Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-22
LEGISLATORS DAWDLE
AS WORK PILES Up
Important Measures introduced,
But Consideration Given Only
To Annexation Bill
PR0HIBITIONISTS JUBILANT
Bryan And Billy Sunday To Speak Fer
Measure hsetzeEctt Helps
Speaker Wooden.

After the experiences of the last
two weeks, only an extremely rash in
dividual again would predict that the
Legislature viii now quit its time
! killing and, when it rec0nvenes to-
night, get down to business. While
the Republicans are in control of the
House and the Democrats in control
of the Senate, and in position to
sandbag each other, there is no tell
ing when any real work viii be done
There is plenty OF work for the Leg
| islature to do. There has been plenty
Of work for it to do ever since the
i committees were named on the first
night of the second week of the ses-
sion But it has refused to work, and,
unless Governor Harrington or some
one else injects some ginger into it,
the probabilities are that it will keep
! on refusing.
/ Several OF the most important meas
ures the General Assembly will have
to consider were introduced during
the very first days of the session. So
far the Annexation bill is the only one
that has been given any real cnsider-
alton in committee Few, if any, of
the committees, aside from the Judici-
airy Committee of the House, to which
the Annexation bill was referred,
have had single meeting.
Much Business Awaiting Senate.
/ And. because no one seems to be
anxious to get down to work, it is
impossible to tell when any work will
| be done. However, if the committees
want to do something they can get
| busy right away Over on the Senate
SIDE awaiting committee considera-
| ton, are the Conservation Commission
bills, amending the fish, oyster, crab
and game laws; the bill amending the
Motor Vehicle law, the bill abolishing
the Fifth Regiment Armory Commits
sion and creating a State Armory
Commission in its stead, the bill Gre
1 ating a Bureau of Legislative Refer
nee and a hole lot Of equally import
PANT measures.
On the House side are practically
all Of the Republican platform bills
and a number of important admins
tration bills, all awaiting action 1t
is difficult to imagine how even a
Legislature with no more inclination
to work than the Maryland Legisla
ture of 1918 could escape taking some
action on these bills this week In
| fact the Committee on Federal Rela-
| tons of the House has threatened to
hold hearing on the Federal pro-
hibition amendment, and that is one
indication of a disposition to do some
thing.
1t is expected that the resolution
ratifying the amendment viii be re-
ported favorably before the close of
the week by the House committee.
Possibly the Senate committee will act
on it before the weekend also, but
the chances are that it will make a
different report from that made by
the House committee.
Bryan And Sunday To Speak.
The prohibitionists are anxious to
hurry this measure along For the
/ purpose of speeding il up they have
arranged to bring William Jennings
Bryan and Billy Sunday to Annapolis
TO speak in favor Of it, Mr.. Bryan
will deliver his address January 90
The date for Mr.. Sundays address
has not been fixed. Neither has it
i been decided whether they will APP
/ pear on the same day or on different
days, but the Anti-Saloon League lead
| ers expect the speeches of these men
to clinch the thing.
Other annexation hearings will be
| held during the week The "antis"
have yet to present their arguments
and the advocates have asked for an
/ opportunity TO reply Then there will
be hearings on the Benson borough
| bill When Baltimore County asked
for an opportunity to present its ar
guments in behalf of this measure
City Solicitor Field asked for a hear
ing at which he could reply Delegate
/ Bryant graciously said Yes, let them
have all the time they want" where
/ at nearly everyone said, "Ain't he
fairl'' They didn't seem to think that
Mr.. Bryant and all of the other Balti-
/ more County Delegates would be
glad to have the hearings last for
ever. or. at least, until the end of the
session.
Baltimore County knows there isn't
/ a ghost of chance OF the borough
bin passing and that there is a nigh
ty good chance Of the Greater Balti-
more Extension Leagues bill pass
ing unless it is killed by delay Every
time there is a hearing there is just
that much delay and so much gained
for Baltimore County thereby. 1t is
safe to say that Mr. Bryant and each
of the other five Baltimore County
! Delegates will agree right now to d
hearing every day on either of the an
nexation bills until the last day OF
the session. and possibly for several
days beyond that time.
Metxerott Helps Out Enemy.
Curious things constantly are hap.
pening in politics. There is Speaker
Wooden. who is a Jackson-Weller-
TAFT man through and thorugh, and
/