The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-01-01
THE MARYLAND LAWMAKERS
The Most Important Session Held in
Many Years.
SIDNEY E. MUDD TO Be SPEAKER
Republicans of the House Decided to Elect
the Ex-congressman as Presiding
oficer-Democra Support John
Walter Smith for President

ANNAPOLIS, Jan. 1.-The Republican
members of the Maryland house of dele.
gates, in caucus last night, nominated
ex-Congressman Sidney K. Mudd for
speaker; Martin Higgins of Talbot, for
chief clerk; @. l.. Wilson, of Baltimore,
for reading clerk, and James Albert Smith,
of Laurel, for journal clerk The Eastern
Shore people claim a victory in the sena-
torship fight against Congressman George
l., Wellington. The Democratic mombers
Of the senate nominated John Walter
Smith, of Worcester for president Mr..
Smith was president of the last senate.
Senator w. Cabell Bruce, of Baltimore,
who was elected as a Democrat declined
to enter the caucus. This leaves practi-
cally deadlock if Bruce fails to vote for
Senator Smith when the Senate attempts
to organize.
The present meeting of the Maryland
legislature promises to excite more general
interest than any of its predecessors in
many years. One of the reasons for this
is the fact that it is the first of it's kind in
which the Republican party have had
majority in either house since the close of
the late civil war. Another is that it will
electa United States senator to succeed
Charles H, Gibson, and rs the Republicans
have n safe majority on joint ballot, there
seems no reasonable room for doubt that
Senator German will, for the first time
since he became a senator, have a Repub-
lican colleague
1t will also excite great interest because
it will attempt to enact many measures of
reform, which it is understood will, if
passed, have great deal to do with the
political future of the state. That there
lNaV
certain, because the Democrats still retain
control of the senate by n slender margin,
and as most of the proposed legislation
will be aimed at alleged abuses that it is
claimed have grown up under Democratic
rule stubborn resistance to their passage
seems certain.
The organization of the house and SEN
ate will have no special bearing on the flu
ture of those bodies. No business of great
moment will be undertaken until after the
Inauguration of Governor elect Lowndes
on Jan. 8.
A serious split exists in the Republican
ranks over what is known sGs the eastern
shore law" which provides that one of
Maryland's senators shall come from that
portion of the state which lies east of the
Chesapeake bay. This law has stood upon
the statute books since 1885, and has never
been ignored, but now it is proposed to set
it aside and to choose man from the
western portion of the state to sit in the
United States senate with Senator Cor
man, who also halls from that section
A majority of the Republican members
are also from that section, and it is pro-
posed to override the minority, Without
the minority votes the Republicans can
not elect United States senator. Upon
the other hand, the members from the
western shore claim that the law is uncon-
stitutional and unjust, because of the
great disparity in the population of the
two sections, and are equally determined
not to vote for man from the eastern
shore until it is clear that one from the
west cannot be elected.