The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-04-06
THE LATE EXHIBITION at ANNAPOLIS.

oldte W tuc llce itllc Dlll Vi SloU,OUU
as the direct, and to many hundreds of
thousands of dollars more as the indi-
rect, cost of the session, the Maryland
| Legislature has adjourned, and the mass
of its members have relapsed into the
congenial obscurity of their homes 1t
is too early yet to fully realize ALL the
BLESSINGS it has bestowed upon
patient and long-sullering people, but
| sufficient is at hand to disclose the fact
that its adjournment-involun as
it was-is the only Enthusiastically good
thing of the session Indeed the pres
ent Legislature has proved 10 excep-
ton to its glorious or rather inglorious
| predecessors either in the unwelcome
mediocrity of its average membership,
| or in the willing subserviencv OF its
individual members, to the selfish wills
of domineerlng party managers. Doubt
| less there We're hundreds Of Democrats
| in Mary land who, last Fall, tried TO
persuade themselves into the belief that
| they had selected as their Representa-
tives at Annapolis, men Of sufficient
| character and decision to resist the I'M
| wholesome dictation of the party lead
would assert and maintain lie rights of
| the constituencies they represent Men
who would resent the indignity Of the
party lash when applied to their backs.
| Men who We're shrcwd enough to de-
tect the plans and discover the schemes
Of the treasury plotters and robbers,
and who were bold and determined
enough to expose and defeat their sell
fish and nefalious designs. But the
sheep of the Lower House have, as
usual, fallen the ready prey Of the Sena-
torial wolves. The rural legislative
lambs have gone up to Annapolis for
wool, and have themselves returned
shorn. In almost every instance, the
shrewd whippers in Of the Senate have
outwitted and cajoled the members Of
the Lower House into the final accom-
pIshment of their plans of robbery and
piltering, although at all times, the
House had, and could have retained,
the mastery of the situation, had its
members betrayed either nerve or reso-
| luton.
in support Of this, we instance the
final contest Of the session, the dead
lock of the two Houses over the appro-
priation bills, and the whipping in of
the Lower House by the Senatorial
masters. Extraordinary expenditures
had been made by a reckless and ire
sponsible State Board Of Public Works,
! involving hundreds Of thousands of
! dollars, the history Of which, for obvi-
Gus reasons, the party managers in
! tended should never reach the people.
| These expenditures covered $4,000
more for the House Of Correction, for
which S250,0oo had been previously
appropriated and spent For State
House repairs $4,000. in addition to
the $50, 0G0 appropriated by the Legis-
lature OF 1876, and S91 900 on account
Of riot expenses, all snug sums to be
| tilchcd from the pockets Of the tax pay
tive authority To meet the contin-
/ gencv, and the fact that the House had
not included these Illegal and unauthor-
lied expenditures in its appropriation
| bills-for investigations Of them We're
! pending ana the reports on the same
| had not been acted upon 10y 1.-THE
/ >Arewd managers in the Senate coy
| cred these sums under amendments to
the general appropriation bill, which
they forced suddenly upon tHc House
without reports before il, and which
| they secured the passage Of without
damaging discussion Of their merits, or
exposure of the rascalitv that under
lies them. This plan had worked well
for the managers, it only having met
with feeble resistance from the House
until the question Of tobacco inspec-
! tions came up Now the House was
| opposed to the whole system Of inspec-
tions, and had actually passed 4 bill
abolishing the sinecure Office Of super
visor of tobacco ware houses, which
were nothing more nor less than politi-
cal asylum for broken-down Baltimore
politicians, But the partisan Senate,
looking solely at political results, re-
fused to concur ia the abolition of the
Office, and the square issue was raised
between the two Houses. No better
opportunity could have been offered the
House % test its determination, for it
was almost uua..iR,ons on the subject
Of this unpopular sinecuro, ts2 vote
standing % to 6, and yet when the final !
contest came, under the threat of the
failure Of tie appropriations and an
extra session, which the Senate never
would have dared to assume Tie re- |
sponsibility of upon so absurd pre-
text: the House tamely submitted to be
ridden over roQgh shad by the Ring
masters, and a $500 sinecqre Office |
was saved to the Democratic Office hold. (;
ers of Maryland. at the cost of the COM !
plete surrender by the House of the |
last vestige Of its manliness and indie
pendence No recent act of MARYLAND |
iesis'atiQn has demonstrated half so
forcibiy the no,as, Influence of the Mary