Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-03-07
The Tobacco InspectOrships.

The Tobacco InspectOrships.
Our esteemed neighbor, the st. Nary
Beacon thinks that the act of 1864, relat
ing to the appointment of tobacco inspec
tors by the Governor, heretofore quoted
by the TIMES, has been repealed and su
perceded by the constitution of 81 anc
the legislation of ~ :" still our neighbol
thinks that the point made by the TIMES
as to the fairness of the late appointments
by Gov. McLane Of Tobacco inspectors
was well taken. While entertaining the
highest respect for the opinions of oul
neighbor, we do not concur with it in the
opinion that the provisions of 1864 in re.
lation to the mode of selecting the Tobac-
co Inspectors have been repealed or super
coded, but think that the manifestly just
and equitable provisions of that statute
in that regard are still in force and bind
irg on the Governor and the Senate.
We find nothing either in the constiu
tion of '67 or the legislation of '72 incon-
sistent with the provisions of 1854 to
which We referred. The only provision
in the constitution concerning the Tobac'
CO Inspectors is that their term of office
shall begin on the FIST Monday of March
next ensuing their appointment; and the
act of 1872, while containing no provision
in any way inconsistent with the section
of the act of 1864 we quoted, only pur.
ports to repeal "all laws or parts of laws
inconsistent with this act"-the act of 1872
1t would seem, tn. refnre, that, according
to the we'll known principles of The con.
structioR of statutes, all the provisions OF
the act OF 1864 and other previous legis.
lation upon the subject of tobacco inspec.
tion, not inconsistent with the act of 1872
must stand and be construed along with
that act IT. then, with the law repealed
our poi1t was we'll taken, as our sound
judging neighbor thinks; with the law
still in force, our point is better than well
taken.
Our esteemed contemporary, the Hagers-
town Nail, commenting on the TIMES S
article regarding the Inspectorships says
Our contemporary, the Port Tobacco
TINES, seems to be out of humor at the ar
rangement of the appointment Of Tobacco
Inspectors, insisting that under the act Of
1864 four out of the five should come from
the tobacco growing counties, and in this
view of the law and this being the law,
our contemporary no doubt is right in his
complaints on the non observance of it.
The law, if it means anything, must
mean those counties whose chief staple is
tobacco and not the mere fugitive or an
cillary growing of it; and therefore in
emitting to give to Charles, st. Mary's or
Anne Arundel, where the chief staple is
tobacco, an Inspector, is perhaps disre-
garding at least the equities of the law.
The TINES insists that the action of the
Governor in respect to these appointments
is not only violation Of the equities of
the law, but the plain and mandatory let
ter as well; and We cannot see how the
Senate, which is an essential part of the
appointing power, can consistently make
itself party to the violation of the law in
question by confirming the nominations
or the Governor for the inspectorships
from the non-tobacco growing counties.
We say this in all Difference to the Gov
ernor, for. as we have heretofore stated.
we believe his attention had not been di-
rected to the law of 1864 when he made
these appointments. Now that the period
fixed by the constitution for the nomina-
ton of officers has expired, there seems to
be some question as to the Governors
power to withdraw nominations already
made, and he himself has suggested that
the best course, in the case Of unsatisfac-
tory or mistaken appointments already
sent in, is for the Senate to reject the NOM
nations and thus create vacancies to be
again filled by appointment. We believe
that, if the Senate were to reject the NOM
nations from the non-tobscco-growing
counties on that ground, as we believe it
is its duty to do, the Governor would ac-
cept its decision in the matter in the pro-
per spirit and fill the vacancies thus made
by appointments from the tobacco grow
ing counties, as the law requires.