The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1922-04-28
STATE
CAPITAL
Legislative Business Finished.

Governor Ritchfe made clean slate
of legislative business by acting on
all the bills left in his hand by the
General Assembly, signing 399 ana
vetoing 30 With the bills previously
acted on the Governor signed a total
of 511 and vetoed 38 The Legislature
passed 54S bills and 20 joint resolu-
tions, about 100 less than two years
ago.
In vetoing the thirty bills, most of
them of local interest only, the Gov
ernor gave out statement relative to
each measure and giving his reasons
for Withholding his signature.
The vetoed bill of the most general
interest was that relating to mar
riages in Cecil, Somerset and Mont
gomery counties. This measure pro-
vided that no marriage license should
be issued to applicants who had not
resided in the State for the preceding
4S hours. 1t was designed to break
UP the marriage mart at Elkton and
was originally statewide in its appli-
cation but was so amended as to in
clude only the three counties men
toned. The opposition to the bill
seems to have come mostly from the
residents of Hartford county, who
claimed that the result would be to
send runaway couples from other
States to Havre de Grace where the
same situation as now prevails at Elk
ton might be renewed. The opposition
was led by State Senator Tydings, of
Hartford, who was present and thanked
the Governor for his veto.
In his statement relating to this bill
the Governor said:
"If jitney drivers act in an unseen
ly manner, If ministers of the gospel
discredit their calling-and they do, IL
the conditions have been correctly de-
scribed to me these are not sound rea-
sons for making unsound discrimina-
tions and for introducing poniuniform.
ity in the marriage laws among coun-
ties Of the State, particularly dis
elimination which, while relieving
Cecil, would in all probability simply
transfer these kind of marriages from
Cecil to other neighboring counties,
where similar restrictions do not exist.
AS evidence of this, Senator Tydingss
John L. G. Lee, Speaker, of the House,
and the people of Hartford county, have
made the strongest possible protest
against the bill on the ground that it
will simply result in transferring the
present conditions at Elkton to Havre
de Grace.
Among the important bills signed
by the Governor were the $4,000, 900
Soldiers Bonus Bill, the Full-Crew
Law Repeater, which was fought to
the last ditch by the labor organiza-
tions, the Child Hygiene Bill, the State
Budget, the State Road Loan, the
Southern Maryland Road Loan. the
immigration Commission Bill, the
Mining Bureau Bill, the amendment
to the Moving-Picture Censor Law,
the State Building Loan, the Fewer
Elections amendment, and the bill for
the purchase by the State of the Sus-
quehanna River bridge.
In regard to the signing of the Full
Crew Repeal Bill, the Governor said
in his statement:
"The arguments for and against
Senate Bill No. "a, known as the
.'Full-Crew Law Repeater" have re-
lated mainly to the necessity for the
additional brakeman, and that ques-
ton involves considerations of safety,
automatic devices, grades, weight and
length of trains, and other practical
operating problems, as well as cost.
"As to these questions the opinions
of competent and sincere men differ,
and the proper solution Of them, the
task would be a very difficult one
But it does not because the Bill does
not itself dispense with the additional
brakeman, but with the legal neces-
sity of having him, and then places
jurisdiction in the Public Service
Commission, after a hearing upon its
own motion or upon complaint, to de-
termine the number of men required
for safe and efficient operation.
II will, therefore, request the Pub
lie Service Commission to investigate
and ascertain in just what cases and
on just what trains and under just
what circumstances the railroads
contemplate dispensing with the ad-
ditional brakemen.
"These Investigations can begin at
once, so that the Commission will be
In possession Of the facts when the
law becomes effective, on June next,
and will thus be in position, not only
on complaint, but also on its own
motion, to place an order at once upon
any of the railroads to show cause
why the men dispensed with or trans
ferred, or intended so to be, should
not be restored to their present posi-
tions in every case where the Commits
sion has reason to believe that this
should be done.
81 think that this should assure
fairness both to the men and to the
railroads in the operation Of the law,
and with this statement / feel it my
duty to accept the decision of the
Legislature and to approve the bill"
Among the bills vetoed was one Of
the two bills creating an additional
Judge for Baltimore city, the Governor
considering one new judge enough;
the amendments to the motor vehicle
law giving an appeal to the court in
case of revocation of licenses and
eliminating minimum fines; requiring
the Motor Vehicle Commissioner to
supply list of registered cars to the
POWDER BAN HELD UNJUST.