The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-01-09
Unrest To stalk In Legislature

Unrest To Stalk In Legislature.
The Baltimore American declares
unrest, in all its frightful garb,
promises to stalk through the legis-
lative halls at Annapolis from the
beginning of the session until Its
close during the first week in April.
Bills galore are in preparation,
which will reflect the prevailing
topsy turyy conditions and which
will seek by legislation to cure re
ills, to remedy by laws the ills which
are taceable to economic causes and
which are beyond the reach Of any
acts by the Maryland General AS
sembly and by Congress.
While annexation will not be the
burning question in the Legislature.
there will be bills affecting the an
mex, notably the tax rate. A bill
proposing an amendment to the
State Constitution to increase the
representation of the city and of the
populous counties in the Senate and
House, will take the place to large
extent for the annexation proposition
which figured SO largely during the
sessions of 1916 and 1918.
The Rev. DIR. Davis and his Lord &
Day Alliance will be on the job from
the start to the finish Of the Legis-
latiye session. DR.. Davis and his
uplift contingent will have their
hands full. They will have to make
a most strenuous fight to prevent the
repeal of the blue Laws"
The United Railways promises to
become a target of the Federation OF
Labor, which has already declared
that it win back up legislation to re-
duce the carfare to five cents.
Another bill which the Federation
will support and to which no serious
opposition has developed is an
amendment to the Workmen's Com
pensation law by which immediate
payment of compensation for in
juries viii be possible, probably
mandatory.
There promise to be bills aplenty
regulating hours of labor, sanitary
conditions of workshops, vestibuling
of trolley cars, increasing pay OF all
municipal employees, all Of which
and others will have the support OF
the Federation.
There will be other classes OF
legislation that will arouse interest.
The first of these will be the effort
to recall Maryland's vote of two
years ago in favor Of the ratification
of the Prohibition Amendment to the
Federal Constitution.
Members from the counties will
go to Annapolis with full coats OF
war paint. They will get busy with
bills to abolish county tax assessors
appointed by the State Tax Commits
sion, whose powers they will also
seek to curtail. They have their eyes
ON the revenues derived from the tax
| in motor-vehicles, fund now de-
voted to public maintenances. They
want power lodged in county sheriffs
and their deputies to enforce the
anti-speed and other laws regulating
automobiles. They want their coun-
ty clerks to collect the automobile Ii
cense fees. They have got the pub
lie schools on their list. They want
to reduce the central school organi-
cation in each county by abolition of
the school supervisor, secretary and
reduction in the number, of truant
officers. They want to get rid of the
county health officers. They are up
in arms against the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company. They
complain loudly of that company's
rates and even more loudly of its in
efficient service. They will make an
effort to reduce commissions to one
man to be armed with ample power
to perform the work of three or
more commissioners. They want the
states water power rights specifical-
ly defined by law. They threaten to
go after its Good Roads Commission.
They will oppose any bill designed to
substitute the mass for the unit plan
of representation in the state con-
ventions.
Members from the counties know
no party lines when bills affecting
their interests come up in the Gen.
eral Assembly. They flock together
with unanimity.
The Lords Day Alliance will make
! its usual drive against the horse race
tracks. A movement has been start
ed to enact legislation creating a
commission to regulate horse racing
in the state and to fix tax on gate
receipts. 1t is not proposed to tar
purses, as such a policy would be
heralded far and near as a partner
ship between the state and gamblers.
a policy destined to wipe out the
a. -