Evening star., 1948-12-20
Perennial Bills
Set for New TRY
In Maryland
Home Rule Among
Proposals Likely to
Go Before Assembly
By Whitney Shoemaker
Assoeioted Press Stuff Writer

AsSociofeo FreSS Stoff Wrtfer
ANNAPOLIS, Dec. 20.-The legis-
lative whisk broom is out again,
busting off bills as familiar to
Maryland General Assemblies as
the State House dome.
Perennials, the lawmakers call
them.
These weary veterans. like the
move to abolish orphans courts or
to grant home rule" are as sure
as taxes. And up to now, their
failure has been just as sure.
Several already have been taken
out of the legal closet. They have
started the usual controversy.
Twice within "a hours last week,
the Legislative Council reversed it
self on what is generally referred
to as an equitable representation"
bill. In effect. the final proposal
would give Baltimore and the
larger counties more weight in the
House of Delegates.
Small Counties Oppose Plan.
The small counties are violently
opposed to such a move. Their
spokesmen have promised q drag
out fight when the General
Assembly meets next month.
Here is a breakdown on this and
other perennials:
Representation u The Legislative
Council, vest pocket assembly that
studies different proposals between
sessions. has approved q constitu-
tional amendment to expand the
House from 1913 to l25 members.
Each county and Baltimore legis-
lative district would have a mini
mum of two delegates The re-
mainder would be divided according
to population. The council vote
scrapped a previous measure which
would have frozen House member
ship as it Is now. A more drastic
representation bill died in commit
tee in the 1947 session.
Orphans courts-Efforts to do
away with these courts always have
been beaten. The council has ap-
proved a constitutional amendment
to abolish them January /, 1855.
The State Bar Association says
most orphans court judges do not
have the legal training to handle
complicated wills and estates Court
supporters, however, like the in
formal way they operate. There is
an equally perennial charge that
judgeships make goo0jobs.
Declaration of Intention.
Declaration of intentions. - The
council again will suggest junking
the 46-year- act which requires
newcomers to declare they intend
to become Maryland citizens at least
a year before they may vote. 1t is
the only law of its kind in the
country.
Women on juries-"We are going
to intensity our campaign in the
counties which do not allow women
to serve on juries," says Mrs. Dor
othy S. Granger of Baltimore
Mrs. Granger is legislative chair
man of the Maryland Women's
Council and her statement is typi-
cal of many other womens groups
The 1947 General Assembly f1outed
precedent and made it legal for
women to sit on juries. But IL
counties exempted themselves.
Home rule-A spokesman for the
Maryland League of Municipalities
predicts that Association of Mayors
will back a measure to allow cities
and towns to amend their own
charters and forbid the General As
sembly to pass local laws. FIRE.
quently counties have asked for
much Of the lawmaking power now
reserved to the State legislature
Just as often. a majority of legis-
lators vote to keep that power.
Concealed Weapons Bill.
'Frisking' for concealed weapons
An amendment to the Bouse Act
would allow policemen to frisk sus-
poets and use any gun or the like
that they find as evidence in prose-
cutions for unlawfully carrying
concealed weapons. Opponents say
this opens the way to violations of
o mans rights to privacy.
Jim Crow repealer-A perennial
OF long standing. this would tear
down the white only" signs in public
places If in the same form as bill
defeated two years ago. the repeater
actually would affect only the Ches-
apeake Bay ferries.
Daylight saving time-Several 1947
bills enabled certain cities and
counties to change the clocks from
April to September. The farmers
don't want it; many city people do.
Another attempt to make the time
of day the same throughout Mary
land is a safe bet.
Roadside control-Farmers espe-
cially protested the last move to in
crease the States power to zone the
borders of its highways. A Legisla-
tive Council bill. protecting farm
buildings, would let the State Roads
Commission zone lands beside heav-
fly travelled highways.