The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-01-10
THE INAUGURATION.


and women from every section OF the
State, includ ing many of its most dis
tinguished and best known residents,
massed in the Senate chamber and
tanning the corridors of the State
House, Judge Austin Lane Crothers
at II 35 P. M. on Wednesday sub
scribed to the constitutional oath
read to him by Chief Judge A.
Hunter Boyd, of the Court of APP
peals, becomin g Governor of Mary
land.
In discussing the event the "Bal-
timore Sun" says:
T be inaugural address of Govern
or Crothers may be taken, not only
as renewal of pledges made to the
people before the election. but as a
message to the General Assembly.
The Constitution requires. that the
Governor shall, from time to time,
inform the Legislature of the condi-
tion.of the State and recommend to
its consideration such measures as he
may judge necessary and convenient.
Instead of making a lengthy and
formal communication to the Cen
eral Assembly, which is not usual
with the, incoming Governor, Mr..
Crothers has given his views and
has informed the legislative power
of the State what he and the PEOPLE
expect of it. The pledges made in
the Democratic platform were
pledges to enact certain laws. at
is upon you, gentlemen of the Sen
ate and of the House of Delegates"
said the new Governor, "that the
duty of fulfilling scrupnlously, faith
fully, fearlessly and to the letter the
great pledges upon which we were
all elected by the people, primarily
falls and substantially rests
This is placing the responsibility
for the necessary legislation exactly
where the Constitution puts it and
the people putt it. And Governor
Crothers leaves no room fol- doubt
a to where he stands and what he
thinks ought to be done. He out.
lines policy which in its progress
siveness and wisdom goes beyond
and amplifies the party pledges. He
is in entire sympathy with the
pledge Of the party to submit an
amen dHent to the Constitution
which will disfranchise the most un-
desirable part of the negro vote, and
he points out that when that is done
difficult ballots to protect certain
counties from the full volume of ig-
norance will no longer be necessary.
T hen there can be renewed certain
features of the present election law
which are annoying and troublesome
to the great body of the electorate.
In tn meantime, he says, some fea-
lures of the present law may we'll be
modifi ed as to these sections of the
State where the negro vote is not
dangerously large.
Governor Crothers outlines the
salient features of the corrupt prac.
tices act that he favors, and which
he believes would be effective in re.
tanning bribery at elections. He
directs attention to the party pledge
to establish legalized primaries
where the people of the whole State
can express by direct vote their
choice of candidates, including can
didates for the Federal Senate. The
Governor also favors a substantial
increase in the representation OF the
city Of Baltimore in the General
Assembly; fair trial of the Haman
Oyster law, which he earnestly sup
ported when he was in the Senate,
and the strengthening of the law
where necessary by additional leg
islation. In his support of the oys-
ter-culture policy and in his recon-
incubation for the Improvement OF
the highways of the State by the
State government, the Governor
shows that he not only favors polit-
ical retorm, but that he is intent
upon advancing the State in mater
ial prosperity until it is very van
OF the progress of the whole coun-
try
The suggestion that the State
should use its credit in order that
public and private property may be
increased and promoted may be re-
garded by some who are content
with the old way as somewhat out
of the line of conservatism for which
this State is too much distinguished.
But this progressive policy has been
adopted in other States, with the
best results, and if Mary land should
lag behind in the onward march of
civilization it will not be the fault of
the bold, independent and progress
sive man who was inaugurated as
Governor at Annapolis Wednes-
day.
Governor Crothers' speech rings