The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-03-27
[From our Special Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS. March Goth, 1896.

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|Ll ] u ~ ole two Houses.
An effort was made in the Senate to have
the bill printed at the last moment, but
this did not prevail. If it had it would
have been heavy nail in the coffin of the
assessment act. What Gov. Lowndes will
do remains mystery.
There was an immense amount of poll
tics on Tuesday night in the Legislature
during the voting on the Anne Arundel
election cases. There was a strictly party
vote in which the Democrats were sadly in
the vocative. DIR. George Wells, Clerk to
the Circuit Court, was voted out of office,
along with Judges Duvall and Cheston, all
Democrats. The new election was ordered
on the 21st of April During the debates
DIR. Barber, of Talbot, and Speaker Mudd
spoke of the Anne Arundel Court in most
abusive manner. DIR. Barber stigmatized it
as depraved and corrupt The Anne Arun-
del Democrats will resent this attack on
their judiciary. The Democrats are con-
fident of their ability to elect the gentle
men who have been turned out of Office
The Worcester delegation Jared better
than the Anne Arundel officials. They
were voted in their seats; but it is whisper
ed all around the State House and boldly
proclaimed ON the floor of the House dur
| ing the vote on the Anne Arundel cases,
that the Worcester report was the result of
an agreement by certain of the Democratic
Senators to go into the election for Police
Commissioners of Baltimore if the Repub-
| licans of the House would seat the WOrceS-
ter delegates.
| A spicy debate took place ON Monday
| evening on the bill to keep the colored
schools open whenever ten scholars were in
attendance, and to build a new colored
school house in every district in the State
The Republican side assured the Democrats
that there was no politics in it, but the
Democratic part of the chamber declined to
accept the assurance, and the bill was de-
feated by strict party vote. This was an
easy way to pay off the Republican debts
to the colored voter, by putting the Repub-
lican party hand in the pockets of the white
Democratic Taxpayers, whilst all the of
fees have been gobbled up by the white
Republicans.
In the machinery of assessment under
the House bill the Governor is required to
appoint one assessor for each election dis
trict in the counties, and one for each cleo
ton precinct in the city of Baltimore. He
is also required to appoint three persons as
boards of control and review in each of the
counties, and three persons in each of the
six districts as boards of control and review.
For the city of Baltimore there were no as
SCISSORS at large provided for in the House
bill. By the Senate bill the power of APP
pointing election district assessors and as
SCISSORS at large i'll the counties is vested in
the respective Boards of County Commits
siOners for the counties, and in the Mayor
and City Council of Baltimore for that city.
The committee has adopted and recon-
mended a compromise measure as to the
machinery of assessments-briefiy stated as
follows: In the counties the election dis
tricts are grouped into assessment districts.
For each such assessment district the Gov
ernor is to appoint two assessors at large
from each of the two leading political par
ties of the State, from a list of three to be
presented by the State Central Committee
of each respective party in each county.
In the counties the County Commissioners
are to act as boards of control and review
In the city of Baltimore there are no asses
sors at large The Appeal Tax Court is to
group the precinct assessors into groups of
three, and they act together in their pre-
cincts, thus accomplishing the same object
and preventing one man acting as assessor
anywhere in the State.
Since our last letter to the CITIZEN, the
following legislation affecting Frederick
County, has transpired: On Wednesday
night of last week, the House bill to amend
the charter of Brunswick, Frederick County.
was passed. On the same night, the Senate
bill to amend the charter of Middletown,
Frederick County, was passed. On Thurs
day morning, the bill to provide for the
election of three commissioners in Frederick
County, was passed in the Senate. On the
same morning. Senator Norwood introduced
bill to incorporate the Insurance, Trust
and Guarantee Company of Frederick
County. The House bill to authorize the
Mayor and City Council of Brunswick to
issue bonds for water-works, as the citizens
so determine. Mr.. Markell obtained leave
to introduce bill to provide for careful
revision and amendment of the laws of
Maryland relating to crimes and punish
ment, and the modes of pleading and pro-
cedure. On Friday morning, Senator
Norwood introduced a bill to amend the act
of 1896. in relation to the examination of
witnesses in chancery cases. At the night
session bill was introduced to prohibit the
sale ofintoxicating liquors within one mile
of Braddock Heights, Frederick County;
also, to give the Mayor and Aldermen of
Frederick power to regulate the use of the
streets by telephone, gas, and other COM
panies. The bill to provide for treasurer
for Frederick County was passed in the
House. At the night session, Mr.. Miller
obtained leave to introduce bill to repeal
an act Incorporating the town of Burkitts-
vile, Frederick County.
Senator NOrwood's bill to provide for the
revision of the criminal law of the State,
which met with an unfavorable report, was
reconsidered in the Senate, and the bill was
substituted for the unfavorable report, on
Tuesday night