434 



MARYLAND. 



cent, of shells, or small oysters less than 2} inches 

 in length from hinge to mouth. If the percent- 

 age is below that amount the cargo shall be taken 

 by the purchaser, without deducting the percent- 

 age of culls. The bill makes it unlawful for? any 

 packer, commission merchant, or other person to 

 purchase or receive an improperly culled cargo. 



Among the 6 amendments proposed to the 

 election law, and 1 to the legislation law, the 

 most important had for its object the surround- 

 ing of the mode of nomination prescribed by the 

 Australian ballot law with greater restrictions 

 than at present exist. The law requires that the 

 signers of nomination papers shall be residents 

 of the ward, county, precinct, or district, but not 

 registered voters. Under this provision there has 

 been much carelessness, minors and nonresidents 

 frequently making up the signatures to nomina- 

 tion papers. In the counties all nomination pa- 

 pers shall be signed by registered voters and ac- 

 companied by an affid'avit made before a justice 

 of the peace, by some one or more persons known 

 personally to the justice and so certified by him, 

 and signed by the affiant, to the effect that the 

 signers are known to him to be registered voters 

 of the district or precinct in which they reside, 

 and that the affiant personally sign the nomina- 

 tion papers. 



In the Senate an unfavorable report of the Fi- 

 nance Committee on a bill to appropriate $2,000 

 for a State weather service, in conjunction with 

 the United States Weather Bureau and the Johns 

 Hopkins University, was substituted for the bill. 

 The Governor withheld his signature, but final- 

 ly agreed to compromise. The commissioners 

 a'greed to sign a paper, in which they pledged 

 themselves to return half the amount, the Gov- 

 ernor consenting to give $2.000, but no more. 



Two bills disappeared from the engrossing 

 room. One was the bill providing for the taxa- 

 tion of liquor in bond, and the other was that 

 incorporating the Baltimore, East Baltimore, and 

 North Point Railway Company. 



A bill that was passed in the Senate, legislating 

 out of office county collectors, led to the first po- 

 litical division of the session. At the last election 

 Republican county commissioners were chosen, 

 and, according to promise made, Fusion Demo- 

 cratic collectors were appointed. The bill, which 

 was passed, provides that the Treasurer, a regu- 

 lar Democrat, shall hereafter do the collecting. 



Other acts of the session were as follow : 



The telephone bill. 



The law fixing not more than ten hours a day's 

 work for children. 



Amending the law relating to the draining of lands. 



To provide for the appointment of arbitrators to 

 settle the dispute between Maryland and West Vir- 

 ginia in reference to the boundary line. 



Amending the act incorporating the "Baltimore 

 College of Dental Surgery " and increasing its 

 powers. 



To cede to the United States jurisdiction over cer- 

 tain lands at or near Antietam battle fields. 



To authorize the employment of jail prisoners on 

 the streets and roads in Talbot County. 



Repealing the local-option law of Calverton, Balti- 

 more city, and providing for the extension of the 

 high-license laws of Baltimore city to that place. 



Appropriating $60,000 for the World's Fair and 

 providing for the appointment of a commission, and 

 for the collection, arrangement, and display of the 

 products df the State of Maryland at the Exposition. 



To appropriate the direct tax refunded hy Congress 

 to the payment of the outstanding debt of the State. 



To authorize the city of Baltimore to issue bonds to 

 the amount of $6,000,000. 



To provide for the examination of trust, loan, and 

 fidelity companies' business ; to add a seetiou to 

 Article LXVi, in relation to mortgages. 



To punish malicious destruction of property. 



To protect birds and game in Somerset County. 



Punishing minors who get whisky by misrepre- 

 sentation. 



Creating a commission to inquire into the distribu- 

 tion of State school tax. 



Appropriation for Destitute Mothers and Infants' 

 Asylum. 



Providing punishment for keeping bawdy houses. 



Amending the revenue laws of the State. 



Providing for the destruction of fruit trees affected 

 with yellows. 



Amending the registration laws. 



Amending the electric laws. 



Eegulating the prosecution for cruelty to animals. 



To protect game in St. Mary's County. 



Regulating the catching of terrapin in Charles, 

 Calvert, and St. Mary's Counties; protecting wild 

 fowl in Anne Arundel County ; to protect crabs in 

 the Great Choptank river; to protect tish ; crabs, and 

 terrapin in Anne Arundel County. 



Agricultural Society appropriation bill. 



To close Severn river from oyster taking for two 

 years. 



Empowering school commissioners of Frederick 

 County to grant free scholarships to the Normal 

 School. 



Amending the primary elections law for Qneen 

 Anne's County, making the Australian law apply to 

 them. 



Amending the fish law of Queen Anne's County ; 

 that of Howard County relating to wild fowl ; amend- 

 ing the game laws of Cecil County ; also, the Anne 

 Arundel County fish laws ; providing for the better 

 protection of fish and wild fowl in Harford County ; 

 a Washington County game law ; amending the trout- 

 fishing laws in Frederick County ; also the game laws 

 of Baltimore County ; to amend the law relating to 

 gunning and trespass ; to protect brook trout in Balti- 

 more County. 



Amending the general election laws in reference to 

 registration. 



Reducing the Governor's staff to five generals and 

 ten colonels. Under the new law the adjutant-general 

 is the only one of these appointments that must be 

 confirmed by the Senate. 



Protecting a wife's property against the debts of 

 her husband. 



Education. The following distribution of 

 the school tax was made by the Comptroller in 

 June, the distribution being made upon the cen- 

 sus of 1890, $118,480.72 to the white and $49,- 

 500 to the colored schools. The White State 

 Normal School received $2,625, the colored $500. 

 In October, distribution being again made upon 

 the census of 1890, $100,000 was given to the 

 white school and $24,500 to the colored. To the 

 white normal school, $2,600.25: colored, $500. 



The Association of the State School Com- 

 missioners met in November, and discussed " The 

 Apportionment of the State School Tax and the 

 Free School Fund." Every year, it was urged, 

 $125,000 is appropriated for the education of the 

 colored children. When the appropriation is 

 made for the school children of the State, the 

 colored children again get an equal share with 

 the white. Within twenty years some counties 

 have had more than they could use, and now 

 have a surplus. Regrets were expressed at the 

 fact that no appropriation 'had been made by 



