The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-03-14
DO|NGS At ANNAPOLIS,
THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT
Less Than Three Weeks Of Session
Remain and Little Accomplished.

STATE HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, March ID
With less than three weeks vet before
them the members of the General AS.
sembly of 1912 are getting down to bust
ness and preparing for the final round
up. 1t is expected that hearings before
committees will be discontinued after
this week, and next week will be the
last for the introduction of bills. The
committee are now holding two anC
three sessions daily and are gradually
getting the bills off their files. Those
that for any reason have been laid aside
will be pretty apt to stay where they
are unless somebody and something gets
behind than to push them out. Only
those measures which are of particular
Importance per Sc, and those which
have strong influences behind them will
be reported, many of them being allow
en- to remain in the committee rooms,
or, if a report on them is enforced, the
report will nine times out of ten be I'M
favorable. That is why the members
are now bestirring themselves and get
ting to work to find out just where their
bills are and what they are to expect
from the committees. The Garrett
Delegation have kept track of their
several bills pretty well and know just
where they are. They are keeping after
the committees which have them and
they will continre to keep after them
until they come out. There is nothing
in the way of legislation offered by the
Garrett county Delegation which prom
Uses to meet with any serious objection
from any quarter, most of it being local
legislation and nobody outside the coun-
ty will interfere with it if the Dele
gates themselves are agreed
This is about the situation with Sena-
tor Speicher's bills, also. His bills will
be sent over to the House as fast as
they are passed for the Delegates to
look after, and the bills of the Delegates
will go to the Senate where Senator
Speicher will care for them. And this
is about the situation in Allegany coun-
ty. In Allegany, however, there has
been some friction, ever since Delegate
MetZger bolted the delegation and voted
with the Democrats to permit the
Speaker to continue naming the en-
ploYes, and refusing to consider the
caucus action binding upon him so far
as the economy proposition is concerned.
The relations between Delegate Metz
get and the five other members have
been strained, and while there has been
no open rupture there have been many
little things that give proof of inhar-
monious action. There are evidences of
very sharp rivalry in the matter of local
legislation, and some strong differences
of opinion have cropped out which may
endanger if they do not actually kill
some meritorious bills. For instance,
there is the Wide Tire Bill' for Ale
gany county, introduced by Delegate
Wittig empowering the Road Directors
to regulate the width of tires on vehicles
travelling over the county roads. Mr..
Metzger, who is member of the COM
mittee on Roads and Highways to which
the bill has been referred, made objec-
ton to the bill because of alleged in
crease in the cost of hauling to mining
companies, brick ware, etc, but which
Mr.. Wittig and Senator Zihlman con-
tended did not affect the materials used
by these companies as they are all
brought in by rail. And it is now said
that the committee, irrespective of
Metzger's protest. will recommend that
the bill be referred to the Allegany
county delegation. which means it will
be favorable reported, and in this event
that Mr.. Metzger will carry the fight to
the floor and solicit votes of other mem
bers against it. Should he do this, then
the other members OF the Delegation.
through Senators Zihlman, Speicher,
Emmert of Washington, and Matthias
of Frederick, will make war in the Sen
ate upon every bill in which Metzger is
interested when it reaches the Upper
House And so the merry war goes on
on, while matters of importance to the
people of Allegany county will be sacri-
feed upon the altar of personal feeling
among the Delegates.
Delegate Herpich of Allegany, last
week introduced bill in the House pro-
viding for the erection of poles and the
placing of flags upon every public school
IN the county, and authorizing the Coun-
ty Commissioners to appropriate $500,
or so much of that amount as may be
necessary for defraying the expenses.
The bill was referred to the Allegany
Delegation, who reported it fayorably
at Friday nights session, and it will be
passed this week.
Delegate Lawton's bill changing the
time of holding County Commissioners
meetings in Garrett county from quar-
terly to monthly, passed the Senate
Friday night. it had previously passed
the House.
Delegate Longs bill raising the as,
r., 1