Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-03-26
The School Commissioners.

Mr.. Editor: That the wish is fsther to he
thought is strikingly exemplfed in the fran
tic efforts that A. B. D. is making, through
the Baltimore Gazette and our county news
papers, to convince an incredulous people that
the present mode of appointing County School
Commissioners is the best the world ever saw 4.
To him the presidency of a fraudulent school
board was godsend. Coming to the old
man in the privacy te which an unapprecs-
tive constituency had consigned him, it gave
him new lease of life II created beatifc
visions of political preferment that haunt his
waking hours and his sleeping hours. Ia it
he beholds a stepping-stone 10 the State Sem
ate, thence to the halls Of Congress, and
eventually TO the chief-magistracy of the great
est nation the sun ever shone upon.
In speech delivered in the State Senate by
Mr.. Williams, OF Baltimore county, on the
| lth instant, the speaker declared that there
is not a respectable lawyer in Maryland who
does not believe the present school law TO be
unconstitutional, and that any Court in the
State would so decide II is well known that
several judges of the Court of Appeals are
outspoken in this opinion. 1t there is even a
faint suspicion that so important a law is I'M
constitutional, is it not the duty OF our legis-
la,ors TO repeal it without delay2
In our estimation, an unfortunate exchange
transferred from the sovereign people to the
Judges of the Circuit Courts So far as we
OF Montgomery county are concerned, in
stunning Charybdis we ran upon Scylla in
our eudeavors to avoid the whirlpool of poll
ties, We foundered upon the rock of nepolism
The decision Of the Supreme Court of the
United States in the Electoral Commission
case gave Il stunning blow to our faith in the
spotless purity of judicial ermine, and that
faith has been well nigh annhilated by the
more recent decisions OF the same august tri.
bunal. 1t then we can no longer look with
confidence to our highest court of jursdic-
ton, what may we expect from our one-horse
county courts in matters affecting the dearest
interests of us all2
| Let us suppose case in point. Somewhere
on the Eastern or Western Shore of this State,
certain, or uncertain, Judge of the Circuit
Court, in his efforts to unite and strengthen
The Democratic party might cut queer capers,
aud even 90 10 the extent Of sacrificing the
interests of an entire county in order to ad-
vance the interests Of relative or connection,
regardless of the fitness or unftness of such
relative or connection TO discharge the dule:
of the position which he seeks This is only
u Hypothetical case however and we do moi
wish TO be understood rs inlimatiug that any
Judge upon the bench in Maryland has so fal
lost sight of regard for he dignity o. HI,
| office AS TO descend to such extra-judicia
transactions. Nevertheless, in certain contin
gencies, regard for the dignity of his office
nigh, prove no safeguard against indscree
conduct on the part Of such Judge aud hi
anxiety to promote his family interests might
override the duty which he owes TO the pub
lie, and induce him to appoint Board o
County School Commissioners upon condition
that they would elect this relative or connec
ton Examiner. This would be very ugly
piece Of business, TO be sure but still II Il
within the bounds of possibility. Public sen.
timent would undoubtedly condemn such con.
duet and the Judge might so far forget him
sell, or lose his presence OF mind to such Z
degree ia the dilemma in which he might b,
placed, as to publish letter in which b,
might make The declaration that he favors ro
talion in Office while be himself feeds at IN,
public crib, aud has done so for thirty con.
seeulive years that the gentlemen who had
heretofore served so aeeeplably in the capa.
city Of School Commissioners were overlooked
for the reason that they did not make applica.
ton for reappointnent; that in selecting the
newly created he did not consider Il ne.
cessary TO consult his sou, Rad that, in all biz
judicial acts, he was goverued solely by a De.
sire 10 "nniie and strengthen the Democratic
/ party" This would certainly be an extraor.
binary letter to emanaie from such a source,
and IL might create no little scandal ltniight
/ even reach the State capital, aud the result OF
II all might be that this certain, or uncertain,
Judge might be summoned TO appear before
the bar OF the Senate 10 answer 10 grave char
gee that might be preferred against hin. ln
that event in the language Of Mhittier's
sweet poem, II would be ''alas for Judge I"
ClrlzES.