Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-09
MARYLAND IN 4 BAD FIX The Governor Has Entirely Too
 Much Power. DEMOCRATS RESPONSIBLE Republicans Will Give Them Taste of Their
 Own Medicine. CHICKENS WILL COME HOME Tu BOOST Hon. Lloyd Lowndes Has Tremendously Long List of Appointments to Make
 and So Has Mayor Hooper
 of Baltimore.
DEMOCRATS RESPONSIBLE
CHICKENS WILL COME HOME Tu BOOST

Baltimore, Nov. S.-Hon. Lloyd LoWndes will have a larger list of appointments to make, more patronage to bestow and greater power when he becomes governor of Maryland two months hence than could fall to the lot of the executive or almost any other state in the union In addition to the appointment of purely state officials, it is, under the constitu- ton and laws of Maryland, incumbent upon the governor, who has always here tofore been a democrat, to appoint large number of county officials whose positions are in other states usually filled by popular election, or by author ity of the county commissioners. By rea- son of the negro majority or great negro strenth in some of the counties of Mary land this policy of the state to concen- trate more and more the government in the hands of the governor was adopted. Then, too, whenever a county would go republican the democrats would rush about through the legislature, taking most of the fruits of victory from their opponents by transferring the appoint ments to the governor. In this way sev- eral of the treasurers in the counties are named by the governor; the local school boards are all named by him; he also appoints the liquor license com missioners, police magistrates and jus lices of the peace for Baltimore city But more important than all this, politically speaking is the governors absolute con- trol, through his appointments. of the en- tire election machinery of the state. Not many years ago the election officials were appointed by the county commissioners, but as soon as county went republican the law was changed by the dominant party of the state, until .now all are .,aI hx,4 h ernH Q tion of a few supervisors of elections democrats now fill all these berths.
 Taken all together MT. Lowndes will have small republican army installed in office within fifty days of the opening of the session of the general assembly next January, the law requiring that ap- pointments be made within that period. Since Tuesdays election results became known democratic officeholders and their sympathiZers have been bitterly denounc- ing the unparalleled consolidation of the power in the hands of the Maryland gov ernor. The republicans smile and reply: We have complained unceasingly for twenty-eight years; now it is our turn to laugh."'s
 The republican army of officeholders will be materially increased through Mayor Hooper's appointments in Balti- more city and the patronage attached, to the control of the general assembly. The civil service reform plank of the repub- lican state convention is a. subject that is interesting that class of citizens who think they ought to hold offices under the newly elected state and city government, The reforms promised in regard to the registra tion and election laws is an en- crossing topic among the people gener- ally. Many leading democrats openly air their convictions that unless reforms are introduced it will not be possible for the democrats to reclaim the state in the immediate future. On the contrary, Hon. George l.. Wellington, the republi- can leader in the state, says: "The first mission of the republican party in Mary land must be to enact a law to guaran tee that every voter of this state shall have a vote, which shall be honestly counted and properly returned. We must keep our promises: if we do the democrats who were with us this year will stay with us for years to come"
 prominent democratic politician smiled sardonically when told of what Mr. Wellington had said: "The repub- licans- are more likely to keep Maryland in the grand old party column through a continuation of the despotic power given to them under our present laws than by weaning over a lot of demo- crats through reform legislation The republicans have suffered for these many years because of the unusual power given to our chief executive. With the first opportunity before them before that power of perpetuation of republicanism, is it reasonable to expect that they will throw it away? No. they are much more likely, despite what MT. Wellington says, fa pive llS A taste of our own medicine