The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-22
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
STATE HOUSE. ANNAPOLIS,
March 20, 1902.



Special to The linton.
The rush in both houses this week has had all
the energy usual to the closing days of the ses-
sion, and the desire has been to get all sorts of
local and other bills through. The sessions have
been frequent and the hours long. and the re-
suit has been great amount of work, the merits
and dement's Of which cannot be determined
until after the volume of the Acts of 1902 has
been issued from the press early in the summer.
The political situation so far as partisan
measures are concerned, has not changed. The
probability is that no purely partisan bill can
go through. and that all such matters will be the
result of compromise, in which asystem OF give
and take will be INDUCED in by the leaders OF
both houses. This system of compromise will
possibly end in the passage of some important
amendments to improve the election law. sew
erage bill for Baltimore city, primary election
law for the city and few of the counties. in
Guiding Baltimore county, Corrupt Practices
Act and other bills of more or less importance
to the general public.
The corporations have had full sway in both
houses to a greater extent than usual this ses-
sion, and the record shows the passage of more
corporation measures than in any session ever
held Many of these have been no more than
technical amendments to charters, while the
number of new charters granted has been be-
yond all precedent. OF bills which corporations
opposed or which were intended to curb cor
porate powers not one of any moment has been
passed, and corporation ridden has been ap-
piled more than once to both houses. When
corporation measure has been taken up the pub
lie interest has been lost to sight. Much has
been said about the dear people" from time to
time by the members of both houses, but votes
in the interest of popular bills have been few
and far between. Some of the members are not
open to this charge, but that it is true of the
majority is clearly borne out by the record.
Senator Hubner has said to your correspon-
dent that he will oppose the passage of the bill
to increase the number of County Commission
ers to five, in which case the bill will not be-
come a law. Mr.. Painter will oppose the bill in
the House. The other delegates will favor it.
The bill to prohibit the sale of liquor, beer,
ETC., near White Hall school, has passed both
houses and will be signed by the Governor.
Messers. Slade, Everhart and Green opposed it
in the House, while Messrs. Painter, Knoebel
and Rogers favored it. The opponents came
near defeating it, but its friends rallied to its
support and got it through after decided
struggle in which absent members were hunted
up and brought in to cast their votes before the
roll call was concluded
Mr. Painter has introduced bill entitled IAN
Act to add a new section to Article n of the
code of Public General Laws of Maryland, title
Public Education subtitle Chapter 5, Duties
of the District School Trustees to follow sec
ton 81 of said Article. and to be known as Sec
ton 3lA.' and also to repeal and re-enact with
amendments the following respective sections
of said Article, that is to say, Section ~, said
sub title; Section AZ. subtitle Chapter
Schools as amended by Chapter 5Ss OF the acts
ton 49, subtitle Chapter Schools and Section
40, subtitle Chapter 8, Teachers"
Mr.. Rogers has introduced an amendment to
the county road law which fixes the pay of over
seers at not more than $150 per day, and pro-
hibits those officers from furnishing material or
using their own teams for county work.
Mr.. Knoebel has introduced bill to establish
a new health board for the county, to consist of
one member from each district. The Office of
secretary to the board is abolished, and the pay
of each member ranges from 1925 to $500 per
year. and the members, who are to be physicians,
are required to attend to vaccinations and to be
sub-registrars of births and deaths. The saw
ing from abolishing the Office of secretary will
very nearly pay the expenses of the board under
the proposed law.
Mr.. Painter has introduced new primary
election law for the county, which amends the
present statute on the subject, and completing
it where deficient. It renders the clerks and
judges liable for making false returns or reject
ing lawful ballots; prohibiting electioneering
within one hundred feet Of the polls, as in the
general law. No expense is to be placed on the
county by the law. No radical change is made
in the present law except the penalties for I'M
fair or illegal practices. The bill contains other
excellent provisions as to tickets, etc., and on
the whole is great improvement on the pres
ent statute. PAUL WINCHESTER.