Evening star., 1922-01-05
MARYLAND WOMAN
7 SITS IN ASSEMBLY
Gov. Ritchie Reads Message
to Legislature, Taking Up
Gasoline Tax Plan.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, January 5.-State leg
islative history was made with the
meeting of the Maryland general as
sembly at Annapolis yesterday in two
instances. For the first time a
| woman, Miss Mary E. Risteau of
Hartford county, sat in that body as, a
| member Of the house Of delegates,
| while Gov. Albert c. Ritchie adopted
a new course for Maryland's chief
executives in reading his message in
person.
Gov. Ritchie addressed a joint meet
ing of the senate and house of dele
gates, in the chamber Of the latter
body, Speaker Lee of Hartford county,
presiding. Not only the body of the
chamber but also the galleries were
filed, and Gov. Ritchie was heartily
applauded, both upon his entry and
at certain points during the reading.
The general feeling is that the mes
sage was forceful EFFORT along con-
structive and practical lines. The dis
cussion of state finances. with the
definite proposal to put the state on
sound basis by dropping the policy
of maintenance borrowing from con-
struction," is regarded as particularly
able.
Gasoline Tax Question.
1t is argued, however, that the pos
sibility of doing this rests entireiy
upon the adoption of the proposed tax
on gasoline, and that the latter pro-
posal depends partly upon securing a
reciprocal act of Congress making a
similar provision for the District OF
Columbia.
no hn n
line tax will enable the present def
cit of s1,179,555 to be paid off in the
next two years, even though the
state tax rate is cut by cents on the
hundred dollars. and that comforta-
BILE surplus will be left. His plans.
however, depend absolutely upon the
| legislative enactment of such a tax.
The organization of the legislature
along lines agreed upon by Gov.
Ritchie and other state leaders, was
accomplished without friction. John
L. G. Lee, a lawyer of Hartford county
of delegates. and William I; Norris,
| a lawyer from Baltimore city. was
selected for his second term as presi-
dent of the senate. The important
officers of both houses indicated that
| the Baltimore city leaders were ex-
ercising the controlling power.
Nothing except the organization
and the delivery of the message by
Gov. Richie was accomplished. and
after the session of the afternoon
both bodies adjourned until Tuesday
evening. Such an adjournment was
necessary to give the presiding Off
GERS opportunity to select their COM
| mittees, without which the work of
| the session cannot be initiated.
University Expansion.
OF interest to many people in Wash.
| ington is the governors rejection of
| the ambitious scheme for the eXpan-
sion of the University of Maryland, at
| least for the present Gov. Richie
! pointed out that the situation of
MARYLAND is not the same as that of the
western states, but that it contains
| many old, established institutions of
F.; learning, which had been regularly
| assisted by the state. He pointed
| out that Maryland could not adopt
| the policy of maintaining state uni
| versity in all it's phases and on a
| similar basis without abandoning al
| the other institutions. He favored
liberal help, but not to the extent
J asked.
| The governor advised an appropria-
| ton for the building of an armory
| at Silver Spring. Montgomery coun-
| ty, as well as at Cumberland. Hagers-
| town and Centreville. All four con
+, tain units of the 1st Regiment, Mary
| land National Guard, the supply COM
| pany of that regiment being stationed
at Silver Spring.