The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-10-07

The Bel Air Times of September 30 contains q
statement, which, though professedly taken
from the record ofthe Legislative proceedings of
the session Of 1880, is gross and wilful attempt
to mislead, under the guse of truth.
1t says that the proper committee on en-
crossed bills in the Senate should be composed
of fire members This is correct but the init
nation that this Senate committee in 1880 was
composed of more than five members is a fasif-
cation of the record. Hon. Herman Stump, the
President of the Senate, at the beginning of the
session, appointed on this committee Messrs
Sulivane, Vanderford Cooper, Miller and
Steiner, (Senate Journal page 35) and no other
member of the Senate was afterwards added to
this committee or paid by the State Three of
this committee, Messrs. Steiner, Miller and
Cooper, have served their State honorably for
more consecutive senatorial terms than is usu-
ally accorded to any one, and have been placed
on this particular committee session after ses-
sion. The committee were required to engross
the bills passed the last few days of the session.
after the adjournment, and for this service were
entitled to extra compensation, which has al
ways been paid, and no tax payer will object to
this, when the matter is properly represented.
1t is also stated that some members of this
committee received per diem of $3.50. This is
also untrue. They received the regular com
pensation, with payment for services rendered
after the adjournment
The Times further says "During the last
session of the Legislature 4SS bills were passed.
engrossed, and became laws. Deducting Sun
days there were ~ days to the session, or less
than bills per day to be examined. To exam
inc those 6 bills day, 26 members, 25 clerks,
and messenger were paid-52 people to do the
work of one fairly-educated youth! The record
shows that the President of the Senate placed
himself on this committee and paid himself one
hundred and ftty dollars in violation of law"
If the editor had taken the trouble to inform
himself before making the above assertion, he
would have found that 415 bills originated in
the Senate alone, and probably three times as
many in the House, and he would then have
been able to form better idea of what work
his "fairly educated youth would have to per-
form. Each bill introduced has to be put in
bill form, and twice copied and examined be-
fore it becomes law, and the time and labor
expended on bills that are lost greatly exceed
that expended on the laws enacted.
The last clause of the paragraph quoted is alb
solutely false. 1t is utterly untrue that the
President of the Senate was member of the en-
crossing committee, and there is nothing in the
record which justifies this attack. By the Con-
stitution (Art. g. sec. 30,) the Governor is re-
quired to sign all bills in the presence of the
presiding officers of the two Houses and their
Chief Clerks. In the performance of this duty
these officers remained in Annapolis after the
adjournment of the Legislature, and afterwards,
from time to time, during April, May and June,
whenever requested by the Governor, returned
to Annapolis, for which services they were paid.
Such has been the custom from the time the
Senate was presided over by Lieutenant Cover.
nor Cox, Republican, to the present time and
these extra services have been paid for by every
Comptroller, whether Republican or Democrat.
These payments are found on the Comptroller's
books under the head of "Engrossing Commit
tee," probably because these officers certify to
the Governor by their signature, the identity of
the bill, its proper endorsement and correct en-
gr0ssment, and the warrants for their pay are
made out with those of the engrossing commit
tee. Others have fallen into the error of max
ing this charge, but have corrected it. No OBJ
lection was ever made before to the payment of
these officers, and it is right, just and proper
that they should be paid
The chairman of the committee on claims is
also obliged to remain over after the adjourn
ment, to pay bills and settle and adjust his &C.
counts, and l am informed has also always,been
paid.
Now the record does show that Mr. Stump,
the President of the Senate, called upon Sena-
tors to redeem the pledges made to the people
by the Democratic platform of 1879, and that
every vote Of his was cast In favor ofthose mea-
sures. You will find that he saw the extraya.