The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-03-19
Special Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM ANNAPOLIS.
STATE HOUSE. AEEAroLIs, ND, !


STATE HOUSE, ANEAPoLIs, Nd,
March II. 1904. |
The Baltimore county delegation aired their
troubles. made public their personal grievances
and washed their dirty clothes in the House OF |
Delegates on Wednesday, taking up an hour
and half in doing 80. They showed to the
House and the large crowd of spectators nne
case of internal lack of harmony and expressed
their opinions of each other in emphatic and
very forcible style-and all enjoyed 1t except
those personally concerned. who were unable 10
see any fun in the whole undigniRed and almost
disgraceful proceedings.
1t seems that the delegation is equally divi-
ded on almost everything. On the one side are
Speaker Everhart. Mr.. Benson and Mr.. Cockey,
who may be called the representatives OF the
county ring. while on the other side are Messrs.
Green, Stevenson and Fitzsimmons. AS the
Speaker said, in his speech in which he told OF
the family trouble, ''if three of us were to vote
In favor Of an appropriation to pay each dele
gate 500 extra, the other three would at once
vote the other way. Nearly all our county
bills are locked up in Mr. Green's desk and he
refuses to bring them out"
The trouble arose over an order to require the
delegation to report the proposed county road
law which Mr.. Green has had in his desk for
nearly month. Mr.. Cockey offered the order
and the Speaker left the chair in the possession
of Mr.. Ray, of Prince Georges county. Mr..
Benson made strong speech in favor of the
order, and told of the long and weary struggles
the delegation had had ever since the begin
ming of the session. They had disagreed on al
most every subject, and were in worse state
of disagreement over the road bill than any
thing else. There were other bills in MI. Green's
desk which they wanted out but could not get;
but they particularly wanted the road bill out
at once.
While Mr.. Benson was speaking efforts were
made by both sides to secure votes. and when
he had finished DIR. Everhart made forcible
and emphatic speech for the order, going more
fully into the troubles of the delegation than
had Mr.. Benson. He asked the members to pass
the order. compel Mr.. Green to report the bill
and turn it over to the Committee on Roads and
Highways.
More vigorous lobbying on both sides was
never seen here. 1t had begun before the House
was called to order, when the Speaker went
around himself, begging all to vote for the
order, even importuning the Republicans to
help him, which many of them eventually did.
Mr. Green and other members of the delega-
ton replied to Messrs. Everhart and Benson, and
Mr.. Green said they had offered to make him
one of the officers under the bill If he would
help pass it. Accusations, determinations and
all sorts of insinuations were banded back and
forth. and the debate became the hottest of the
session up to the present time.
Other members engaged in the melee, especi-
ally Mr.. Wells, who sided with Mr.. Green and
ms rTT5nus, and KIrDIn, Mr.. Lpman, Mr..
Stump and several more took hand. Members
accused Mr.. Benson of holding bills in his Com
mittee on Corporations and said he was but
getting dose of his own medicine. Benson,
especially, came in for sound scoring on &C
count of his course as Chairman of the Com
mittee on Corporations generally called here
1.-THE committee on corruption" -and we'll
named tool. The whole proceeding was fast
degenerating into tumultuous and undignified
racket when the previous question was called
for and order once more restored.
Mr.. Everhart and his crowd won. They passed
the order by good majority. Later Mr.. Green
handed in the bill, thirty five pages long), and
it was promptly turned over to the Committee
on Roads and Highways, whence it will come
out in day or two with favorable report, and
later will probably be passed.. An order was
adopted requiring the bill to be printed.
This road bill is said to be what is called a
"brd". Some call it "a looloo" in the slang of
the State House, and all call it wonder in the
way of a legalized aid to political machine.
With this road law in force, and with the repeal
of the civil service features in the county po-
lice law, the machine at present in control of
the county will be able to do almost anything
it's manipulators may desire. In fact it is said
the county bills now before the House and
Senate, and which Speaker Everhart and his
followers will force through if they can, will do
away with all the reform legislation enacted
during the past ten years, and place the county
- No. L-1~. 14c-
in the hands of the local Democratic machine.
The Shoemaker road bill, which had already
passed the House, has been reported favorably
t. TIE aha hE tA Ega an
100000 for the making of good, permanent
roads, according to the methods laid down in
the bill. The abutting landowners on any road
to be improved are to pay 10 per cent. of the
cost, the county 40 per cent. and the State one
half.
Mr.. Benson has introduced bills to require
the consent of the city authorities as a condi-
ton upon which work may be done in Baltimore
city by Patapsco Electric Manufacturing Com
pany and to pay William McDermott for work
done on Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore
city.
Mr.. Everhart introduced a bill to fix the rate
for children from to IL years of age at three
The bill to authorize the erection of an iron
or steel bridge over the Patapsco river, between
Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, on
Tuesday passed the Senate. The bill already
having passed the House, now goes to the Gov
ernor for signature.
The bill introduced in the House by the
Speaker, providing for the winding up of Pim-
leo, and which had been made the special order
for Tuesday in the Senate, on that day came up
and passed without dissenting vote. This
measure has been tried here several times be-
fore, but has always before failed.
Senator Biddison has introduced a bill to in
corporate the Roland Park Electric and Water
Company. The incorporators are Edward Fl
Bouton, George Miller, Robert ]. w. Hamill,
Richard w. Marchant, Jr., and Osborne I. yell
lott. The capital stock is $4,000, with the right
to increase it.
On last Wednesday the following bills were
introduced in the House from the Baltimore
county delegation:
By Mr.. Cockey-To prohibit the County Com
missioners of Baltimore county from granting
franchises to gas companies.
By the Speaker-To sanction conveyances to
the Maryland Annual Conference of the Metho-
dist Protestant Church.
By the same-To sanction requests of Edward
A. Dringhaus, of Baltimore city.
By Mr.. Green-To permit dead bodies to be
carried through Baltimore city without usual
permits in certain cases.
On Thursday Speaker Everhart introduced a
bill to pension Terrence Doyle, ex-policeman of
Baltimore county.
Mr.. Benson introduced a bill to authorize the
Baltimore, Sparrow's Point and North Point
Railway Company to bridge Jones. North Point
and Shallow creeks.
Mr.. Green introduced bill to provide for
testing Illuminating and heating gas.
PAUL WINCHESTER.
The AUTHORITIES of the Roman Catholic
Church have taken precautions betimes against
any bothers or scandals growing out of drift
of tramp" priests to the Philippines. Under
the regulations prescribed, any European
priest wishing to settle in the islands must OBJ
tain, through his bishop, the permission of