MARYLAND. 



517 



names. The voter shall place a cross opposite 

 the name of each candidate voted for, or he may 

 vote for all the candidates of any party by plac- 

 ing a cross opposite the party name or device. 

 The ballots shall be printed with black ink, on 

 clear white paper, and on the back of each shall 

 be stamped the words " Official ballot for," with 

 the name of the polling place, the date of the 

 election, and afac simile of the signature of the 

 president of the board of supervisors preparing 

 the ballots. Sample copies of the official ballot, 

 without the indorsement on the back, shall be 

 publicly posted at least four days before each 

 election. The election clerks shall keep in a 

 book for that purpose a record of the name of 

 each voter and the order in which he voted. At 

 each polling place voting shelves or compart- 

 ments (not less than 1 for each 100 qualified 

 voters, and never less than 5 in Baltimore, or 

 less than 3 outside) shall be so erected that in 

 marking the ballots the voters may be in sight, . 

 but screened from the observation of others. A 

 guard rail shall be so constructed that only per- 

 sons within the inclosure can approach within 

 6 feet of the ballot-boxes or of the compart- 

 ments. A rubber stamp shall be provided in 

 each compartment for the purpose of marking 

 the cross. Not more than 4 voters in excess of 

 the number of voting shelves shall be allowed 

 within the rail at one time ; and not more than 

 6 persons, in addition to those within the rail, 

 shall be admitted to the poll-room at one time 

 The ballot clerk shall place his initials on the 

 back of each ballot under the fac simile before 

 delivering the ballot to the voter. The voter 

 may take with him any unofficial sample ballot 

 of a different color from the official ballot, to aid 

 him in marking his own. After marking the 

 ballot, he shall fold it so that his choice, is not 

 visible, and so that the initials of the ballot 

 clerk appear. No voter within the railing shall 

 talk with or in any way interfere with another. 

 No official ballots can be taken from the poll- 

 room. No ballot shall be deposited or counted 

 unless it has the official indorsement on the 

 back and the initials of the ballot clerk. Suit- 

 able penalties are imposed for violations of the 

 various provisions of the act. By another act, 

 the registration law is revised and amended in 

 many of its details, especially in the provisions 

 relating to the city of Baltimore. 



Important changes were made at this session 

 in the revenue laws. An annual State tax was 

 imposed on the gross receipts of corporations 

 organized under the laws of the State and doing 

 business therein as follow: On steam railroad 

 companies, telegraph or cable companies, express 

 or transportation companies, oil or pipe-line 

 companies, and title-insurance companies, a tax 

 of 1 per cent. ; on telephone, parlor-car, sleeping- 

 car, safe-deposit, trust, guarantee and fidelity 

 companies, a tax of 2 per cent. ; and on electric- 

 light and electric-construction companies, a tax 

 of one-half of 1 per cent. When the line or 

 business of any such company extends beyond 

 the State it is required to pay a tax only on the 

 gross receipts accruing from business within the 

 State, the amount to be ascertained as prescribed 

 in the act. Corporations organized outside the 

 State, but doing business therein, were subjected 

 to a similar tax on the gross receipts of their 



business in the State. Telephone, parlor-car, 

 palace-car, and sleeping-car companies were 

 taxed 2 per cent. ; oil or pipe-line companies, 1 

 per cent. ; and electric-light, electric-construc- 

 tion, guano, phosphate, and fertilizer com- 

 panies, one-half of 1 per cent. Such corporations 

 were required, before doing business in the State, 

 to file a certified copy of their charter with the 

 Secretary of State, and to appoint at least two 

 agents in the State on whom legal process 

 might be served. Foreign railroad, telegraph or 

 cable, and express or transportation companies 

 doing business in the State, and not taxed on the 

 shares of their capital stock in the State, were 

 subjected to a tax of 1 per cent, on the gross 

 receipts of their business in the State in addition 

 to the taxes on their real property. A tax or 

 bonus of one eighth of i per cent, was imposed 

 on the capital stock of all corporations there- 

 after created, and upon any subsequent increase 

 of stock of such corporations. Upon any in- 

 crease of stock of old corporations, a tax or 

 bonus* of one sixth of 1 per cent, was levied. 

 Religious and charitable corporations and rail- 

 road companies were exempted from the last- 

 mentioned tax. 



Provision was made for the issue of new cer- 

 tificates of indebtedness, to be called tn*e ex- 

 change loan of 1891, to the amount of $970,- 

 595.35, bearing not over 3 - 65 per cent, interest 

 and redeemable in 1905. These certificates may 

 be issued in exchange for or may be sold and 

 the proceeds applied to the redemption of the 

 loans of 1837, 1838, 1839, and 1847, now re- 

 deemable. It was further provided that all 

 money in the treasury in excess of $150,000 

 not needed for current expenses should be 

 transferred to the sinking fund and used to 

 purchase securities therefor, such securities to- 

 be stamped with the words " purchased for the 

 sinking fund." 



The number of tobacco inspection warehouses 

 was reduced from five to three. 



Several amendments were made to the oyster 

 laws, the most important requiring that every 

 oyster whose shell measures less than 2$ inches 

 in length from hinge to mouth shall be culled 

 out and returned to the bed. The State was re- 

 districted for members of Congress in order to 

 make five of the six districts reliably Demo- 

 cratic. A high-license law for Baltimore city 

 was passed, increasing the price of liquor li- 

 censes to $250 annually. 



The following constitutional amendments were 

 proposed and provision was made for their sub- 

 mission to the people at the next election : 



1. Authorizing the Governor to veto separate items 

 in any appropriation bill. 2. Providing that the 

 General Assembly shall not alter or amend the char- 

 ter of any existing corporation or pass any general or 

 special law for Its benefit unless said corporation 

 shall surrender all its claims to exemption from taxa- 

 tion or from the repeal or modification of its charter, 

 and that any corporation which shall accept, use, en- 

 joy, or in any way avail itself of any rights, privi- 

 leges, or advantages hereafter granted by any gen- 

 eral or special act, shall be conclusively presumed to 

 have surrendered any exemption from taxation grant- 

 ed by its charter. 3. Amending Article XV of the 

 Bill of Rights so as to declare that all taxes ought to 

 be uniform on the same kinds of property or class of 

 subjects and should be levied and collected under 

 general laws, but that the General Assembly may ex- 



