Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-12-17

lance as the "double cross" Emperor Will.
liam has nothing TO boast of on the score of
manners in this Haytian affair.
THE COMING LEGISLATURE
The session of 1898 of the General Assem-.
bly, of Maryland will begin January 4, the
first Wednesday OF that month being the
| time set by the constitution. The Senate is
composed of eighteen Republicans and eight
Democrats, and the House has forty-nine
Republicans and forty. two Democrats. The
Republicans have majority of seventeen
on joint ballot. AT the session of 1896 the
Republican party was obstructed by Dem
ocratic Senate. This time that party has
| the Governor and both houses of the Assem-
| bly,. Their power is complete, except that
they cannot pass bill through the House
to amend the constitution against the oppo
| sition of the Democratic minority. To pass
such bill through the House requires fifty
seven votes, and there are but forty-nlne
The seats of five Democrats in the House,
namely, four from Anne Arundel and one
from Prince Georges, will be contested, but
even if the Republican contestants in all Of
these cases should be seated, there would
still be lacking three votes.
On the second Tuesday after the meeting
and organization of the Legislature, in ODE
dience to the federal statute, each House
will vote for United States Senator to sue
coed the Hon. Arthur p. German, whose
term will expire March 4, 1899. The next
day the two houses will meet in joint con-
vention, and if it shall appear that the same
person received majority of the votes OF
each House, his election is declared. Other
wise viva voce vote of the joint convention
will be taken daily until an election is
reached The Legislature will also be called
upon to elect Treasurer of the State to sue.
coed Mr.. Thomas j. Shryock, and police
commissioner to succeed Mr.. Edison M
Schryver, whose term of office will expire
March Is, 1899.
The indications at the present time are
that an unusually large number of import
ant measures will be brought forward at
this session. The most important of these,
perhaps, is the bill for a new charter for the
city of Baltimore, repeating and amending
article IL of the constitution, except the
seventh section, and vast number of local
laws which constitute what has been called
the charter OF the city. The twelfth article
Of the constitution, relating to the city, ex
cept the seventh section, which contains the
debt restriction, can be amended by an act
of Assembly without submission to the PEG
pie.
There is a demand by many of the Repub
lican county papers and Others for a call for
a constitutional convention, and it is likely
that bill making such a call will be in
troduced early in the session. The main
object of this movement seems to be to in
crease the representation of Baltimore city
in the General Assembly Another bill OF
scarcely less importance than these will be
a bill to revise and modernize the procedure
of the courts and have a fusion of the law
and equity courts, doing away, as far as can
be done, with the distinction between them
Maryland has held on to the common law
forms and procedure more tenacously than
England and than almost any other State
of the Union The Court of Appeals Of
MARYLAND has come to be the oldest common
law tribunal in existence. 1t is also pro
posed to attempt to enlarge the jurisdiction
of justices of the peace and reform the whole
system, making the office of justice of the
peace more honorable and important one.
Ii there is a new constitution, an abolition
or complete change of the orphans courts
will be attempted.
The Governor will recommend some
changes in the election law, and it is not
unlikely that the changes will go beyond
the Governors recommendations. The great
est complaint which has been made against
the law by the counties is the expense of
holding elections under it. There will be
an attempt made to make changes looking
to the prevention OF bribery.
The assessment bill enacted in 1896 de-
mands much revision. That act requires a
biennial listing of personal property, begin
ming In 1898. AS the first listing has Just
been made and is still incomplete, ii is likely
there will be movement to repeal this
clause and avoid this additional vexation at
this time. A bill will also, it is said, be
brought in to repeal the mortgage tax,
which has been vexatious, harmful to Dor
rowers, and has produced but little revenue.
Other bills which are promised are as fol-
lows: Regulating primary elections, creating
the office of jury commissioner for Baltimore
city, giving to the City Council OF Baltimore
power to regulate the price Of gas and eiec-
trio lights, redivision of the city of Balti-
more and some of the larger towns OF the
State into wards, establishing State de.
partment OF roads, and possibly bill to re.
organize the police department OF Balti-
more.
These are some of the more important
measures, and there will OF course, be the
usual deluge OF bills granting additional
powers to various companies. Bait. Sun
Hon. John W. Daniel, of Virginia, had
the rare compliment paid him on Tuesday Of