The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-02-16
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
Local Option Petitions and Local Option
Absurdities-How the Delegates Ar
ranged Matters-A New Scheme
or Two--A Poll-Tax-The
Pilkesville Arsenal, &c.

Editors OutOH:-Ine Otate temperance ALL
ance seems to be putting in its work quite lively
in the way petitions for local option and prohib-
itory laws. Garrett and Allegany and even
own county, claims attention nearly every day in
the way of what John Quincy Adams called the
"sacred right of petition" but imagine Adams
had no idea of how this same called Sacred
right" could be developed into a fine art, or COM
plete humbug, as you may please to call it. For
instance, these petitions all came down here with
printed heads, evidently manufactured in the
same printing office, and every one of them ex-
pressy omits naming any county in the printed
portion. Then again, to draw down the line OF
illustration little finer and bring it closer to
home, find that there was one handed in last
week from Wetheredville, Baltimore county.
This has many names upon it. The wonder to
me is that more were not there, considering the
self evident fact of how they were put there, be-
cause they nearly all in the handwriting of
one man, who also signs it. 1 mean that the
man, whoever he may be, that signed one certain
name, also put nearly all the other names on the
petition, some of them known to be children and
some of them we'll known opponents to local OPP
ton. This sort of business may be smart, but it
will hardly carry weight enough to command re-
spectful attention when found out. Any man
guilty of this sort of thing must consider the
average legislator to be fool, easily imposed
upon, and the average legislator quite naturally
resents being thus considered. Then again, the
more county, brought along some people who had
better have been left at home. THERE'S on all sides
growing feeling of infinite disgust at the local
option clamor.
Down here last week when the trades unions
were assembled in force, saw any quantity OF
drinking. saw any number of drunken men,
some of them absolutely so drunk that they were
lying on the floor of the rotunda of the State Cap
itol Yet this is local option place! This Tenn
perance Reform should not be matter of politics.
1t is a matter of religion and per Sc of the
Shars san &c a@s ses
petite, which is very part of his nature NosA-
ing but Almighty power can change human ma
ture To believe otherwise is to doubt Gods
own testimony. AS 1 have said before, there is
willingness to take hold of practical temper
ance in the Legislature, and practical temperance
means more safeguards thrown around communi-
ties by raising the standard of liquor saloons, by
carefully guarding the young in measures sup
pressing slums of all kinds, and keeping minors
under such restrictions as will amount practically
to prohibition of their ooseness of several years
past. If parents exercised more care at home
there would be less need of such legislation and
there would be much less vice. After all, it is
not the liquor saloons, or gambling hells, or the
dance halls, but many of our Jealous philanthro-
pists are so busy saving the children of other peo-
pie that they have no time to look after their
own. The last idea have heard is that liquor
saloons should be required to pay city or coun-
ty license well as national and State. This, 1t
is claimed, would be high license and at the same
time would bring them directly under control OF
their respective communities.
The Baltimore county representatives have,
for the purpose of bettre convenience and system,
divided the appointments under their control as
follows: LIST and I'd districts, Mr.. 0futt; Sd and
4th, Mr.. Brady; 9Th and 9th, Mr.. Kelbaugh; 9TH
and 18th, Mr.. Leib; Sth and 10th, Mr.. Cockey;
IL 0Ll- IL live
huff. am not permitted to say anything OF the
few changes proposed, but your readers can
know now exactly whom to call on and whom to
look to, when hopes are realized or disappoint-
ments ensue.
The Ways and Means Committee has had re-
ferred to it many printed petitions, requesting
that measures be adopted for transferring lunatio
paupers from the care of the counties to that OF
the State. These petitions are all printed like
those for local option and bear evidence Of sys-
tematic design to throw the State into an i'm
mense elemosynary institution or charitable hos
pital for refuge of the insane. I know enough of
the honorable Chairman of that Committee to say
that no State money is apt to be squandered in
any such way as will fasten the just burdens of
each county upon the State IN general, without
some quid pro quo.
