Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-03-11
LAST STAND Of
LOBBY ON RACES
Hot Fight on This and Annexa-
ton to be Staged This Week
in Senate.
HINT OF SCANDAL HEARD.
Ugly Stories of a Corruption
Fund to Buy Votes Favoring
the Race Tracks.


tion will hold the limelight at the Leg
islautre this week. These two issues
which are seemingly getting tangled
with each other will come up tomor
row, following the meeting of the As
sembly tonight. From the time the
first of them is called up as a special
order there will start a fight which
will in all likelihood last for hours.
Unless signs change it would not be
surprising to see the Senate of Mary
land go through another all-night
session. Both Annexation and Racing
are in the Senate side of the assembly.
Aside from the expected continued
dickering on Annexation in which.
Anne Arundel and Annapolis are, of
course, vitally interested, there are
rumors of such startling conditions of
alleged corruption centered about the
racing bills that hardly anything in
the way of scandal would cause any
great surprise.
Certain facts are being withheld, it
is said, but more or less detailed re-
ports are going the rounds in we'll
which almost bring a gasp from hard
ened old-t-4Iers. They almost bring
gasps, both because of the amount of
money said to be in use and the men
whose names are being whispered
The situation is such that if anyone
lights a match there may be a con-
fiagration. And it is said that the sit
II a ic oh
be lighted any day. There are reli-
able men involved in the fight who
profess to know things that would
shake the State from end to end if
printed.
Stories are circulating among the
people on the inside that all sorts of
fancy offers have been made for votes
against the anti-gambling bill There
are other stories that men who believe
they cannot afford to vote against the
bill, l,becuase of sentiment against race
track gambling among their constitu-
ents, have been asked to stay away
from Annapolis when the ballot is
taken. They have been asked to be-
come ill, or find some other plaus-
rewarded" properly. Still other men
are said to have received still other
sorts of offers There has been talk
that one member of the Legislature
remarked that he believed $4,000
could be got for a vote. In Baltimore
there has been talk that as high as
$500 would be paid, and that $685. 900
is on hand for use.
The Nonpartisan Greater Baltimore
City Extension Bill, which has al
ready passed the House, will follow
the race track bill. 1t may not, how
ever be reached before Wednesday as
the race track bill is likely to consume
the entire session tomorrow, and may
even go over until Wednesday, The
womans suffrage bills are scheduled
to follow the city extension bills, but
the former will probably consume two
days, Wednesday and Thursday, and
hence the suffrage measure may not
be taken up until Friday.
There is a disposition among Sena-
ators to let the statewide dry bills
alone. The contingent of senators
from the tidewater counties does not
care to disturb the sleeping bill to
lease oyster beds from which it is
proposed to derive revenue to take the
place of revenue to be lost by aboli-
ton Of saloon licenses
Woman's suffrage will attract the
most attention in the House. 1t will
come from the calendar on Wednes-
day as a special order.
Just as soon as a favorable oppor-
tunty arises tomorrow the Weimer
statewide bone-dry bill will be finally
disposed of. If the Temperance Com
mittee does not report the bill it will
be ordered to be reported in order
that it may be gotten out of the way
OF other legislation.
Speaker Wooden will, however, rule
that the Weimer bill is of different
subject matter" from the Phoebus
bill, and hence the House has got to
resort to slaughter for the second
time.