The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-09-03
The Comptroller and the Publication Of
the Laws.

:
! In our last ;sSuc. we preferred a general
charge of wiltul violation of the law
against Nr. Heating, the present Comp
troller, and under thiS general charge
presented specification number one. viz:
! paying 81, $40 for publishing the laws III
| three papers i'll Baltimore. when the law
, only provides for their publication in ira,
and they never were published III more
than two newspapers in Baltimore city
{ before. This point We thinE was made
too strong and too plain for any one to
contradict. He certainly did pay out
these 1850 without any shadow of legal
authority and for this and other like
! offences he should not be reelected. In
, order that our readers may fully under
stand this point, and others yet to be
presented. we give the law. word for
word, Just as it stands in the book. Here
, it is:
Every Public General Law which is
made to take effect before the tirSt day
of June next after the session at which
! it may be passed. shall Immediately after
! its passage be published. at the expense
/ of the state. daily, for one week. in ttr0
/ daily newspapers III the city of Balti-
more, one of which shall be printed in
! the German language, and oH& newspaper
! in each county. having the largest circu-
/ lation. if there he a newspaper published
i'll said county"
! Who can read this and say that the
law has not been violated: We pause
for reply. So much for specification
number one.
/ Specification number two: \ wilful
violation of the law in this. that he has
paid for the publication of the laws in
/ t'rG newspapers in 4 county. while the
! law only authorizes their publication in
/ oHe. We have just given the law above:
our readers will just please to look back
few lines. There it is, nothing could
he palmer. "Onc newspaper in each
county. having the largest circulation. il
there be newspaper i'll said county. =
/ \ ct right in the face of this plain and
explicit language. Mr.. heating has paid
! for the publication of these laws in two
/ newspapers in Caroline county two in
/ Charles two in Dorchester, two in Fred
erick, two in Hartford, two in Kent two
in Montgomery. two in Prince GEORGES.
+ two in Queen Annc's. two in Talbot and
two i'll Worcester. In eleven separate
cases he has paid double what the law
authorized in each case-amount-
ing to $4,000. This added to the 81. $50
paid in violation of the law in Baltimore
city, amounts to So $50 All paid to
newspapers over and above what the law
authorizes. How can this be j,lstitied9
We call for 4 reply. We asked for an
explanation in our last and we ask it
again. If not satisfactorily accounted
for, we declare Mr.. Heating guilty be-
fore the law of wasting the peoples
money We think he should be held re-
sponsible for it. and somebody else elect
cd to ill his place. So much for Specif-
cation number two.
Again. We charge Mr.. Thomas J. keat-
ing. the present Comptroller and candi-
date for reelection, that he has wilfully
/ violated the law in this: that he has paid
eXtravagant sums of money for this work
in all instances, and especially that he
has paid to twelve different newspapers
published in the counties of the State
! $1,000 each. while twenty-five other
newspapers in other counties did the
same service for 5000 each; that it really
costs no more to do the work in one case
than another and that this excess of $500
paid to each Of said twelve newspapers
was a wastcful and unlaw full expenditure
of money amounting to 500. This
added to the SO. $50 given above. makes
So. of the public money taken from
the State Treasury in violation of law
! and proper economy and lavisbcd upon
the press of the State for no other pur-
pose than to secure it's support in the in
terest of the ring.
The Comptroller seems 10 have preIe-
termincd to spend III this way 81 200 in
every county i'll the State. If there was
one paper only. then he gave it all to
that one paper. but if there were two. he
divided it. Distributing it as political
stipend, without any regard whatever
for the law.
The law is certainly sufficiently liberal
without these violations. One-fourth the
sum now expended would do the work
Just as WELL but twice as much has been
paid as should have been paid. For In
stance. in Charles county. there are two
papers: each did the work for $60D--
though but one is authorized. In St.
Mary's county there is but one paper; it
got $1,000 for the same work that the
Port Tobacco Times did for $500, and so
it Went throughout the State.
If the Times printed the laws for $500.
that was enough for Charles county.
There was no need, no law for giving
5000 30 a second paper. If the Port To-
bacco Times could print them for 5000.
5" could any other paper in the State;
why then give some OF them $1,000.
| There can be no reason except to secure
the support of these papers.
At 5000 for each, the tweuty-three
counties of the State would cost Sf3, 500
Two papers in city Of Baltimore at
Sl,s5O. Observation-Disclosures. 800
Total OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ST.. 900