The Republican., 1895-11-14
PATRONAGE OF THE GOVERNOR,
His Power Constantly Increased for
Years.

changes in the personnel of the
State officials, and faces which have
been familiar to those coming in
contact with the men who control
public affairs so far as they are con-
nected with the administration of
government of the commonwealth
will give place to others.
The governor of Maryland, under
the constitution and laws now in
force, has greater power than the
executive of almost any other State
in the Union. In addition to the
appointment of purely State Off
cials the governor has it incumbent
upon him to appoint large num-
ber of county officials whose posi-
tions are in other States usually
filled by popular election or by au-
thority of the county commission
ers.
The great power and patronage
Of the executive has been built up
as the result of a partisan fear on
the part of the controlling faction
in the Democratic party that the
Republicans might at some time
get in possession of too many of the
local County Boards of Commits
sioners.
Session after session of the Gen
eral Assembly has taken power away
from County Commissioners and
lodged it in the hands of the Gov
ernors. Whenever county would
60 Republican many of the Demo
Gratis would rush to Annapolis and
lobby through the Legislature bill
taking away most of the fruits of
victory by transferring the appoint
ments to the Governor. In this
way several of the treasurers in the
lower counties are now named by
the Governor instead of being cleo
ted by the people or appointed by
the County Commissioners. The
local school boards are now all
named by the Governor, although
at one time they were selected by
the Judges of the Circuit Court.
The first changes were made for
partisan reasons, openly so stated
at the time before the General
Assembly, in the circuits where the
judges, or majority of them, were
Republicans. At one time the cleo
ton officials were appointed by the
County Commissioners, but in
those counties which frequently, or
only occasionally welt Republican,
the law was changed until now all
are named by the Governor.
In fact, every session of the Cen
eral Assembly for the past twenty
years, Democrats who were defeated
for Office in their own counties
would be present at Annapolis cry
ing out to have their successful op-
ponents legislated out of office and
the appointments conferred on
themselves by the Governor. In
many cases they were successful,
and in some instances where it
would be awkward to make the
change in that way, the Legislature
would abolish the office to which
Republican had been elected and
impose its duties on some other
official, who was generally Demo-
crat.
This has been going on ever since
the present constitution was adop-
ted in 1867 until now. The Gov
ernor has large list of appoint
ments to make every session of the
General Assembly, besides the
filling of vacancies in the interim
between the meetings.
The principal appointments
which will be made by Governor
elect Lowndes, with the salaries and
present incumbents, are as follows:
Secretary of State, Edwin Gott,
of Anne Arundel; salary $4,000,
with two clerks at $1,000.
Chief of the Bureau of Industrial
Statistics, Allen Bowie Howard, jr.,
of Baltimore city; salary S2500,
with two clerks at $50 per month
each.