Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14
A HAROUN AL RASCHID AS
GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND

has recently taken for his model in state
craft Haroun Al Raschid. that famous
ealiph of Bagdad who wandered out into
the streets of his capital in disguise to
discover whether there were any male
factors. mollycoddles or other undesirable
citizens therein. and punish them accord
ing to their deserts, or to reward those
of his subjects who were worthy of re-
ward. Mr.. Crothers has not gone SO far
in his imitation of Caliph Haroun as to
disguise himself and go forth In search
of adventure. but he has instituted Sc
ries Of personally conducted gnm-shoe ex-
petitions which, in all other respects,
mea sure up to the standard of the orr
entail potentate whose exploits are re-
lated in those veracious chronicles, the
arabian Nights" tales.
From time immemOrfal 1t has been the
practice Of state legislatures in Maryland
to vote large sums of money toward the
| support of various schools. hospitals and
CHART able institutions in the state, and
one of the duties of the chief executive
has been to see that the institutions
which received the appropriations are
worthy of receiving them and make good
use of the money. This duty has never
been classed among the hardships Of pub
lie office. 1t is a much more pleasant
duty than that of satisfying hungry
horde of off1ce-seekers. and many other
duties appertaining to the office.
No Public Money for Wine.
When the time rolls around for visit
by the governor to a particular institu-
ton that institution is notified concerning
the approach of the gubernatorial party,
and the occasion is not only an occasion
wherein the sense of sight is gratified,
but one wherein the sense of taste is also
pleased. for luncheon is served In
Maryland luncheon is thing of beauty
and a JOY while it lasts 1t is collection
of all the Seasonable good things that the
markets of Maryland provide. together
with a few of the good things that can
not be had from the bay that is the home
of the arstocratic terrapin. the farm
whereon gambols the springtest OF spring
lambs. or the orchard made famous by
the sun-kissed peach. 1t is a signal for
feasting and festivity where the corks
pop and the bubbles bubble, for there Is
but one drink fit to set before so dlstln-
guished a guest as the Governor OF Mary
land. and the dignitaries that compose
his retinue. according to tradition until
recently held sacred and inviolate.
But tradition has had several rounds OF
the catch as-catch-can variety with Gov
Crothers of Maryland, and has come out
second best nearly every time In the
ernor Of the OriOle state should be man
with slightly swollen bank account, but
tradition sidestepped when 1t saw Gro
theirs coming its way. for while he has q
slight advantage of the proverbial church
mouse, he is as far from being million.
aire of the common or garden variety
as that sort of millionaire Is from being a
Rockefeller. Again. tradition declared thai
the fine and commodious executive man
sion at Annapolis ought never to be oc.
cupied by a bachelor, but Gov. Crothers
seems to be getting past the leap year
pitfalls without the sign of stumble
When He Adopted tho Title.
Tradition did score a little victory wher
the new governor regretfully laid aside his
derby hat and donned one Of the "stove'
pipe" variety, and astonished his friends
by appearing in the regulation frock coat
which is the hallmark of dignity. but
| tradition seems to have expended all its
energy to attain this solitary triumph
When it came around with demand that
the governor should submit to dining and
winning when he went forth on his rounds
of inspection. it received. in the parlance
of the ring. regular knockout blow.
Gov: Crothers came to the conclusion
that though it was very nice to be the
guest of honor at banquets, the guest OF
honor is not in a position to determine
whether all is going right In the kitchen
and garnet. as well as In the dining room
and that he Is not to blame II he gets
the notion that everything Is In what the
Maryland housewife calls "apple-pie" or
der. when 1t is really at skies and sevens
or words to that effect. So the governor
of Maryland unwound few yards of red
Grafton around the eyes of tradition and
give tradition a few additional bruises
First. he declared that he would not ap-
prove any expenditures for wine to be
served at the table where he was guest
in an official capacity, and tradition ut
tered loud and doleful wall. Then he
recollected the glorious example OF Caliph
Haroun AL Raschid, and concluded that 1t
had been too long dishonored by ignoble
disuse. and tradition took to the woods.
His First Official Visit.
So it was that Gov. Crothers went
forth into the streets of Baltimore. the
great metropolis of Maryland. recently,
and told no one where he was going. SO
it was that he went to one of the in
situations in that city which is the re-
cipient of some of the states revenues,
school wherein certain boys were rep
resented to be imps directly imported
from the Internal regions, and wherein
the boys in turn said that the superin-
tendent was a monster in human form.
So 1t was that the governor rang the
door bell as though he were plain John
Smith, instead of his excellency. Austin l..
Crothers. Governor of Maryland. and he
around, and saw much and said little.
for he has the irritating little habit of
refusing to talk about what he Is going
to do until he does it.
After he paid this visit however the
Governor of Maryland gave an inkling of
what he intended to do. for he said that
in the course of time he would visit every
institution in the state of Maryland in
precisely the same manner, letting nobody
know whittier he goes until he gets
there. least of all those I'm charge OF
the places he intends to visit. Hence.
if he does not have adventures equally
as exciting as those of the 1llustrious
Haroun. IT will be because there is moth
ing doing these days in the line of wicked
sorcerers who turn people into animals.
and because the modern tribe of grand
viziers and viziers of less degree are not
no tfrH