Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1888-03-16
Tobacco Legislation.


Tobacco Legislation.
: The bill introduced by Senator Ede'en
repeating without condition the compul-
sorry feature of the tobacco inspection law,
which passed the Senate some ten days
ago, has been favorably reported by the
inspection committee of the House of
Delegates and will be passed with some
slight amendments in the course of the
present week.
The Democratic delegates from this
county having in conference with Senator
Edelen carefully compared the several pc
titiens, pro and con, from the tobacco
growers of the county, and it having been
thereby determined that the weight Of
sentiment among the petitioners was fav-
orable to an unconditional repeal of the
compulsory feature of the law as provided
in Mr.. Edelen's bill, delegates Davis and
Cox, agreeably to the published statement
heretofore made by them, determined to
give their support to the Edelen bill. The
result of this concession and the influence
exerted upon the House inspection COM
mittee was to bring the Edelen bill. which
was generally understood to have received
q "black eye" in the insptetic committee
before the House with favorable report.
An amendment was proposed by the
House inspection committee providing
that, whenever the expenses of the ware
houses should exceed their receipts TO the
amount Of $4,000 in any one ear. that
a sale of the property should be made 10y
the Board of Public Works in the follow
ing year; ana the proceeds, after balsncing
the tobacco fund" account with the State.
should be distributed among the tobhcco
growing ceunries, on the basis OF the pro-
duction shown by the last census. This
was in itself most desirable amendment.
as an expression on v part of the present
legislature in regard to the ultimate dis
tribution of the proceeds of he warehouse
property was very much to he desired
But this question promised 10 give rise to
a protracted discussion and might have
jeopardized the final passage of the bill.
The amendment was therefore opposed be-
fore the inspection committee by the Dem
ocratic delegates from Charles and only
had a bare majority report to the House.
The chairman of the inspection committee
opposed it on he floor and it was reject
ed without a division.
The Edelen bill. with two immaterial
amendments is row being engrossed tor
third reading and will come up on its final
passage in the House during the present
week, when it will go through wi hout
opposition.
The action of delegates Davis aud Cox
in thus giving their support to the Fdelen
bill, at time when its defeat was gener
ally conceded, and thereby securing its
pass age. is in conformity with the pro-
mises made in their card to their consti
tuents recently published. They said that
although they had made their campaign
upon well defined policy in respect to
this question, that they should feel bound
to carry out the will of their constituents
whenever it should be ascertained in a
sufficiently definite and positive manner
The petitions that were received at Anna
polls contained little over 300 names
asking only modification of the law,
while the petition for a repeal purported
to have 53S names to it. This latter num-
Der was made up by the names of some OF
the signers being repeated in several
places and by the names of ignorant col
ored men who never grew q plant of to-
bacco in their lives while the 800 names
on the former petition were with very
few exceptions, those of substantial to-
bacco growers. But it was estimated after
careful consideration that of the 53S names
endorsing the Edelen bill, there were a.
bout 400 of a character equal to the 800
signers of the contrary petition; and the
decision was made on this basis. Thee
petitions are all in the possession of the
writer and will on some future occasion
be published in the TIMES.
Delegates Davis and Cox do not claim
the credit of the Edelen bill. They would
have preferred to amend the inspection
laws to the extent of giving the planter
the benefit of all other markets with their
different systems of inspection but at the
same time preserving to the planters of
Maryland the valuable property they have
acquired in the State warehouses. Such
modification of the law would have secur-
ed to the planters all the advantages N
the way of increased demand and improv-
ed prices which any legislation upon this
question can give them. This is fact which
any calm judging man familiar with the
question can plainly see, and is privately
admitted by Senator EdeleH himself, who
says that the letting in of private ware
houses in Baltimore was concession to a
mere sentiment and will have 30 practical
effect. But Senator Edelen, with full
knowledge of the policy upon which the
local campaign was made, and being him
self instrumental in the adoption of that
policy, having without any conference
with the delegation in the House or notice
to them, introduced bill Internationally
repeating the compulsory feature of the
law, the question was presented to the
delegation in the House whether to accept
thi is extreme measure or give the people
no legislation at all upon the question.