The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-02-21
DOINGS AT ANNAPOLIS.
ANNAPOLIS, MD., February 18th, 1880.
II Gnrroanondoncn n & Az IL,,.o.,

Special Correspondence Of the Union.
"Will Gov. Hamilton hedge 80 as to save some
of his friends Z? is the anxious inquiry of many
applicants for places He still has an air of cheer
fulness, but shows signs of weakening in his war
cry of retrenchment. What has transpired in the
meetings of conference has not been made public
except that at the first meeting he appeared lit
tie astonished at the readiness with which assent
was given to his wishes and even a willingness
manifested to go farther than he had proposed
He suggested the abolition of of the Fish
Commssionerships as means of saving and
proposition made to secure a still greater saw
ing by abolishing both of them. Some suppose
that Gov. Hamilton is of such Roman frmness
that he will not abate one jot of his demands.-
Others who laugh at his Roman frmness think
that he wants to build up Hamilton party by
making himself the Moses of those who want re-
trenchment in the public service.
NoTARIEs.
When Mr.. Hamilton first became Governor he
wanted the profits of notaries cut down by in
creasing their number and suggested that there
should be ten of them instead of five. A bill with
this intent passed by the Legislature to please
him, but he found that only those whose fees
amounted to than $500 required to
make returns to the State Comptroller, and that
as only two out of five made such returns it was
very obvious that if the business was divided up
among ten notaries nothing at all would be paid
into the State Treasury, so he promptly vetoed
the bill that increased the number of notaries in
Baltimore.
THE TOBACCO INSPECTIONS.
Ex-Gov. Carrolps suggestion, endorsed by Gov.
Hamilton, that the compulsory inspection of to-
bacco should be abolished is popular MEASURE
1t seems to be wanted by the tobacco growers and
tobacco dealers, by good many persons who are
neither tobacco growers tobacco dealers, and
by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Aside from
the question of disadvantage from restrictions on
trade the tobacco inspections have been badly
managed-in fact a very bad political machine.
If the places about it had been less often given to
notorious defaulters and men of deservedly bad
repute, if the clerks had been paid like working
men when they worked and had not been allowed
to draw their salaries when there was no work
done by them, there would be less disposition in
the public mind to see the nest cleaned out. At
one tobacco house where there was no work for
either the working hands the clerks, the pay of
the workingmen was stopped but nine clerks were
regularly paid for the time when there moth
ing for them to do. Not only this, three good
clerks could easily at any time have done more
work than the whole nine. The public don't like
that sort of thing They don't see the necessity
for paying men salaries for loafing constantly in
the bar-room of Barnum's Hotel or in the saloons
whore politicians congregate. Gov. Hamilton and
a majority of the Legislature will stand on COM
pulsory inspection of tobacco.
THE CATTLE SCALES.
The abolition of the cattle scales may not meet
the approval of a majority of the members of the
Legislature The support of the cattle scales does
not come out of the State Treasury and no COM
plant is made by those whose cattle is weighed
The scales yield revenue to the State and their
abolition is not desired by either the buyers or
sellers of cattle, but if Gov Hamilton insists upon
it the cattle scales will be abolished. A number
of other offices are in the same category,
CUTTING DOWN PRINTING.
The Legislature will simply laugh at the propo-
sition of Gov. Hamilton to economic the expense
of printing by abbreviatng the journals and is
Just as likely to abolish the public schools as to
abolish the payment Of money to the newspapers
throughout the State for publishing the laws.
sUBsIDIzING THAT SHOULD BE STOPPED.
There is mischievous system of substituting the
press that should be stopped This is rowardng
the reporters who have white washed the members
and the proceedings during the session. If the
donation of State money made at the begin
ming of the session it might be supposed recog-
milton of the services of reporters to the public,
but it is given at the end of the session, and if
reporter tells in many the facts that the
public should know he is not likely to get the sub
sidy from the State Treasury. If the members of
the Legislature take the money out of their own
pockets the matter would be very different, though
even then the effect might be harmful, but the
money is taken out of the State Treasury and the
expectation of it pad-locks the reporters. They
will all deny it and say they write just as they
would if there was no such subsidy, but it is OBJ
vious that a gift blndeth the eyes.
THE DENTIST LAW.
bill to protect dentists by requiring all dem
fists to submit to examination by board and
AoI-o IL -, ~ H.
efforts of the able DR.. Steiner to whom some of
its features were Objectionable, but it is to come
up again in a form acceptable to him and will
then be passed..
TAXING STOCK.
Mr.. Germans bill enacting and regulating the
taxation of the stock of corporations was weighed
down by the amendment of Mr.. Sullivane sup
ported by himself and Mr.. Peter, but Mr.. Suli
vane withdrew his amendment to tax mortgages
and the bill went through. Mr.. Sullivane's bills
taxing mortgages will come up as independent
measures. There are three bills in the House to
enact the taxation of mortgages and making the
requirement that the mOrtgagor will pay the taxes.
To-day there were numerous and able speeches in
the House for and agains the taxing of mortgages.
The principal speech against it was made by Mr..
Bannon, who claimed that it would drive away
capital and be hard on poor men who had to bor-
row. Speeches in favor of taxing mortgages were
Mr. Owens of Montgomery, and others.
BELT BRIDGES.
Mr.. Ward, of Baltimore county, has introduced
bill giving to the County Commissioners the
right to build bridges in the Belt when asked by
the people.
STATE LIBRARIAN.
There has been quite a lively contest for the
position of State Librarian The strongest
dorsed candidate is J. Thomas Scharf, the young
historian of Maryland, who is admirably fitted for
the position and is endorsed by almost the whole
Legislature, without distinction of party, well
as almost the whole newspaper press of the State.
AFTER DEBTORS.
Merchants, said to represent forty millions cap
ital, were here last Tuesday to get some law
passed by which creditors may be protected from
fraudulent assignments by their debtors who are
about to become insolvents. They want some
process by which the property of debtors may be
secured for the payment pro rata of all his debts
and they want such change as that an assign
ment or bill of sale within year and day be-
fore insolvency will be considered prima facie
idence Of fraud thus placing the onus probaRdi on
the debtor. clause forbidding the granting in
solvency to debtor even where he has given up
everything to his creditors until over three-fourths
of his creditors those who represent three fths
Of his debts assent to it was proposed but with
drawn under assurances that this could not posi-
bly, be passed.
REGISTRATION.
There is curious hitch in the passage of the
registration law. The counties are perfectly will
ing to have it imposed on Baltimore city but
think it too expensive for use in all tho counties.
The law will have to be modified, but in some form
is certain to pass. By By.
ES-T The Republicans of Baltimore county seem