Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-18
Court Revision
Fight Renewed
In Maryland
Proposal Is Made
Special Order of
Business by Senate
By the Associated Press.


By the Associated Press.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, March 49,
Another round of the Court of Ap
peals reorganization bill fight opened
today in the State Senate ane
hackers of the proposal, apparent,
still lacking the required three.
f1fths majority, were forced into the
position of underdogs.
Foes of the administration meas
ure, which would reduce the courts
membership, engineered coup after
a tempestuous special night session
which placed the bill on special
order Of business for today.
The maneuver came after the
Senate adopted by a 15-4 vote a
favorable Judicial Proceedings Com
mittee report on the bill and hac
adopted four administration amend
ments to it. A three-ffths vote
l0-would be necessary for passage.
Assured of Days Delay.
Thus, the opposition forces were
assured of delay of at least another
day on final passage vote on the
bill, which would also relieve ap-
peIate court judges of trial duty
work and remove most of the
geographical restrictions on then
selection
The upper chamber was asked
today to approve the bill as amended
and to send it along to final passage
stage.
Meanwhile. the disputed Chesa-
peake Bay net fishing bill, which
would remove restrictions on size
and number of fisheries nets used
IN the bay, was back in the hands
Of the House Fish and Game Com
mittee, after it was first defeated,
and then reconsidered, yesterday by
the House of Delegates
Last nights stroke Cthe result of
another 1914 vote by anti-court
bill forces came after protest had
been raised that the Senate was
being asked to vote on amendments
which not single Senator under
stood.
On that vote, Senator Kimble of
Allegany, who had voted for the
adoption of the committee report,
switched to the forces seeking a
delay Of one day.
Faces Stiff Battle.
The closeness of the voting indi-
Gated the administration faced an
uphill fight in the attempt to force
the measure through the Senate,
which killed a similar proposal in
the l94l session.
The four amendments to the bill
were offered by Senator Byrnes of
Baltimore.
The first amendment, to eliminate
provision that opponents of sit
ting judges have their names placed
on the ballot by the petition meth
cd. was adopted, 22-7.
Three other related amendments
70 permit each judicial circuit Of
the State to have at least thret
trial court judges were adopted by
votes Of 1918, 15-14 and 17-l2, and
Senator Byrnes then offered NTH
amendment which he declared was
purely technical change to clarity
the provision with respect to selec-
ton of judges for the Court of APP
peals and for the judicial circuits.
1t was then that the motion was
made by Senator Cronin of Hartford
to place the bill on special order
for today.
Lacked Three Fifths Vote.
The reconsideration of the Ches-
apeake Bay net fishing bill was a
strategic move which supporters
claimed assured passage of the
measure when it again comes before
the House of Delegates.
The defeat of the bill came on
vote of 50 in favor of it to 50 against.
Because it was an emergency meas
ure a three-flfths majority-74 votes
was required
Sponsors said the committee
would remove the emergency clause
and make the bill effective June /,
thus requiring only a simple ma
jority vote for passage.
The bill had been approved by
the Fish and Game Committee over
objection of Tidewater Fisheries
Commission Chairman Edwin War
field, who said it would remove the
commissions regulatory powers in
its effort to prevent depletion OF
bay fish stocks.
Secretary of the Interior Ickes
had written a letter in opposition
to the bill. branding it as an anti
conservation measure. Strong con-
servationist forces in the State also
have declared their opposition to
the bill.
The principal debate in the after
noon Senate session came on a
measure which would provide heavy
penalties for malicious interference
with the transportation of food =
stuffs in the State.
The bill, similar to one passed in
the 1911 legislative session and We
toed by Gov. OConor, received a
favorable committe report, which
the Senate. after some debate
adopted, l7-ll
Another mass of bills, mostly loca,
In character. was introduced in the