The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-02-26
sPE|CHER COUNTY WIDE
LOCAL OPTION BILL PASSED
The House of Delegates Yesterday
Afternoon BY A Vote Of 81 to 8.
Annapolis, Md, Feb. %,


Seldom has there been more excite
ment oyer a piece of local legislation
than over the Speicher Local Option
Bill for Garrett county, which passed
/ the House late this afternoon. The
/ bill is now on its way to the Cover
nor and will shortly be enacted into
/ law.
! By this measure Senator Speicher
has fulfilled to the letter the pledge ne
made last year to the voters of Garrett
that he would put through a bill per-
hitting vote on the liquor question if
! he was returned to the Senate. And
the DILL received third and final reading
and passage by the House with vote
of 81 to 3. Those who opposed the bill
were Delegates John A. Bouse of Balti-
more city, Brust of Frederick, and
Gunnett of Allegany. Each of them
voted no for purely personal reasons.
The passage of the bill was pulled off
| in the face of odds for not until the roll
call was begun did its opponents lose
/ hope. q. Semmes Hamil of Oakland.
and William Miller of Accident, were
on the floor of the House TO the last
minute and both were reported to ne
straining every energy to have the bill
either held back or brought out and re-
committed to the Temperance Commit
tee. Senator Speicher was also on
the job and wherever break appeared
! IN the lineup he was galvanized into
action and made Appeals to the
| proper sources which resulted in a
Strengthening of the tangle.
During the present week it was re-
ported that some of the Garrett dele
cation might ultimately be won over to
fight the bill There was no absolute
| proof that these reports were true but
| nevertheless there seemed lack of
! agresslveness on the part of some of
the county people to get the measure
up for its final reading. Speicher when
| he learned of this condition made the
direct request that the bill be brought
up in its proper place and this was
done.
Opponents OF the bill had looked to
Baltimore city for support, but their
| appeals fell on deaf ears. The city
took the position that the Garrett
delegation had been sent here pledged
to pass the bill, which was a demons
tration that the people of the county
wanted the measure. Consequently,
they said. the only just course was to
| support the bill.
While some of the city legislators
were perhaps not in this exact personal
| frame of mind they took that position
| after hearing from the city leaders who
| turned down flat proposition to fight
| the bill. On Tuesday night the measure
was really ready for its final reading
but some of the Baltimore people were
excused from the evening session and
it was deemed best to hold the bill back
until the full representation was
present. This afternoon before the
Senate third reading file was reached
a motion to adjourn the House was
made at the conclusion of a long debate
and fight on child labor legislation.
! Speaker Trippe was as good as his
word, however, and he asked that the
adjournment motion be withdrawn to
permit the reading file to be cleared.
The first bill up was the Speicher
measure and it went through the house
like piece of creased lightning. At
| the,conclusion of the roll call the Senator
was overwhelmed with congratulations.
Il feel like I've got burden of many
tons off my shoulders" he exclaimed
and this was perhaps true for the legis-
lator had done little else during the past
| fortnight than plug for his bill. The
fact is generally acknowledged that
hardly another Republican legislator
could have pulled the trick in the face
of heavy Democratic majority.
A futile attempt was even made last
week to mix the bill up IN the oyster
fight, which is the main issue here at
present. The threat was made that If
the Garrett House members refuse to
support the oystermen the local option
bill would be killed. Again Speicher
| took hold of the situation and after his
| appeal for fair play "Cy" Cummings
of Montgomery, leader of the repeal
forces, pledged himself to see that the
county bill was decided Oh its merits
and without bias on account of the po-
sition on oyster or other legislation that
some of its hackers might take. And
! Cummings kept his promise, being on
/ hand today when the bill came out to
| hold the oystermen in line IN the event
any trick was tried by the opposition
! Sponsors of other local option and anti
! liquor shipping measures have taken
| heart at the manner the Speicher bill
| was passed and have anticipated that
/ their measure likewise might be sent
over. They are doomed to disappoint-
ment, however, for several Democratic
leaders have made plain that passage
of the Speicher bill was permitted large
! ly on the personal account of its author
and Trainer, who has perhaps a larger
circle of friends among both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans here than any
other minority member.
The attempts to repeal oyster plant
ing legislation is about the only topic
of interest here at this time. Willy
nilly the law makers from inland coun-
ties have been drawn into the fight and
though much against the consent of
many of them, they are being forced to
drop all other legislation in the interest
of king bivalve. The chance of the
oyster culture statues being repealed is
promblematical Both sides are conf
dent that they will ultimately win out
and it is pure guess work when any one
attempts to predict what the ultimate
result will be. Certain it is that the
vote either way will be extremely close
The members from tidewater counties
are in deadly earnest about their plans
to repeal the planting laws and no COM
promise will be considered until the re-
pealing forces are absolutely licked.
In connection with the oyster squabble
the Senate and House came near en-
gaging in deadly verbal combat dur.
ing last and this week. Senator Nude
of Charles was reprimanded by Speaker
Trlppe for lobbying among the Garrett
HouSa daIa0a tion on Eohruor,y 10 in