Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-12-09
An Useless Office.

Maryland independent, Of Port Tobacco.
Much invidious comment has been Justly
excited by the extraordinary conduct of Gov.
Hamilton in failing to issue commissions to
the newly elected Judges in this Circuit. In
the case of Mr.. Brooke, Judge Chew has
filed a protest against the issuing of such a
commission by the Governor, and it may be
that he is influenced somewhat by that fact,
though it would seem that his duty in the
premises was plainly defined and was sim
ply ministerial, with no power to exercise
the functions of a returning board. But in
regard to Mr.. Stone, no such impeachment
exists he was elected by such an over
whelming and fiattering majority as to show
the earnest and almost unanimous wish of
the voting population, without distinction of
party, to have his valuable services on the
bench as Chief Judge, instead of those of
the appointee of the Governor, who was also
his opponent. Yet though ample time of
nearly three weeks, has elapsed since the
returns were received at the executive office
Mr.. Stone has heard nothing from the Gov
ernor and only received a semi-official COM
munication from the Secretary of State that
if he, Mr.. Stone, would come to Annapolis
on day to be named, he the Secretary,
would try to get the Governor to be there on
the same day This pretty condition of
things, that man whom the people have
elected so Overwhelmingly to one OF the
most dignified Offices in their gift, should be
expected to stand, hat finland, cooling his
heels, in the ante-room of the Executive,
awaiting the personal pleasure and con-
venence of that official, who thus defes
popular sentiment, and decent regard for
the courtesies and obligations of his lofty
position. There may, or may not, be u pur-
pose in all this, we know not and care not,
particularly; the Governor may only be at
home repairing his fences, or attending to
other farming operations; or may not care
a "continentap whether Mr. Stone IL com.
missioned or not or he may desire that his
appointee, Judge Magruder, shall continue
to draw the salary of Chief Judge, which
amounts TO the snug sum of about ten dol
lars per day, as long as possible, but the
fact remains that Mr.. Stone, unquestionably
elected by the people, has not been COM
missoned, and the people have been de-
prived of the services Of the man of their
choice. Our Circuit Court has been in SEES
sion two weeks, and Mr.. Stone, instead of
presiding over its session, has to sit idly by
awaiting the pleasure OF the Washington
county sage and farmer.
IL is not pleasant thing to say, but, the
tive chair before this, who has so DELAYED
and neglected the public business for the
sake OF his own private affairs, or who has
so persStenty and flagrantly deted the let
ter and spirit of the constitution which re-
quires that "the Governor shall reside at the
seat of Government" His Excellency is
very fond of finding fault with other peo-
pie, who are in office, but utterly fails to see
his own shortcomings, as is usual with
fault-flnders and Pharsees, who thank God
they are better than other men. He has also,
with dreary monotony, preached about the
abolition of useless offices, and he has illus
'trated most wildly in his own person the
utter uselessness Of a Governor in this State,
showing that the executive business can be
transacted by subordinates, as has been done
since his term. If getting along without an
officer shows the useessness of the Office, we
say by all means let us abolish the Governor.