The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-02-01
THE LOBBY IN FORCE
At THE STATE HOUSE.
Not There Fer Their Health Either.
But Out For the Stuff.
LDTRlEDTOOUSTTHEM
But They Remain Smiling and Smooth
AS EVer-Private Institution VIII
Get But Little Aid From the State
A Coal Measure introduced.

A Coal Measure introduced.
STATE House, ANNAPOLIS, Jan. 80,
1906. The fourth week of the session
has seen theGeneralAssembly thorough
ly settled down to work, and, judging
from the number of bills already in the
hands Of the committees, the remaining
eight weeks of the constitutional period
will be fully taken up. In fact indi-
cations are that the General Assembly
Of 1906 will break the record not only in
the number of bills introduced, but also
IN the number passed and, as there is
nothing of purely political character
to come before the body, except posi-
/ bly, some changes in the election law.
there will be nothing here to prevent
this from being purely business SEES
! sion in the strictest sense OF the word.
/ That it will be such a session is indicated
also by the presence of the lobby the
legal lobby, composed of attorneys and
corporation agents, who are here in
considerable numbers looking out for
/ the interests of their clients. These
/ gentlemen have been here before and
while they disclaim any intention to in
/ fiuence the members in their work,
every one at all familiar with them
knows that they are not here for their
health or the public good. They are
''out for the stuff, p" as they call it. and
expect rich harvest before the closing
hours on the second of April. Governor
! WartieId scared these people and urged
that something be done to keep them
out Of the State house, but here thew
are, smiling and smooth as ever, ready
for anything that may come their way.
/ A strong effort will be made on the
/ part Of some Of the more conscientious
members to reduce the appropriations
biennially given to certain private in
stitutions in Baltimore, notably~certain
/ medical colleges, which number among
their supporters some of the most per-
/ sistent lobbyists who haunt the State
house. 1t is openly asserted that these
/ people use all sorts of means to get their
| appropriations through, and the State
Board of Charities has declined to place
them on its list of institutions as worthy
/ of State aid, for they are in no sense of
! the word charitable or State institutions.
/ Year after year, however, they come
/ down here and work tens 'of thousands
OF dollars out of the treasury, while re-
ligious and really charitable institutions
get mere pittances. The impression
prevails here now, however, that.this
year they will get nothing, and there is
even report that the S25, cooper year
which has been for the last ten ,syears
given to the Johns Hopkins University,
will have hard time to get through, for
many of the county MEMBERSHIP not see
why the State should donate such
large sum of the taxpayers money to
an institution so amply endowed. The
disposition to aid really worthy institu-
lions which have been struggling along
/ for years without large endowments is
as strong as ever, and they, will no
doubt get their usual appropriations
without trouble. But5with those.which
have ample endoWments and are largely
patronized by those who are able to.pay
for what they get, the case is very DIFF
ferent
The strained relations between Gov
ernor Warfield and some of the leaders
Of his party have not yet broken out into
open warfare, but predictionsIare heard
on all sides that there will be a real
break before long, especially when the
appointments are all sent down to the
Senate. The Governor himself saws
that he does not desire any change in
the outwardly cordial relations which
! now seem to exist, but it is hard to see
/ how rupture can be avoided on some
of the questions which are sure to come
up and where the views between the
/ executive and the leaders of the party
are so greatly at variance.
The bill to repeal the law passed two
years ago pensioning retired Judges will
probably be hotly contested in both
houses, but, unless there is decided
change in the openly expressed senti-
ment Of majority of the members, it
is difficult to see how it can be defeated.
Members who intend to vote for the re-
peal say that public sentiment in their
counties is strongly against the policy of
pensioning judges or anyone else that
they will be obliged to vote for the re-
peal.
The general impression prevails that
there will be no very important changes
in the election law and that there is no