The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-04-03
END OF THE LEGISLATIVE
SESSION.
Especial to the Citlzen.]


The January session of 1896 of the Legis-
lature of Maryland is over, and may we
never look upon it's like again
One public measure alone that the party
was committed to give and which the public
had a right to expect was passed, and that
was the Assessment Act. Yet no man know
eth what it will bring forth On the very
heel of the session the bill was passed, and
the gubernatorial knife was applied to it
and its very vitals taken out, and the Gov
ernor sent a message to the Legislature
about the bill which plainly indicated, that
if you do not change this bill to resemble the
corpse that have suggested it should be,
will veto the measure. The billwas emas-
culated. Then it is to have the benign in
terpretations put on it by Republican adj
ministration, overshadowed by the influence
of the great corporation Of tax-dodgers, to
which the Republican party is so largely in
debted for being In power. So there can be
no reform counted on this line until the end
comes. But the bill of complaints that the
people of Maryland has against three months
of Republican government is legion.
1st The Legislature violated the Eastern
Shore Statute and the House cody acknowl-
edged its political crime by repeating the
Act after it had violated the law, and send
ing it over to a Democratic Senate, which
treated it with the indignation that it de-
served by killing it as soon as it made its
appearance in that body.
2nd. The Governor attempted to toist on
the Democracy unknown and Objectionable
men as Democratic Supervisors of Election
in Calvert appointing man that Senator
Bond of Calvert did not even know-and in
ST. Mary's selecting as the Democratic Su-
pervisor the business partner of Senator Will
kinson, Republican, of that county. On this
the Democratic Senate read the riot act to
the Governor and showed its Democratic
teeth and began those obstructive measures
that brought the Republican Governor, and
finally the House, to some sort of terms.
Bird. No Legislature ever attempted to
pass so many partizan measures as the pres
ent House. Not week passed, and Sena-
tors Bruce and Crothers, at the Annapolis
Democratic meeting this week are authority
for it, that the House did not send over for
the Senate to strangle some measure looking
to give political places to Republicans or to
take them away from Democrats. A dozen
bills of this kind the Senate killed. In leg
islation general they did the same thing,
aod if with no hope of passing, except to
catch the Democratic Senate mapping, the
Republican House attempted all these bills,
what would have been the result had there
been no Democratic Senate as bulwark to
their outrages?
4th. Then the Republicans attempted to
pass an Act putting the appointment of the
Police Board of Baltimore in the hands of
the Governor-the executive coming down
to the Legislature himself to see what might
be done. They sent for President Bruce
and told him there was great public SEN
timent behind and wanting it. Every well, !"
said Mr.. Bruce, elf the public wants it, 1
will favor it, but | want bipartisan
board" From that moment" says Mr..
Bruce, &C never heard another word of the
BILL"
5th. Then the House started out to take
from the home of Confederate widows its
meagre appropriation. Senator Bruce, in
his speech here, told how he let some gal
liant Union soldiers who were above such a
spirit, know that retaliation would naturally
follow, and then the House was forced into
making the appropriation to the Conteder-
ates.
9th. The Republicans passed hi partizan
Election Bill, and they deserve no credit for
it. This, too, is on the authority of Presi-
dent Bruce The House, after the Senate
had refused registration in the counties,
thought that the Senate would not pass an
Election Bill with this provision in it, and
so confidently sent it over to the Democratic
Senate But the Democrats did pass the
bill, and not only that, refused to amend it,
for fear it would give the Republicans OPP
portunity to kill off the bill. Senator Bruce
said that several Republicans in the House
who wanted the bill passed, counselled him
never to let the bill return to the House
with any amendments, if it did so return
the House would never pass the bill. So
this reform was accomplished in spite of the
wishes and intentions of the House.
7th. 1t was the Legislature phenomenal
for its easy influence to the wiles of the
monied and corporate interests Look at
the gas bills introduced. After the great
est Juror in the matter over the wicked gas
companies, in a night, the conflict ceased.
Why? The inference is the gas companies
had come down with the fat to the lobby,
and the inference is that it went somewhere
into the pockets of members who were hiss
ing on this piratical legislation.
9Th. As to the corruption of the House, it
is only necessary to quote the Baltimore
American" on Wellington's election. OF
this illegal proceeding this Republican jour-
nal said: "The election of George L. Well
ington to the United States Senate was only
accomplished by the most shameful promises
and corrupt bargaining away of State offices
by the Governor at the dictation of Yelling
ton and Judge David w. Sloan and others,
that the Speaker and officers and members
of the House were influenced in their votes
for Wellington by promises of offices and
bribery
9th. The rigid partnership of the House
in the election cases in contradistinction to
the Senate which seated Senator Westcott
who had a margin of only three votes.
10th. The adroit device of referring the
Civil Service proposition to the people, be-
cause they well know that that means its
defeat.
18th. The main business of the session
was merely to gain partizan advantage and
to secure offices, and build up the machine.
Gov. Lowndes bought Wellington's way to
the Senate; Speaker Mudd paved his way to
congressional nomination.; and any number
of Legislators sold out individually their
consciences and their constituencies to be in
with the administration, and secure taste
of the grapes. The Democratic Senate alone
has saved the State from the most shameless
and reckless legislation and abuse of the
appointing power.
Since the last issue of the s'CITIZEN. -