The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-04-11
'Mht Gettl Mhi9
ELKTON, APRIL IL, 1874.
EXIT LEGISLATURE.

CAII LLVhSLA1 y NE
On Monday night at twelve o'clock the
Speakers hammer came down to announce
the end of the session Of the Maryland
Legislature of 1874. 1t has been said by
contemporary that for all the session has
profited the State, it might as we'll have
never met. 1t was noticeable that no bill
went through both Houses that was not
endorsed or countenanced by the ring.
The hopes which were entertained by the
moral and law abiding class for some meas
ures that would check the whisky sluices
in the State have been most signally disap-
pointed, as those who measured the Legis-
lature by its proper standard, predicted
they would be.
Some amendment to the registration
law, by which the numerous frauds prac-
ticed under that law by the party in power,
would be checked in the future, or the law
totally abolished, was earnestly urged, but.
chow not to do it., was the game resorted
to by the ring to prevent any change for
the better. Some attempts were made to
remodel the usury laws, but they were
crushed under the ponderous weight of old
fogyism which sat like an incubus on the
Legislature. An ambiguous, laundering
tax bill has been passed, which is likely to
put more fees into the pockets of lawyers
than money into the treasury. Every
attempt to cut off the multitude of official
suckers, which swarm round the capitol
during the sessions, and are rewarded out
of the peoples money for doing dirty
narty work, was smothered, and no anthem
tic information could be had Of their num-
bers, or the amount of money drawn from
the treasury by this idle brood. One ac
count placed the number at 20, and the
cost to the treasury at $4,000. 1t is pro-
bable that these estimates fall considera-
bly short of the true figures, as it is the
custom to swear in large numbers of these
"officers - the last week OF the session
who draw pay for the whole term. Vol
umes Of "local bills y and acts which only
individuals or corporations had any inter
est in, we're passed, while scarce single
measure of general Importance found its
way through the Legislature. No great
measures placing the State abreast of the
times, and reaching up to the requirements
of the period were even thought of, it
would seem. The clumsy machinery for
collecting debts and transacting business
between creditor and debtor which check
the wheels of progress, crying evil OF the
State,-was left all untouched, and num-
berless other abuses which need reforming
were apparently not even thought Of
Party men who do necessary campaign
work, rings with axes to grind, and amb-
tious politicians whose vision never ex-
tends beyond SELF used the Legislature as
their own exclusive property, and scarce
thought of the State and its great needs at
ALL But the Legislature has died union
ored and unsung. with more imprecations
on its head than blessings, let it go. The
cost of this gathering of Democratic poll
ticians of the old Secession school of Mary
land will not be known till the Comptrol,
only so much as stern necessity compels to
be dragged to the light. This State of
things swill be and hath been," till the
intelligence of the people measures up to
that standard which demands to know
explicitly what principles and measures
their party proposes to carry out. When
the people demand that political parties
shall lay down platforms " of State pol
icy, and enunciate leading measures to be
pressed in the Legislature. they will begin
to emerge into a clearer atmosphere, and
select the men who will carry out measures
which the interests of the State demand.