The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-10-30
Political Cards.
CARD.
A CARD.
AS to the Publication of Bondsmen's Manner

! n OAINDs
AS to the Publication of Bondsmen's Names
| In reference to the correspondence between N
N. Mock, editor of the Bel Air Times and the
Clerk of the Circuit Court for Hartford county,
with regard to the bonds of the hotel keepers OF
Havre de Grace, in which Mr.. Mock requests the
names of the bondsmen for the purpose of publi-
| the matter before the next Grand Jury, the &C.
| ton of the Clerk has been somewhat criticized,
for political effect.
The editor displays q singular unfamtliarity
with the laws of his State.
For the purpose of showing that the Clerk has
public records, in this in all other matters,
submit the following statements of facts to the
voters of Hartford county, some of whom, per
haps, smay be misled by the statements OF Mr..
Mock, which are evidently intended for that pur-
pose.
furnish copies of papers on record in his office
is embodied in the Code of Public General Laws
of the State of Maryland. 1t is as follows
every Clerk shall have the custody of the
books and papers pertaining to his efhce, and
shall carefully keep and preserve the same
He shall give CODY OF any paper or sse
upon being paid The usual fees for transcriplng
such paper or record. and shall annex thereto
his eertificate, under the seal OF his COURT re-
quired."
There is no law in the State of Maryland re-
quirng the Clerk TO furnish to newspaper pub
lIshers or any other person the names of bonds
men or extracts from any paper recorded IN MS
office. The Clerk is required, however, TO fur-
nlsn upon demand anu upon oelu8 paiu ioL tno
same, copies, (entire) of any paper on hle IN his
office. In the case under consideration no de-
mand has ever been made for copies or Inc DOnos
Of the hotel keepers in Havre de Grace. Wnen
this demand is made it will be complied with
In this connection permit me to quote the
language of Judge Robinson, OF the Court or APP
peals, in parallel case adjudicated by that court:
The decision is In the case of Belt. Clerk OF
Prince Georges county. against The Title Com
pany of Prince Georges county. Judge Robin
son says: go
There is no provision in the Code such as will
be found in the Statutes of the several States re-
ferred TO at bar, that all persons shall nave free
access to the public records of county,
and shall have the right to examine and make
copies or abstracts from the same. On the con-
trary, while our Code provides that every one
right of such information as they may afford, yet
it provides that such copies and searches StdH De
made By the Clerk himself and on the payment Of Such
fees as tie e0 prescri6es and the reason of this 10
obvious: Upon the safe keeping and preserva-
ton of the matters of record in the Clerks office
the most Important and valuable public and prl-
vate rights depend Here all deeds, mortgages,
DEGREES, Judgments, liens are recorded. Here,
docket entries in every suit at law or in equity
and IL every one, whether known or unknown TO
the Clerk. whether trustworthy or untrustwor-
thy, has The right to demand of the Clerk that
these records and papers shall be delivered to
him and that he himself shall examine and make
extracts from the same, then the law anords
every facility to designing and interested persons
to mutilate and to impair the integrity OF SUCH
records"
Furthermore, the law requires that "the Clerk
shall lay before every Grand Jury attending his
Court list of all licenses granted by him and
not by him before returned to any Grand jury
This provision of the law has always been
strictly complied with, as is well known by every
man who has every served upon the Grand Jury.
' f''pWM WIN. s. FoRwooD. JR..
Chief Deputy Clerk.