Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-19

Only two more reforms that can be
wrought through legislative action,
and which the Republicans in the
House are ready to put through at
any time, are those providing for the
election of a State Treasurer by the
people and the giving of home rule to
the counties.
One measure which is probably go
ing to give the Republicans trouble is
that providing for the consolidation of
the courts Opposition on the part OF
Baltimore City delegates must be
overcome before it has any chance OF
passing. Senators Campbell and Nor
ris have not yet decided as to their
course, but it is more than likely they
will vote for it if it comes from the
House. Senator Frick has stated he
will give the bill his unqualified sup
port. and Senator Sproesser is relied
upon by Republican leaders to toe the
mark
This looks like a very busy week.
The Annexation Bill is in a sad tam
gle and its friends are frankly wor-
ried with the outlook as the law
makers come back to their job after
the usual Friday to Tuesday night
rest and consultation with the little
leaders back home" However, the
City people are claiming they will be
able to straighten things out before
the measure comes on the floor of the
Senate.
The bill was frankly licked had its
opponents been able to force vote
last week, but this was held off until
the Governors appointments shall
have been sent to the Senate this
week. Discussing this feature of the
case one of the Baltimore morning
papers this morning said:
There are questions of executive
patronage, political preferment, and
local legislation that are more i'm
portant when seen from their point
of view. 1t is Pooh, Pooh for Balti-
more City when someone's good
friend or his wife's good friend back
home needs a job, or when there ap-
pears to be danger of losing that
gallon a month that makes life worth
living on the Eastern Shore. When
considerations of this sort are involv-
ed Baltimore City has a fine chance.
1T is doubtful if there ever has been
such an interesting session of the
legislature. Camouflage in all its fine
points is a regular and well-estab-
lished practice, and it is difficult to
tell where some members stand from
one day to another. There is, how
ever. this consolation-they probably
do not know themselves. 1t also IS
consoling to know that piety is the
watchword in the Senate. 1t is so up
lifting. On the surface the annexa-
ton situation in the Senate IS plain
enough. There are Is Republican
Senators and IA Democratic Senators.
One of the Republicans is Allen, of
Baltimore County, vigorous dry man,
who is standing with his damper col
leagues from that county against city
extension. With the votes of the four
citv senators the Republicans who are
nledged by their platform to annexa-
tion can put it over.
"That is the situation on the sur
face. But beneath the surface there
are Vaccinations of many sorts, all
aimed at city extension. 1t would
be interesting to know where Cover
nor Harrington stands on annexation
IF one has only the Executives utter
| ances 10 decide from. he has some
thing more than an even chance OF de-
Gliding wrong. But there are other IN
dications that are better guides thar
the Governors words, and these point