There is also petition here from the Board of
Commissioners of Cecil county, looking to the
enactment of law changing the terms of service
of the several County Commissioners so that
every two years only part shall be elected instead
of all, thus leaving some practiced hand always
in office. This is good if it can be done.
Mr.. Cookey has been compelled to abandon
bill he had for poll-tax to be collected from
every man exercising the right of ballot. This
was good measure but unconstitutional. His
idea was that this poll-tax could be worked out
by certain amount of work yearly on the public
roads and was intended to reach that class OF
voters who get everything and pay nothing
IS 7tfPf ESlHg 81 baEase the ADVOCATES Of tbs Ag
ricultural Experimental Station, the Imbecie
Asylum and the militia. I cannot yet prophesy
which will come out ahead.
On Tuesday there was favorable report from
the committee to have the public printing of
Baltimore county done by contract. Bill read
first time
Discussion was quite animated upon the amend
ments to proposed charter of Western Maryland
Underwater Railroad, authorizing a new line
which DIVORCES from the present track OF the
Western Maryland at Howardville, runs down
Gwynn's Falls, around the city to the FAR shore
of Locust Point. The point made was that If
the Railroad Company wanted this privilege it
Should be forced to give to the people some COM
pensaton in the way of passenger trains for local
travel along the proposed line. AS tits they pro-
pose only to run freight trains. Mr.. Seth's
amendment to the bill provided that four passen-
ger trains day should be run each way. Mr..
Ofutt amended this by proposing to make 1T two
trains each way per day. The fight in behalf OF
the property owners was made by MIR. Seth, and
Messrs. Offutt, Handy, Wiener and Gunther OPP
posed him and the amendment. Mr.. Wiener
stated that the Railroad Company has entirely
abandoned the route covered by the petition OF
the property owners. The amendment was
adopted on a call vote.
It is understood that Mr.. P. A. Kroh, of the
18th district, will DO appointed Tobacco Inspectos,
with DR.. Cummings, of the Sth district, as chief
clerk. The Eastern Hay Scales 60 to Hartford
county and the Cattle Scales to Carroll, Samuel
Cover being the lucky man.
The Colts Ball of the members of the Legisa-
ture has been finally fixed for February 25, and
the use of the House of Delegates has been
granted.
Mr.. Lindsay has introduced bill for regulat-
ing fishing in the GunpOwder River. This bill
covers some suggestions coming from the owners
of lands along the shores and amends the present
law. Mr.. Brady has introduced bill to amend
Section 9 of the laws governing the Treasurer
and Collector of Baltimore county.
Senator Slingluff distinguished himself this
week by brilliant, sensible and telling speech
in advocacy of Senator Moore's bill to reduce mar
rage license fees to fifty cents. He gave de-
tailed statement of the difficulties in the way OF
honorable marriage in European countries, drawn
from his own experience. The hindrance thrown
in the way of honorable marriage and the ex-
penses attending the same, made the marriagere-
iaton an almost impossbility, hence the landwas
flooded with Legitimate children. Wedock was
privilege only for the higher classes, and in
contrast to such state of affairs, it was to the in
terest of every State of our Union to promote by
every possible means honorable marriage. The
heavy taxes now laid upon the RELATION were pro-
hibitory to poor classes and anything Prohibitory
tended to vice and large increase of the crimir
nal classes, and made so necessary bsstardy laws
to which no attention was paid. only give the
gist of his speech, but it excited warm commenda-
tons.
Petitions have been received to give the COun-
ty Commissioners authority to build bridges across
Gunpowder Falls.
A bill wasintroduced by Mr.. 0ffutt, prohibiting
railway companies from contracting with en-
ployees for more than u hours per day. Also,
by Mr.. Brady, to reduce the amount of discount
for prompt payment OF taxes.
BILLY BARLOW.