The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-02-15
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
STATE HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS,
February 10, 1902. :

the members of their party into line, the re-
manning half of the session will see politics more
at the front than at any time since the election
of German and Vandiver, more than month
ago.
The first of their schemes which they will en-
deavor to put through will be the bill to author
ize the supervisors of election to gerrymander
the wards and legislative districts OF Baltimore
city. Gerrymandering the city has always been
a favorite scheme with the party which happens
to be dominant at Annapolis for the time being.
The Republicans passed a redividing act in 1898,
and, despite all their precautions to make GER
tain of the districts and wards surely safe for
their party in the next election. that of 1882
they went Democratic. Again in 1sOOthe Demo
Gratis changed things around, and made a division
which they confidently boosted would ensure
the legislative and councimanic districts for
their party. But last years election, both for
the council in the spring and for the General
Assembly In the fall, showed the utter futility
of gerrymanders, and the Republicans carried
everything before them. Undeterred, however,
by the experience of both parties, and untaught
by what has happened, the Democrats are about
to play the same old game in the same old way,
and no one with Judgment which is unblinded
by party prejudice can foresee anything but
disaster for them and their pains. The truth is
the people do not like gerrymanders and will
not tolerate them. In the future, as in the past,
they will rebuke all such scheming and will
overturn at the polls the plans OF the most
astute and careful political managers. Such is
the experience in all parts of the country almost
without exception, and Maryland has been no
exception to this rule.
Jne past MS ene mum Der of bills passed. as we'll
bo..a
to look after matters of interest to their To-
calities. Baltimore county has sent down an
exceptionally large number of visitors, most of
whom have been here in regard to the appoint
ment of school commissioners. Protests of the
strongest and most emphatic character have
been made against the reappointment of Com
missioner William d. Krout, and prominent
citizens from every section of the county have
been here to see the county delegation and the
Governor on this subject. Mr.. Krout's friends
have also been very active and strong petitions
have been made in his favor. The general i'm
preston here, however, among the county peo-
pie on the ground, is that Mr.. Krout will not be
reappointed. The Governor has said nothing
publicly to indicate what he will do, but those
closest to his Excellency predict that he will
give the position to some new man. The matter
will be decided not later than next Wednesday,
which is the last day allowed by the Constitution
of the State for considering appointments, as at
that time the last names must be sent to the SEN
ate for action by that body. 1t understood the
other county appointments will not occasion
much trouble, and that in majority of cases
the present incumbents will be retained for
another two years. -ta
MIR. Painter is at last showing some signs of
independence, which was predicted in the first
of this series of letters. He is finding out how
worthless are the Establishments of the machine
crowd, and the indications are that before the
end Of the session he will take his place beside
Mr.. Straus and one or two others who are OPP
posed to the ring and will use his influence to
aid them in overthrowing the plans Of the
bosses. They may keep him with them short
time longer, but unless all the usual signs fail,
he will not aid them to any great extent from
now to the end of the session.
Among the bills introduced by the county
members during the week are the following:
By Mr. Rogers-To incorporate the North
American Security and Trust Company of Bal
timore city.
By Mr.. Green-AnAct to amend chapter 1874,
of the Acts of 1890, entitled an Act to regulate
the sale and granting of licenses for the sale of
spirtuous and fermented liquors in Baltimore
county, by adding thereto new sections to fol-
low Immediately after section 10. (This bill will
require clubs and other organizations giving
picnics, oyster roasts, and such entertainments
where liquor is furnished, to pay license.J
By Mr.. Rogers-A bill to provide for the ap-
pointment of surgeon for Troop A, cavalry.
BY Mr.. Painter-To repeal the Act imposing
licenses on hucksters selling hay.
Reported favorably by delegation in House
IT.
order roads through their property.
By Mr.. Rogers-An Act to declare the sanction
of the General Assembly to certain deeds made
by various persons to the Convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of
Maryland. PAUL WINCHESTER.
ONE OF the gravest evils of war is the fact
that contractors, like harpies, fasten upon the
vitals of their country and are so greedy that
they would eat the very insides out of her
treasury. There is many a rich family today,
superciIious and aristocratic that made its
money by cheating the government during our
Civil War. Much no doubt was made out of
our Spanish War. Now while rascality can
not be excused by comparing ourselves with
the wrong-doing of others, still it is a sort of
comfort TO know we are not any worse than
others. Turn to the Boer War. 1t is now
boldly assertedin the House of Commons that
the horse dealers, or contractors, have made
s40,000,0 600 ont of s9O,0OO,0OO contract to re-
mount the English army in South Africa.
Truly, war demoralizes in all directions. 1t
creates moral status in the ranks of the sol
diers themselves a country does not soon re-
cover from, and creates standard of ethics in
contracting which affects the honesty of all
dealings the land over. Directly or indirectly,
it takes many day to recover from the i'll
effects of great war.
Miss LAURA CLAY, cousin ofthe great states
man Henry Clay, was one of the speakers at
meeting held in Baltimore a few days ago uu-
der the auspices of the Woman's Suffrage Asso-
citation of Maryland. She spoke very plainly
and among other things said "Those who
seek to secure equal rights for women come in
conflict with sentiment called on the one
hand chivalry and on the other true woman
illness. That sentiment was true sixty years
ago, but not today, and every time taxpaying
woman pays down her taxes she takes lesson
in that old principle, Taxation without repre-
sentation is tyranny How long will women
acquiesce Our conditions today are not due
to men-though 1 know you would be glad to
have me say they are-but to the women
themselves, to their selishness and their lack
of the love of justice. 1t is more because of
the apathy of women than because of the an
tagonism of men that woman suffrage has not
advanced further than it has"
SENATOR HANNA has gathered, through a
clipping bureau, everything that has been said
in the editorial columns of the newspapers of
the United States and England concerning the
death of William Mckinley There are ID 900
of these clippings, contained in four large
volumes, and forming most remarkable
tribute to the love and esteem in which the late
President was held by the Englishspeaking
world. The historian of hundred years
hence must form his opinion of McKinley's
character from contemporary comment in the
newspapers. Such being the case, it can readi
ly be seen how serious matter it is for jour
nal to be as impartial as fate and as careful in
statement as scientific deduction.
KANSAS HAS inst completed its forty-first