The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-10-20
A Reform Legislature.


form in the State government are con-
yinced that the only way to obtain il
is to elect Republican Reform gov
ernor, there are some Democratic
orators who are seeking to terrify
their voters by predicting what will
happen should the Republicans con-
troll the next legislature. Even in
this city there are Democratic papers
that support the municipal reform
movement, on the ground that the
Democratic primaries were corrupt,
and. nevertheless, support the ring
legislative ticket, which was nomina-
ted by the same corrupt" prima-
ries.
And yet, if there is a worse seat of
corruption than our boss ridden city
government, ii is our boss ridden. lob
by-fattening state government. 1t is
there that the pluggers of corpora
tionsthrOw off the decency of disguise
and shamelessly peddle legislation to
the highest bidders: it is there that
even reform leaders go to lobby
measures through. 1t is not The
american that makes these charges.
Last year the Democratic organs des-
cribed how boss went down to the
State Capitol took his seat in the
speakers room and ordered the MEM
bers in and instructed them how to
vote on this measure and on that.
Every body who has at least the in
terest of Baltimore must remember
how the bill for extending the city
limits were traded off, how the cheap
car-fare bill was lobhied, how many
''snakes" were hidden in various
bills for the benefit Of great corpora.
tions. Governor Hamilton's pocket
vetoes rescued us from some of them
last year; but who will rescue US if
the more accommodating Mr.. No
Lane should come in and find a ring
legislature in the State House? The
ferocity of the fight against HamiI-
ton was because his rugged honesty
had thWarted the ring in many of its
secret designs. The fight in the pri-
maries in Anne Arundel and Cecil,
and other counties, was conducted
most unscrupulously by the ring,
and legislative tickets have been
nominated well calculated to fill the
better elements of the Democracy
with scCrn and disgust. In Balti-
more county the ring ticket is very
bad. What sort Of delegates does
the ring desire to send from Baltimore
city.
There is feeling that the coming
session is to be full of sugar" 1t is
understood that there are to be meas
ures brought up granting away ire.
vocably from the taxpayers to rich
companies concessions so valuable as
to bear the heaviest kind of "plug-
ging." Some of the men that the
ring has nominated have been select
ed with special eye to their obedi-
ence to their masters, the bosses.
There may be some respectable and
well-meaning men among the ring
nominees. but they would not have
been nominated unless the bosses
could count certainly on their ODE
dience.
There is no "Reforn movement
in state affairs. The Democrats have
limited their Citizens movement to
the municipal government, and have
surrendered reform in state matters to
the Republicans. Republican bust
ness reform includes the abolition OF
compulsory tobacco inspection, the
abolition of the offices of Weighers OF
hay, live stock. &C., the enforcement
of the constitutional provision for
preventing railroad determinations,
the taking of the canal and the oyster
navy out of politics. These are in
the main the things which Governor
Hamilton advised. but which, ham,
pered as he was by a ring Board Of
Public Works and legislature, he
could not attain; these are the things
which the ring convention rejected
and-though Mr.. Keedy and General
Bradley T. johnson and others have
been whipped mare the things
which the business reform sentiment
of the state requires. The only hope
of obtaining them is the defeat of the
Democratic ring candidates to the
legislature. -BdLtO. american.