The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-03-20
Less Than Two Weeks Remain of
the Session and Little
Accomplished.
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS UNCHANGED
The Coalition Still Has Possession of the
Lever House Despite the Old Ring.
Corruption and Crooked Practices Ran
ni.K Riot-The Local Measures For
Garrett County Are All in Coed Shape.
Especial 20 The Republican,


In less than two weeks the General
Assembly will have completed its
work and adjourned. Its course dur
ing the past since January has been
such that it is not probable that much
legislation of a positive and beneficial
character will be passed. The most
that can be expected is that no posi-
lively bad bills will be allowed to get
through and that the usual mass of
purely local and county legislation
will go through in order to give work
to sessions in years to come in the
way to repeal the work of this and
other sessions of previous years.
The political characteristics Of the
session are unchanged. The combi-
nation of Republicans, Mr.. Straus
and the Anne Arundel delegates still
controls the House and there are no
signs of disintegration, despite the
prophecies of the old ring adherents
to the contrary. To this combina-
ton the people of the State will be
indebted for the prevention of many
evils in the way of bad laws and for
the passage of whatever good ones
may be allowed to get through.
The usual corruption and boodling
which characterize the closing days
of the session are prevalent to as great
an extent as eyer and corporations
are having their way in everything in
the old style. Corporation ridden"
has been applied to former sessions of
the General Assembly, but the coin
will stick to this session to greater
extent than any other since 1892, when
both houses sold out to the corpora
ton interests on everything that
came up. Not one bill hostile to a
corporation has passed here and.not
one will be unless there is decided
change. Corruption and crooked
practices are running riot through
the State House, and, to use the ex-
preston of a lobbyist in the hall the
other day, cit is one of the cheapest
crowds ever gotten together in the
old building" AS a consequence the
State will be strewn with political
wrecks for some years, and young
men who have yielded to the seduc-
tive voice of the lobbyist will regret
their course when they find how the
people look upon their performances.
Every session tells the same story
the temptations are too strong to be
resisted, and members who ought to
be credit to their constituents go
home at the close of their work here
with the mark of the beast, the mark
of the corporation dollar, on the brows,
and promising political careers are
blighted at their very start. The
same polite ans who lead them astray
are the first to- desert them after the
session is over and they bear the
stigma of their acts as long as they
live. The number of such men is
great now and it is added to at the
close Of every meeting of the General
Assembly.
Senator Ravenscroft threw bomb
shell in the Senate a few nights ago,
when he made fiery speech denounc-
ing the State Fish Commission as a
fraud on the people and a disgrace to
the State. He furnished facts and
figures to sustain his position and no
one present was able to answer what
he said. The truth is, as one of the
Senators said, DR.. Ravenscroft only
gave out publicly what they all knew
but for reasons of policy were not dis
posed to make public. The Fish
Commission and all connected with
it, especially that of the Western
Shore, has for years been kept up at
a useless expense of money and if any
good has resulted therefrom it has
never been made apparent to the peo-
pie at large. The fish commissioners
are not the on.y useless officers main
tanned at the public expense, and
while bills have often been introduced
to abolish these leeches who are
drawing blood from the public, no
General Assembly has ever had the
courage to pass them. There is too
much demand for Office to let one go
after it has been created, and each
successive session is expected to Gre
ate at least one more to provide a
place for some deserving" henchman
of the bosses.
The Garrett county bills are all in
good shape and those which have not
been passed will go through before
the closing hours. The amendments