Evening star., 1923-10-14
500 HEAR R|TCH|E
ROCKVILLE SPEECH
Maryland Governor Outlines
Record at Chevy Chase
4
and Takoma Park.
ecinl nisnatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ROCKVILLE, Md, october To-
Gov. Albert C. Ritchie paid Mont
Eomery county his second visit Oh 'iie
oampaign this afternoon. when he ad-
dressed 500 persons in Seco han heie
The meeting was regarded as one oi
the finest the party has held IN recent
Years.
Preston B. Ray, clerk of the circuit
court for the county, presided anu III
addition to Gov. RitcS:2 the speakers
included former United States Senator
Blair Lee and Thomas IL. Roblnsoi-'
candidate for attorney general noN'
Ritchie reviewed at some length the
record and accomplishments OF MS
administration during the last 1oui
years and asserted that the alalIs "
the state had been managed SounulS'
etficiently and economically. he re-
furred to the public scnool system ol
the state as being among lhe pest.
and insisted that although the cost OF
running the public Scn0olS OF tne
eIate is nov almost double what II
was a few years ago it is money weii
invested. ,,,o,,5
the governor declared to be the Dest
in the country. During the past louI
wears. he said 100 miles OIL improved
roads have been built. He deIendeu
the reorganization OF ttle STATE 81
ernmcnt machinery and stated lhtti i
instead of having eiehty boafus aHu ~
commissions in charge OF various NV. us
partmcEtS. resulting in tHtrdNas"hh ~
and ineiilcIency, there -luua! "cie Nu'
eighteen.
Favors ReciErocity.
The governor declared in faVor OF
automobile reciprocity WIN INC bS
+.irt of (Nnlnm bla
In the course Of his remarks Mi
Lee said: With the rev state toauS
built through the cooperation OF thc
present board of county commlSSlon-
trs and considering the county stone
roads reconstructed through their el-
forts and financing and accepted oE
the state as part of the state II. .sH
wa. system. Montgomery county
system of improved roads is now
more nearly complete than that Oh
any other county in the state Inat
co-Cpc.ation between the democFatlS
board of county commissioners lof
tbiS county and the democratic state
roads commission of the state mas
resulted in the state roads conmis-
sion recognizing the clam that the
Eethe sda- Rockville -Eadgeville ROAD
is one of the most important state
hi2hwayS. and is. therefore. entitled
to shoulder construction to be n
ranCed from the state automobile IL
cenSe fund and state gasoline tax.
Mr.. Lee called attention to the TACT
that the Montgomery county scnooi
system is rated as one or the pest
in the state BY the state board OF
education. and that the montgomery
county school system boasts of twice
as many standard rural school
buildings as all other counties of the
state combined.
Montgomery county is also the only
county that has provided a superin-
tendent of school property charged
with the responsibility for the repair:
heating and sanitary condltlons OF
school houses and the construction or
new school houses he declares.
Meet school Demands.
For the last two years. Mr.. Lee
stated the county commissioners have
levied for the schools according to the
budget submitted by the county board
of education as essential, so that the
schools, he said. have been supported
to the extent deemed necessary by the
county school superintendent and the
county board of education.
That Montgomery county has the
best county police force in Maryland
was maintained by Mr.. Lee. He stated
that the 1922 session of the general
assembly created the Montgomery
county police force. which is an or
ganized, uniformed and salaried or
ganization. appointed and regulated
by the county commissioners. Through
the efforts of this force, aided py the
sheriff, Montgomery county, ne as
serted enjoys the best reputation for
law and order of the suburban sec
tions adjacent to the District of Co
lumbia. He called attention to the
fact that the police force is not
financed by direct taxation. but from
fines and other indirect revenues.
Mr.. Lee stated that as far as is gen
orally known there are no gambling
or disorderly houses in the county ad-
jacent to Washington and he said he
felt sure the county liquor laws are
being more strictly enforced than are
such laws in other localities.
Mr. Lee said he felt there was and
could be no logical prohibition or
liquor issue in the present campaign
of Montgomery county because of the
present record of law enforcement
He said the recent reaSsessment
of all Montgomery county property