The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-02-12
MEASURE AIMED ..ATssTHE
LOCAL MARRYING PARSONS
A Proposition To Put An End To A
Custom That Is Degrading.
Annapolis. Md. Feb. IL.

restraint of trade, that does not come
under the provision of the Sherman law,
is responsible for a Macedonian wall
thas has reached the Legislature from
far-away Garrett county.
1t is in the shape of bill introduced
by Delegate Harvey. The measure
prohibits any minister of the Gospel. or
any other person who is now or may
hereafter be authorized to perform the
marriage ceremony from giving, direct
ly or indirectly, any fee or reward to
any hotel porter or other person who
may direct or bring him couples wishing
to be married
Recently Oakland has become pop
ular Gretna Green for couples seeking
welded bliss in manner less formal
and conventional than usual. They
come from the other counties of Mary
land, from PENNSYLVANIA and West
Virginia. The half dozen or so
ministers of the town reaped in con-
| SNH0SllSS a harvest VI ICES.
Delegate Harvey's bill providing for
the Garrett county school fund, was
read third time and passed yesterday.
Local temperance legislation for
Garrett continues to be the absorbing
topic among the legislators of that
county. The scene of action for such
legislation has been transferred to the
| House, however, where some lively
dolngs are scheduled for the last part
OF the week. The House Temperance
Committee now has three Garrett bills.
Senator Speicher is the author of two
of them, one providing for countrywide
local option law and the other torbiding
the manufacture or sale of liCuor within
a two mile limit of any schoolhouse or
church outside the corporate limits of
any town in Garrett The third bill,
the Shartzer measure, is a duplicate
of the second Speicher bill. The
Senator's measures both passed the
Senate with little trouble. The local
option bill was carried UNANIMOUSLY.
Senator Benson of Baltimore county
threatened trouble on the two mile
limit bill because he objected to its
provisions applying to distillery with
in the county. Speicher had already
lined up majority for the bill and the
latter was passed with only four dissent
ing votes.
The situation in the House is radically
different from that in the Senate,
however. In the House opponents of
temperance legislation are strong and
much skillful maneuvering and not a
little fighting will be necessary if the
bills are to come on the floor with favor
able reports. Even then their fate will
be problematical
One of the Miller boys" from the
M. j. Miller distilIery, of Accident, is
here actively directing the fight against
the anti-liquor bills. He has made a
host of friends and insists that if he is
defeated it will be only after a hard
fight. The temperance folks also have
some quiet lobbying going on but it
cannot be determined Just what effect
this has had. Mr.. Miller is pointing
out to his friends among the legislators
that the two mile limit bill is personal
drive at him and that its provisions are
not aimed to injure any other business
in the county. A hearing on the bills
before the Temperance Committee will
probably be held during this week and
both sides have promised to make the
fur fly.
The Anti Saloon folks have not shown
an untoward desire to help push along
the Garrett temperance bills and it is
feared that the Leagues managers are
too interested in their own measure to
look out for local county legislation.
The Antl-Saloon proposed Constitu-
tional amendment creating a statewide
prohibition will be introduced in the
Senate this week. The League people
are keeping quiet the name of the man
who will father the bill but it is generally
understood that he is one of the Eastern
Shore Senators.
Senator Speicher is going. into the
limelight in other than temperance leg
islation this year. He is the minority
member of the Senate Elections COM
mittee and as such has been called upon
to pass on the merits of the Ashburn-
| Harrison senatorial contest. The Elec-
tons Committee has had the case be-
fore it TOR several weeks but the ma
jorlty members have been unable to
agree on any report which would in
sure the Democrats standing together
behind the recommendation in a fight
on the floor. Speicher has let it be
known that he will stick with Ounce
Ashburn, who was returned elected,
and if the committee should decide ad-
versely to the present holder of the seat
the Garrett countian will be of the
minority who will also file a report.
Report has it that Senator Benson of
Baltimore county and Maloy of Balti-
more city, will stand with Speicher in
favor of Ashburn. Senator John Wal
ter Smith has thrown his whole energy
into the fight to put Harrison over but
he has used his influence, it is reported,
L L