The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-05-11

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vice, and it did not take many day
for him to make up his mind.
eff you think I'm the man for th'
place, I'll take it and do the best ]
can," was his answer when the Malol
came next day.
"The man ! Now Sam, just ge
that idea out of your mind. The or
ganization will consider itself honor
ed if you accept. That's where the
honor comes. So don't give your
self any further trouble about it
Just consider the thing settled. &c
right on about your business. We
will attend to all the details. .
So the campaign went on to the fin.
ish and Sam simply did as he was told
It seemed like a dream when the day
after election he saw his name in the
papers as the Hon. Samuel Markham
member of the assembly from Wind!
ham county. And Sam kept OF
dreaming for some time.
But somehow he did not seem to be
able to save as much out of his salary
as he had expected. In the 6rst
place the county committee assessed
him three hundred dollars as his
share toward the fall campaign. That
made the twelve hundred dollars he
would get from the state look small
Only nine hundred left. And how
the expenses did roll up! Made
him weak and sick to think about it.
But there would be the houor left
anyway. That was worth some
thing.
Along about that time Major Bar
ton came up to the capitol. He
brought bill with him and said they
had chosen Sam to introduce it. That
was another mark of confidence on
the part of the organization, the Ma
jor said, when he placed the papers
in the hands of the young assembly
man.
1--WE could get dozen men to do
it for us plenty of 'em standing with
their mouths wide open waiting for
the chance but we feel that it will
give it prestige to have you intro
duce it. You stand first rate with the
house, and there will be no trouble
trouble at all to get all the support
you need. The organization is back
of the bill. We will stand by you. -
Introduce it? OF course Sam would
introduce it and be glad to. So far
no measure of any kind bearing his
name had found its way into the big
box at the right of the Speaker S
desk. He told the Major that he
would put it in the next day.
Don't forget to do it, Sam, f" was
the Major parting injunction. "We
want to get the bill pushed through
just as quick as you can. So you
want to get right at it."
Something about the words, and
more about the tone, struck Sam as
being little dictatorial. But that
was only the Majors way Brusque
and offhand, it was his disposition to
keep things moving when he took
hold of them.
Without giving the measure more
than passing glance and not know
ing anything further about its pur-
port than that it gave an upstate
company power to acquire right of
way and build a street railway in a
certain thriving town, Sam let the
bill go on. Quickly it went to a sec
ond reading and in remarkably
short space of time Sam found it on
the calendar for third reading and
ready for final passage.
Then trouble began.
"Do you know what that bill of
yours does 7" the assemblyman from
the district affected by the measure
demanded of Sam, hurrying around to
the young mans seat just before the
session opened. II can't believe that
you would ever have introduced it if
you did Sit down here and let me
tell you about 1t"
And in an excited way the member
went on to explain to Sam that by
the provisions of the bill the people
would be fairly robbed of a most val
liable franchise.
"You would not like that to be
done TO YOUR town, would you
It's shameful thing !"
Of course Sam would not knowing
ly do anything that would harm the
people of any city.
"Then stop this thing right where
it is! You can 90 it Or if you are
fixed so that you do not care to doit,
let me do it for you. I will ask that
the bill be sent back to the committee
that has it in hand for hearing.
There never has been a chance given
our people to be heard on it. Sure
ly you must see that we are not ask
ing too much. This is too serious a
matter to be driven through in any
such way" Sam hesitated. He saw
the Justice of the request. But what
about the effect of such a delay /?
What would the Major say? 1t was
too late to discuss that side of the
proposition, however, for they would
be face to face with the bill in less
than an hour and the Major was prob.
ably hundred miles away.
When the bill came up the home
member asked as a right due the
town he represented that there should
be hearing on the bill, and moved
that it be re-committed to the commit.
tee on internal affairs for that pur.
pose. A sharp battle followed. II
was evident that the house knew more
about that particular bill than Sam
had ever dreamed. The motion tc
re-commit had stirred up hornets
nest and all the hornets seemed to be
right at home, ready for business
In the end the motion made by the
home member prevailed by small
majority. Sam himself voted in the
affirmative. How could he. have
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