The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1911-12-30
That Tentative" Program
By CHARLES j. BONAPARTE, in the Baltimore Evening Sun

The lot of thoughtful friend of good
government and pure politics in Mary
land is not, on the whole, an over happy
one; his special work often advances, or,
AT least seems to advance, on the prin-
ciple of one step forward followed by
two steps backward, and it is not parti-
cularly cheering to look on and see one s
State and its great city steadily falling
behind other American States and other
American cities in population, in wealth,
in rate of growth, in relative enlighten-
ment, in short in everything which as
sures prosperity and constitutes civili-
cation. If he be gifted, however, with
some sense of humor (which Is not the
case with all reformers), he finds from
time to time a fair excuse for a smile at
incidents of our politics, which are none
the less ludicrous because they are Of
ten outrageous as well; one such Incl
dent we have just witnessed or are now
witnessing.
group of Maryland Democratic poll
ticians, some IL to Is in all, met in the
District of Columbia, at the invitation
of the Governor. and held sweet counsel
together about program" of legis-
lation to be damned through" the two
houses of our General Assembly during
the first week of its approaching session,
which, by reason of an anomalous pro-
vision of our State Constitution, will be
also the last week of our present Demo-
cratic Governors term of office. Appar
emily these Sages did not think it essen
tial or even advisable, to invite more
than one or two of the 80 or Whereabouts
Democratic members of the Senate nd
House of Delegates to attend this solemn
conclave, or to consult the rest of them
about the laws they would have to rail-
road" into enactment. In the case OF
Democratic Legislators, as in that of the
Light Brigade. 1t is
Theirs not to make reply;
Theirs not to reason why"
To round out the stanza with all due
apologies to Tennyson
Theirs but to vote and lie
And as to these matters, it would be
time enough to give them their orders
when the ''men higher up" should be sure
this nselves what votes would be needed
s1n8 what fibs must be told as to the
msdive and purpose of these votes.
Who were really present, whether they
really agreed upon anything and, If they
did, just what it was on which they
agreed, are all by no means clear; bu
what professed to be their programme,
or part of it, soon afterwards appeared
in the newspapers and both deserved
and received public attention. Accord
ing to the published report, the grea
men thus assembled have a burning, i
somewhat belated, desire to take ou
public schools and the Good Roads Com
mission "out of politics and are haunt
ed by fears lest Governor Goldsborough
being so much more of a politician thai
Governor Crothers, may defeat this pur
pose, on which they have set their hearts
by perpetrating the enormity of ap
pointing Republicans to some places OF
THE School Boards of the several coun
ties OR on the Good Roads Commission
which places ae no wheld by Demo
Gratis. story is told of an Irish liti
giant to defined perjury as i'swearing fo
the other fellow, our leadeis of Demo
cratic thought seems 10 think board i!
partisan only when it contains a Re
publican majority.
To show how moons silently "non-p par
1isan" in this sense. has been the policy
of the Dcmocra .ic party of Maryland
with respect TO our School Commission
CTS, it may be we'll 10 review very brief
1y legislation on this subject in Mary
'lanf s'uce the Constitution of 1867. In
1S'iA ~ WAS provided that:
Thu hoard of county school commits
sioners shall be composed of one com
miss icner for each election district, to be
elected by the people thereof at each
general election for members of the
General Assembly"
AT That time there was apparently a
Dem ucratic majority in every county OF
tthI State After the election of 1869,
tnoweT eT. the Republic. ans seemed likely
10 control "A few of our counties, so in
1870 the law was changed so as to read:
The board of county school commits
sioners Shall be composed of three per-
sons appointed by the judges OF the Cir
cult Courts to serve for two years"
An that | ne there was not a Repub-
lcan on the bench in any part of the
State. AS years rolled on the Republic
cans began to elect some of the judges,
and in 1856, 1883 and 1899 the Governor
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