The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-04-22
.RETRENCHMENT
AND REFORM
GOV. RITCHlE IS PREPARING TO COMsOL-
IDATE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS TO
REDUCE EMPLOYEES OF THE STATE
AND ALSO REDUCTION Nv SALARIES.
Hotel Rennert,
Baltimore April n. 1921

! Hotel Rennert,
Baltimore April 2l. 1921.
The program OF .retrenchment and
reforms which Governor Richie is
preparing Is based on the eonsoIida-
tion Of the several departments OF
the State Government and will result
IN the reduction Of the large and un-
wieldy force OF employees, and in
many Instances Tn the reduction OF
salaries. viii soon be ready for pub
licatlpn IN this plan II is proposed to
prevent The many Implications which
now exists in the cumbersome system
Of commissions, which has grown
with a steady growth during the last
twenty years for this present sys-
TEN Of Government By commission ia
Maryland, Is a growth almost entire
~ of the period since 1910 In the
past twelve years, the Legislature
slas created the Good Roads Commls-
sion, the Public Service Commission,
the state Tax Commission, the State
Accident Commission. the Board Of
Prison Control. The Conservation
Commission and has enlarged the
powers 0f the state Health Commis-
sion, the Lunaey Commission,
besides creating numerous boards
OF lesser Importance, many OF
which really overlap each other anG
result In NO little confusion in the Ad-
minstrai0p Of the functions Of the
State Government and what at the
present time Of ahnormally high taxes
is Of special Importance and take
large sums from the State Treasury.
All these bodies. which together from
cumbersome and unwieldly whole.
are TO be reduced according to the
Governors plan. 10 certain compact
and efficient boards. composed OF q
few able and skillfui men. who's
duties and powers are to be carefully
defined and limited, and who's ex-
penses are 20 be rigidiy regulated by
law Que Commission after another
has been created by the General AS
sembly, often more for the purpose
of making Official Positions for bun
gary Hppiienan. than for any real
necessity to the State Government.
and usually the men who we're select
ed "a hold the Jobs were on hand to
help pass the bills through the law
payers have had loaded upon the
Treasury an army OF Office holders.
~ not q few instances two or three
Inefficient men are paid by the pub
lic 20 de- what are really campetent
man ought TO do. Twenty years ago
1wp or three rooms In Baltimore we're
sufficient to accommodate all the
State Officials whose duties we're per-
formed away from the State Capital.
Now whole floors In several OF the
largest ofilce brildings in Baltimore
are crowded by Commissions of all
aorts aud kinds, aud their hundreds
% suhordinates. literally making up
tt small army. and costing hundreds
Of thousands OF dollars every year.
Aud all these Commissions are max
ing for more room. more money and
more people 10 aid them In their
work THAT there Is much waste or
labor and efficiency and no little
waste Of money, is apparent 20 all
who are familiar with the way public
work Is done For nearly year the
government has been making an ex-
hausted aud thorough examination OF
all these matters and has reached
certain definite conclusions in regard
10 them In short time therefore he
proposes TO make certain recommen-
datiOna as 10 what he thinks should
be done. in order to give the people
time 10 consider them at their leisure
and on their merits Heretofore Gov
ernors have reserved their recon-
mendati0ns until the opening of the
General Assembly, when they have
presented their views and plans In
messages TO the two Houses. The
plan OF the present Governor seems
% be a great Improvement over the
old system Making IL public months
before the law body meets, will give
the people an opportunity to look
into all these matters for themselves,
and viii open them for discussion
during the campaign In which the
men who are 10 vote on them at An
nnp0is. will have chanCe to discuss
them before the people. and find out
what they think OF them IN this way.
the voters can pass on the plans or
the Executive al the polls and he will
llnd out whether public sentiment Is
with him or against him.
There Is no doubt OF the fact that
the Governors program is the most
revolutionary ever placed before the
people Of Maryland, and will bring
about great changes in the effective
ness ol the State Government. There
KS also no doubt that It's enactment
will greatly reduce the expenses OF
the public service. which has been
going on in shipsbod, inefficient
way as a slow. growth, ever since the
Civil War. now nearly sixty years
ago Most OF the officials during all
that period OF time have been honest
and faithful men, and whatever evils
have existed, have been those Of q
system Of administration, and legis-
lation, which the people Of the State
have long outgrown. Now that States
AS we'll as all sorts OF government
agencies are Obliged TO retrench and
eeenomize. Il Is well for the people OF
Maryland TO give consideration TO
these probIems solution Of which