The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-08-23
For The Cecil Wing
THE PEOPLES WRONGS.
No. g..

permission, to recur 10 the wrongs of tho
people of Maryland.
Many of these wrongs have their origin
in the organic law of the State. A proper
exposition of them would therefore involve
a critical analysis of the Constitution and
of many of the Acts of Assembly, passed in
accordance with its provisions. l shall
only attempt to expose some Of their most
objectonal features.
The objections most apparent and most
odious, are the great and unnecessary ex-
penses: great, because of the great number
of officers and their unnecessarily high sal
aries; and unnecessary, because the late
Constitution contained provision for its
own amendment without the expense of Il
convention. The cost of the convention
and the following session Of the Legsla-
ture, which it required, must have been
hard on $500, 900, all of which might have
been saved and a better Constitution Sc
cured by making such changes, as time and
experience might have indicated, in the
manner prescribed in that Constitution.
Whatever reasons existed when the pres
ent and the late Constitutions were adopted
for the salaries of the several officers, those
reasons no longer exist and the welfare of
the State requires a material reduction in
the pay of most of the officers of the State
and in some cases the number of officers
might be reduced without detriment to the
public service. Take the Governor for
example. What reason or right requires
that he should receive four thousand five
hundred dollars for his services. l make
no objection to the present Governor If
any person is to receive 81, 800 of the peo-
PIES money for SO little service, he may as
well have it as any one, but in the present
condition of the affairs of the State and the
people, such salary is not in accordance
with that rigid economy on the part of the
State and the people of Maryland necessary
to relieve them from their present embar-
rassment. Remember that Maryland is
small and comparatively a poor State;
majority of her people are farmers and the
most of her sell is poor, and they are oblig-
ed to limit their expenses within their in
comes. Is it fair then that one citizen,
however eminent in talent or service should
receive so much more for his labor than the
great majority of the people can earn with
greater amount of labor? | therefore
propose an amendment to the Second Arti-
Gle, Section 2lst of the Constitution, in
these words: strike out $500 and insert
1000; this amendment would save to the
Treasury and the people of the State So, 500.
Let it be remembered that the Governor
has many privileges besides his salary,
equal in all to one thousand or more dol
lars, and if he could not live in such splen-
dor on reduced salary, let him do like
other people do, live within his means.
Ret1 ench Retirement Your Excelency!
Shorten sail live like your farmer constit-
uents. have fewer servants and less extrav-
agance, and you will live just as we'll and
tho people will think just as well of you.
If men would serve the State for honor and
not exclusively for money, it might check
in some degree that inordinate desire for
Office, which now pervades the country.
The desire to live without work is increas
ed by the high salaries paid to our public
officers; and hence a large proportion of
our people are office-hunters agents and
idlers of some kind, for such denominate
necessary. The number of our over paid
public officers has the effect to degrade
labor and to increase its burdens by inor-
dinately increasing the number of those
who live upon the labor of others.
The office of Secretary of State, with an
annual salary of $4,000, might be abol-
ished entirely; his duties are triiling and
could be easily discharged by the Governor,
to whom the Secretary is but an append
age. Turn out all the useless drones, and
that will reduce the burdens of the people
by the amount of their salaries. Now |
have mentioned but two officers and YOU
see how 81, 800 may be saved in the way I
propose, and that too without injury to the
people or State.
Now turn to Article 3rd, Legislative
department and see what complicated
and costly piece of machinery it is and
what sink to absorb the peoples money.
The General assembly Of Aaryland "con-
sists of two branches" The Senate and
House of Delegates. The Senate consists
of &c members, the House of Delegates of
sc, in all 112 members, at five dollars per
day each, amounts to $500; but that is not
all. Each house has its Clerk and his as
sistant clerks, door keeper, sergoant-at
arms postmaster and assistants, besides a
host of pages, folders and committee clerks,
in all, not less than thirty, probably more;
but say thirty, at five dollars each, make
$3.50 more; to which add the printing, light,
coal and stationery, at least $3.50 more, and
you have the neat sum of $500 for one day
of this costly pageant, called in high
sounding phrase, The Generally Assembly
of Maryland. Now multiply the above
sum Of $500 by 90, the number of
days in a session and you have $1,000.
This seems like a liberal allowance, but if
"'&i"oAN
you will find the amount actually paid on
account of the session preceding the report
of September Both, 1871, to be $4,000,
showing that my liberal allowance was not
one-half enough.
Now what do the people get in return for
this large sum Of hard earned cash? Be-
side few general laws of doubtful utility
and not few of uncertain meaning "a fine
field for lawyers and a beautiful chance for
the people to be tleeced, there is a long
list of private bills and acts to protect
game, and fish and oysters very few to
protect the people, and any amount of
schemes to promote individuals and party
interests. l denounce this as shameful
waste Of public money, and one that calls
loudly for remedy, and it is one which
the people can remedy if they will earn
estly attempt it. The most obvious rene
dy is to reduce the number. The Senate
with all its numerous trappings and useless
appendages might be abolished at one blow.
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