Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-01-04
THE LAWYER IN THE CASE.
The Cecil Injunction Case, Not
'Mandsmus, "Ssys Mr.. Claude.

Tthe Editor of the Evening Capital:
Dear Sir-In your issue of yester-
day the re appeared an article with
the caption Would Stop Payment of
Treasurer's Fee" by mandamus
against the County Commissioners.
brought by VIM. h. Cecil. through
his counsel w. Hallam Cisude. Now,
in order that the community may be
accurately informed a. to the true
nature Of the proceedings il stitrted,
| win ask that you publish the fo W.
ing in regard to them:
The action was not brought TO in-
terfere with the payment of any law
full fee or fees to the County Treas
urer, but, on the contrary, it is III
stituted to stop the unlawful payment
of a quarterly salary of two hundred
and fifty dollars for the collection of
the States taxes. And further, this
action is altogether an impersonal
one, brought solely IN the interest of
the public welfare, and for the benefit
of the taxpayers of the county.
And. if the whole truth must be told,
this is triangular fight, the three
sides Of which are represented by the
Commissioners on one side, their coun-
selor on the other side, and the pro
fessional politicians forming another
and the last side to the same.
The Commissioners have been al
ready advised by their counselor
that they cannot lawfully pay salary
or any other definite sum to the treas
urer for the performance of this SER
vice. The politicians of the profess
sional stripe insist that they shall
| pay it in spite of the law and counsel,
to the contrary, Notwithstanding.
And the Commissioners, in order that
they may not incur the inevitable
condemnation of the aforesaid profess
sional politicians, and, in consequence,
be relegated to utter political oblivion
for faithfully and fearlessly perform
ing their sworn duty TO the public by
defiantly refusing to vote che money
of the people to any public official or
non-official, regardless of whether he
be of great or little influence and
power, seek to escape all the afore-
me ntioned things by getting some
private citizens to invoke the passage
Of an order of Court, compelling or
restraining them to do or not to do,
as the case may be, the things re-
quired of them by the aforesaid pro-
fessional politicians.
One would hardly believe that it
could be possible that any set of men
could by an unwarranted assumption
and assertion of power and control
! ...,,- Al .,,,blso ofrosr. th;a
make its public servants through
fear, bow in subservient obedience
to their slightest dictation. But,
remarkable, as il may seem, yet such
is the case to moral certainty and
beyond any reasonable doubt. So long
as our public servants actions remain
under the domination of the will OF
our professional politicians, you may
expect to see mandamuses and in
| functions being issued in the interest
of the public welfare, and for the
protection of the taxpayers against
exploitations of the unscrupulous and
designing men, who are now the
self-constituted and self-appointed
so-called guardians of the political
interests and general welfare of our
county of Anne Arundel.
But it is commendable thine
nevertheless, that this does. S.ot So,tS annIv
to all of the present ..Tsmbers of the
Board OF .Ceaa11ty Commissioners, and
LIS another significant fact that they
are che very members of the Board
that are marked for slaughter at the
next primaries.
And, in conclusion, wish to say
that in all the efforts that | have
made to improve bad conditions, ex-
| listing in the various departments of
our county government in the past,
have never been animated by the
slightest personal animosity towards
any of the then incumbents of the
Offices; it was the evils of the sys-
TENS of which | was trying to reform
in the general interest and welfare of
the whole people. And all that /
have ever done along such lines, !
was prompted to do because thought
that the reforms were necessary and,
therefore, felt it my duty to urge
their adoption upon absolutely disin-
terested and unselfish motives. Some
of the reforms effected by insistent
and persistent efforts found express
sion in the adoption of the statutes
now regulating the magistrates Off
ces, States Attorneys Office, Sher
ifs office and counsel to the County
Commissioners, ETC., and where is
there politician with the audacity
to put himself upon record for the
repeal of any one of those laws?