Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-08-17
Mr.. HamiltOn's Letter.

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tics for publication, which has been pub
lished in full in some of the Baltimore city
dailies. The letter contains No new de-
velopments Whatever, but is merely re-
hash of his former letter, which was char
acterized by his friends as "bombshell,"
drawn out to a tedious prolixity. He re-
iterates, with no perceptible qualification,
al the old charges against the record of
the Democratic party in the last fifteen
years, contained in his former letter, and
endeavors to make it appear that the State
is indebted 60 him for such economic
measures as have been adopted by the last
two Legislatures
By the unqualified reitera'ion of charges
previously made by him, which have been
since successfully refuted. the Governor
lays himself liable to the accusation of a
phenomenal obtuseness, or most remark
able perverseness. He reviews without
qualification his former observations re-
garding the sinking fund" and the "loan
taxes" and after careful perusal of his
remarks on this subject, the reader is left
in much doubt whether the Governor
really understands what the sinking fund
is. He appears to be ignorant OF the fact
that there is more than one sinking fund
in the treasury; and to stupidity ignore the
fact, which has been repeatedly demonstra-
ted, that the particular sinking fund.- he
refers to never was OF constitutional obi
cation and has had no legal existence
since its abolition in 1872.
He persists in blaming the Legislature
for not abolishing the offices Of tax COM
compliance with the recommendation Of
the platform of 1879, of the abolition of
"all Offices not necessary for the public
service" but has not the frankness to adj
NIT that he aud his few supporters in the
Legislature failed to show that these were
unncces 'ary offices. and that it was ascer-
tame by the Legislature that the Office of
tax commissioner has thus far been pro
ductive of large net revenue to the State,
and that the Office of insurance commits
sioner, in addition to being necessary to
The public good, is also productive of con-
siderable revenue The Governor thinks
the objection to these two offices is that
they "segregate" the treasury department
and destroy its unity" 1t is rather diff
ticult to the average reader to understa ID
how the Segregation of the treasury depart
ment should destroy its unity.
In many of its passages the Governors
letter is literary curiosity, and his rea-
soning is sometimes as profoundly incom-
prehensible as was that Of the immortal
Jack Bunsby For instance, when he says !;
"The democratic party has had uninterrup,-
ed possession of every branch four State gov
ernment since 1867 Its absolute power nat
urally attracted men who were disposed to
use it generalls, it may be said, for its own
distinctive principles and measures of policy,
and then specially for themselves. II is so
with all business institutions and organizations
here there is power aud possible private
profit. and it requires seepless vigilance TO
guard against the use of one to the md ue ad
vantage of the other
Exactly what it is that 's'eepless vigil
lance" should be exercised to prevent the
use of aud what that unknown something
is to be used to the "uadue disadvant-
age" of, does not clearly appear, though
doubtless it is all clear to the Governor
and his friends.
His excellency refers to the registration
Law which was attempted to be passed by
the Legislature of 1880, and which by the
use of Mr.. Bannon, and Mr.. Browning and
Mr.. Campbell Hamilton and one or two
other fiedglings, in combination with the
Republicans the Governor succeeded in
defeating. He thinks that the clause in
that law, providing t.at the registration
officers, being first placed under heavy
bonds, should be authorized to transfer
the names of voters known to them to be
living in their districts and not disquali-
fed, from the old to the new Isis, was q
manifestly fraudulent feature, and very
dangerous, because it would have "recapit-
ulated" the old lists Exactly what harm
would have resulted from recapitalation
of the old lists his excellency dess not
clearly show. The clause to which he re-
fers was incorporated into the former law
at the solicitation of many members from
The counties, who feared heavy loss to
the Democratic party in county localities
to result from failure to register, which
fears have, been, under the operation of
the act now in force, fully realized.
The Governor says the appointment OF
the school commissioners should not 3e
vested in the circuit courts, but fails to
show in whom the appointing power
should abide; he also urges the abolition
of the State tobacco inspection system,
but does not propose any substitute for
| it.
Upon the whole, the candid critic must
say of the Governors letter it presents with
tedious redundancy, probably sincere, but
not well considered views of a superficial
observer and loose scholar, whose knowl-
edge of the affairs of the State is of such
an imperfect nature as not to point to him
as the proper person to be in the occupan-
cy of the executive chair at time when
reforms are to be effected and the power
of intriguing political leaders to be brok
en-
Near Marsh Hope, in Kent county, Del
aware, at the house Of Mr.. Messick, his
sister, who was his housekeeper, was SER
iously i'll. On Wednesday neighbor,
followed by dog, came to visit the sick
woman, and the dog accompanied the yis-
itor to the sick chamber. There, before