praying for the continuance of the law,
the bill which we have quoted above was
introduced at the session of 1868 and
passed, repeating the prohibatory law, and
this repeal was voted for by Mr.. Mearnes,
along with the other Democratic members
from Cecil; and we are informed that Mr.
Mearnes is electioneering in certain quar-
tiers on that vote.
Now, if 95 out of every 100 citizens of
North East, desired that no spirituous
liquors should be sold in North East, and
the law by which it was excluded, was pro-
nounced constitutional by the highest tr-
bunal in the State, what kind of Democracy
was it that disregarded and defied the
almost unanimous wish Of the people p
And is a representative who has thus wan
tonly trampled on the rights of the people,
fit to be trusted with the same power to
secure their wishes on the same, or any
other question, again? We do not make
the point that this was an act involving a
question of license or no license; but a
representative who would thus disregard
the wishes of an overwhelming majority of
his constituents, in the enactment or repeal
Of any law, is not fit to be trusted.
But this is only one of many crimes the
same individual was guilty of, at this noto-
rious session of 1868. A Militia law was
passed at that session, that took out of the
Treasury of the State, at one fell swoop,
for salaries to officers and "equipring
Malitia," 1929, 1913, and the next year,
for the same purposes, $136,472, and the
following year, $6O,341.
Appropriations to the "Oystcr Fund, :"
the same year, $21 ,321.91. The per diem
of members, officers, employees, &C., of
the Legislature of 1868, amounted to 81 So.
973.44, against $7O,1O4 for similar pur
poses in 1865.
$4,000 was voted by Mr.. NJ and that
liberal Legislature for removing the bones
of the rebel dead, who fell at the battles
ofSouth Mountain, Crumpton Cape, Antie-
tam, and Monocacy, to the Antietam Gem
etery. But the growing act of that Lcgis-
lature, was the re-enactment of sections 4.
5 and 6 of chap. 1886 of the "Defence Loan"
which had been repealed through the efforts
of Mr.. Tome the previous year, which
re-enactment authorized the issue of bonds
to the amount of $4,OO0,OOO, with an
annual tax of 81 cents on the 800, of all
property in the State, to pay interest on
this enormous appropriation, ostensibly for
the defence of the State after the war and
danger were all over.
The above is brief sketch of the record
of Mr.. Mearnes and his colleagues as legis
lators. Do the people find so much pleas
ure in being taxed, in such manner, for
such purposes, as to desire Mr.. Mearnes
and his present associates on the ticket, to
legislate next winter for them?