The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-03-03
Speeid! Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
STATE HousE. ANNApoL1s.

March 1st. 1900
Aessrs. Editors This week has been the most
interesting Of the present session. and more
visitors have been attracted to the State House
than at any time since the Inauguration of Gov
ernor Smith brought unusual crowds to the
capital.
In spite Of the active work of the old ring
Democratic lobby under the direction Of State
Treasurer Murray vandiver and ex-Comptroller
Marion DeKalb Smith. the dollar gas bill passed
the Senate on Tuesday and is now awaiting the
action of the House of Delegates. All the pres
ent indications point to the speedy passage of
the bill by the House, although the lobby has
already begun its work on the members and the
same character of corrupt bargaining is going
on which came SO near defeating the bill when
1t was before the Senate. The belief Is general,
however, that a large proportion of the members
are honest men and that the gang OF corruption
lists will fail to influence any large number of
them.
majority of the members of the House. made
up OF all the Republicans, many of the city dele
gates and several from Democratic counties,
have become extremely hostile to Speaker Will
klnson and are opposing many of his favorite
schemes and reversing his rulings whenever an
appeal Is taken from decision of the chair.
They accuse him of making arbitrary and I'M
warranted rulings and of attempting to play the
roll of dictator. Some of the Democrats are ex-
tremely resentful toward Mr.. Wilkinson, and
vote against him on all possible occasions, no
matter what may arise. On Wednesday they
adjourned the House over until the next day
just because the Speaker was anxious to hold
night session, and in other ways they manifest
their opposition to his wishes All this BODIES
Ill for the Democratic majority and shows that
the members Of the dominant party are by no
means as united and happy family az they
seemed to be at the beginning of the session.
Much of this hostility Is attributed to disap-
pointment at the apportionment Of the patron
age by the Governor, as the Speaker is held re-
sponsible for exerting great influence with His
Excellency in the formation of his slate of APP
pointees.
Delegates Sandman, Stewart and Choate have
been absent during the greater part of the week.
Mr.. Sandman had death in his family, while
Mr.. Stewart and Mr.. Choate were both unwell.
Bills were introduced by the county members
as follows:
BY Mr. Hubner.-To repeal and re-enact with
amendments section II, of Article 81, of the code
of Public General Laws, title "Juries."
BY Mr.. Mann.-An act to provide for the d.
vision of the first election precinct of the Four
teenth Election district of Baltimore county,
into two election precincts to be known as Pre-
cinct No. !, and Precinct No. 8. respectively"
The advocates of the retention of the present
Sunday law came down to Annapolis on Tues
day in great force and filed the State House to
overlooking. In fact they crowded the hall of
the House to such an extent that the members
were unable to enter, and when they made their
addresses In favor of the present law and against
~ XIII
to the men who had come down with the dele
cation, while the Senator and Delegates who are
to vote on the measure were on the outside, ex-
cept in very few instances where they were
able to squeeze themselves in. The practice of
bringing large and unwieldy delegations down
here to influence legislation often does more
harm than good by crowding the State House to
such an extent that the members are unable to
hear the very speeches that are intended to i'm
press them. The chances, however, are that the
members have always been opposed to such
changes in the law and are quite as strongly OPP
posed to them now as ever before.
One of the peculiarities of this Session is the
fact that no member of the majority has come
to the front as a leader in debate. There
are several fluent speakers, but no one has de-
veloped qualities which make him leader and
there is not really eloquent man in the whole
lot. Wordiness is the characteristic of the
House of Delegates. and there are probably
more tiresome and windy speakers here than in
any session for years. In the Senate. on the
other hand, there are several able and really
eloquent speakers on both sides of the House.
Among the prominent citizens of the county
who were here during the week were Judge
Burke and DIR. Henry J. Hebb.
Bills introduced by Mr.. Jeffers.-An act to
create Levy Court for the county, to consist
of three judges to be appoin+od ny, t'ss fss-ssst
csaaa. 49,. Vie
county taxes and the time and manner of col
lecting the same to fix assessments and abate-
ments and determine the amount of taxes to be
imposed for county purposes. Also, an act to
prohibit the County Commissioners of Baltimore
county from spending or appropriating any
greater sum of money than they shall have
levied upon the taxable basis of said county for
the current expenses of said county for the en-
suing year, for which said levy is made"
PAUL WINCHESTER.