Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1882-10-19


LEGATION Of the laws in certain Of the
newspapers Of the State. among which
Is yoHr own Journal. We think II
not just to the GOV. to ascribe bis
opposition to this measure or policy
10 his hostility to the press. We
believe he has no more personal
feeling on this subject than he
has upon Dir. Brooks school and
why should he have upon eth
er? The press is an established in
stitution 10 this Country. with admit
ted widely extended influence. and
can DO a public man for the time good
or harm. Why the Gov. should in
woke the hostility Of this important
interest, as be manifestly has done
with your Journal AMI others in the
State. we leave you. Mr.. Editor.
n consider. Upon. the other hand
We can safely say that the Gov. was
solely benefited by consider atoms Of
the public service in opposing the
appropriations hitherto made to a Sc
lected press for the publication of the
laws aud to proposed additional APP
preparation to Mr.. Brooks school
Ii is possible that some of your read
ers may not fully understand the
character Of the publication Of the
laws. and we therefore propose ia
eve a brief resume Of it. In 1865,
the Republican party was in power
In the State. The great mass of the
intelligent people of the State was
agsinst it. It's party press had few
readers and no patronage in most 81
the counties and eOald not exist with
ont outside aid. The refore this act for
the publication of the laws in such
newspapers as should be selected and
for the payment for it out Of the
Treasury. A certain paper in each
county was then selected by the pre-
siding Objects of the two Houses for
such publication. When there was
more than one newspaper in county,
that one was selected that had the
favor OF the preceding officers. You
will observe the Influences that in
the nature of things might operate.
Accordingly. all those public acts to
take effect before the lst of June
were given out to the appointed pa
pers for publication. All those to take
effect after the lst Of June We're to be
published ia book form, IA was done
before from time immemorial. For
some years, these papers got as much
as $l.6l0 for publishing for the SEES
sions, and the amount for these years
paid out was some forty-six or forty
seven thousand dollars. These large
payments of public money for this
new service, as it was never in the
whole history Of the State done be-
fore, OF course attracted public at
tention, and at once there were man
ifest signs of discomfort. Then, and
up to last year, it was reduced to
81 200 a session for each county news
paper, amounting to some $33ge 10
the aggregate. In the heavy burdens
of the people this also arrested pub
lie attention, and the Gov. for years
and years. indeed from the inception
oil the system, We are informed, was
known to be opposed to this new en-
croachmens upon the Treasury. both
on account of the unnecessary ex-
pense and the liability Of the concen-
tration Of power into political Boss
isDs" or management through the
agency of the fund distributed to n
favored few Of the press. and which
by reason of its inherent properties
come to be very aptly styled and
known as the subsidy"
In his very Just message, the Gov.
took occa ZION to call the attention Of
the General Assembly to this matter,
and gave his reason for aboIishinQ
the whole system. and to which Mr..
Editor we could refer you. The Leg
islatnre. however, did nothing. and
again this $50, mo was paid out oil
the Treasury to the faUOred papers
Again, the Gov. at the last session
directed attention to the subject and
again gave his reasons for abolishing
it. An effort was made to repeal the
whole thing and failed, but law was
passed reducing the payment hereaf-
ter to be made TO each county so as
not to exceed $500, and leaving il
discretionary with-the Gov. and At
torney General what laws, taking ef-
feet before the LIST day Of June. ifany,
they should consider sufficiently i'm
portant to have published in news
papers. AS the law only authorized
the publication Of such public laws as
those to take effect on this day to he
Published in Book form, as it had al
ways been done before, and as there
were q considerable numbers Of such
laws passed to take effect on the lst
day Of June, and not before, and Is
there was great delay. growing ont Of
the extreme illness Of Speaker Keil-
holtx, and of the fact that many Of
the laws were not IN condition 20 ap-
prove at the adjournment Of the Leg
islature. which brought such newspa-
per publication. If made, nearly up to
the lst Of June, when bylaw all were
10 be published in the usual anthen-
tic book form, that none were pub
lished, and not . cent Eas paid out Of
the Treasury this year for such pur-
pose, an absolute saving to the peo-
BE 81 $3.50 O IS under the old law,
and d 81 or SIS. 600 under the new,
end ~ harm done 10 any one.
We feel safe in saying thai all shoss
who cpnsider the Governors arfi0r
in tbs matter from > disinterestel
standpoint viii say that be vas MS.