The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-04-07
ASSEMBLY ENDS
1922 SESSION
"Baby' Bill FiIibuster Delays
Senate
ITS LEGALITY QUESTIONED
House, In Disgust, Adjourns Separate
Iy, Letting Four Bills Die On Pres
ident Norris Desk-Few Meas
ures Killed In Committee.

The General Assembly closed it's
1922 session Tuesday morning.
The House quit at 1915 A. NJ, while
the Senate was tied UP in filibuster
on the SheppardTowner Maternity
bill. The lower chamber, angered by
the filibuster, did not consult the Sen
ators about the hour of adjournment.
The Senate wound up its session at
2:10 A. NJ, its filibuster ending with
the passage of the Maternity bill.
1t has created situation which, &C.
cording to Senators who are lawyers,
will be carried to the Court of Appeals
for decision as to whether the Ma.
ternity bill, which finally passed just
before / o'clock, was passed legally.
Eight opponents of the bill refused to
cast their votes on the ground, as
stated by Senator Frick, ''That the
State Senate is not now legal body,
the constitutional limit to it's session
having been reached and passed"
This break between the two cham
bers came as complete surprise.
Files in both bodies were clear. The
House had finished its business entire
ly after 9 o'clock and the Senate then
had only. the Maternity bill and four
other measures to act on. These other
four bills, incidentally, died with the
House adjournment rs they were Sen
ate measures which never had been
presented to the lower chamber.
The House recessed twice during the
light in order to act on whatever
measures the Senate might send oyer
at the last minute. Recovering after
the second recess, however, the House
Of the Senate filibuster. Twice had the
Senate-over the protests of the OPP
ponents of the Maternity bill-turned
the clock back. They were apparently
prepared to turn the clock back half
dozen more times If the filibuster
could be maintained that long.
Word came to the House members
that one Senator said he was ready to
talk until o'clock this morning. Ma
iority Floor Leader Gambrill, Repub-
lican Floor Leader Wolfinger, Speaker
Lee and Delegate Hall, of Baltimore,
joined forces to bring about sine die
adjournment. Mr.. Hall made the mo-
ton, declaring that the "discourtesies
of the Senate to this chamber have
been many during the session, but this
one caps the climax" The adjourn
ment vote was unanimous.
Mr.. Gambrill previously had an
nounced to the House the nature of
the four bills which still were on Pres
ident Norris desk waiting for final &C.
ton on the Maternity bill.
One of these made public utilities
bear the cost of operation of the Pub
lie Service Commission, another ere
ated a drug and food bureau in the
Health Department, third prohibited
the placing of road signs ON the public
highways and the fourth was local
road law for Montgomery county.
Despite this break on the wind-up,
however, but little important legisla-
ton was allowed to die in the closing
hours or was smothered in commit
tees. One of the last acts of the
House was to put through the admin
istration's bill making women eligible
for public Office. There had been an
attempt to bury this in committee, but
Miss Mary E. w. Risteau, of Hartford
county, circulated a petition to force it
out. When Chairman Hall, of the Ju-
dietary Committee, was shown this pc
tition he brought the measure out with
favorable report before Miss Risteau
could introduce her order.
Therefore there was little to clog
the wheels of the House. The usual
last night crowd was on hand-prob-
ably larger than usual. There also
was the usual throwing about of pa
pers, bills, waste baskets and the like.
There was an orchestra in the House,
and while the Senate filibustered the
House members "cut up" like school
boys. There also was the usual pres
entation of gifts to the President of
the Senate, the Speaker OF the House
and the minority and majority floor
leaders of both chambers.
A departure from custom was made
in the House with the presentation OF
a silver basket to Miss Risteau, the
first woman to sit in the General AS
sembly.
Among the measures which were al
lowed to die in committee were the
following
Giving the State police force general
powers of arrest.
Court consolidation in Baltimore
city.
To license and regulate near-beer
saloons in Baltimore.
The soldiers bonus measure, already
passed by the Senate, went through
the House with only four dissenting
votes.
DRY" forces defeated Delegate