Evening star., 1924-01-09
Governor, in Second In
augural Address, Asks
Maryland Stand Alone.
DECLARES PROHIBITION
BIG ISSUE BEFORE PEOPLE
Stands for Mellon Tax-Cut Bill
Sees Liberty of Citizens
Facing Attack.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

! Special Dispatch to The Star
! ANNAPOLIS, Md, January 9-De-
manding state rights, even il Mary
land must stand alone; denouncing
"the encroachment of federal power
upon the functions Of states; insist
ing that prohibition enforcement is an
issue, involving personal liberties, for
| the people of Maryland to decide for
| themselves, and striking out at "the
federal invasion of the pocket books
| of the people" through taxation, Gov.
I Albert c. Ritchie this noon delivered
| his inaugural address and took oath
| of office for his second successive
| term, the first governor TO be re-
| elected in Maryland since the civil
! war
His open stand on the issues dis
cusSed did not come as surprise
to the members of the general assem-
! bly,. the judges Of the Court of
Appeals. heads of the various de-
partments of the state government
and others, who heard his address,
| but his audience listened almost
ibreathlessly to the frankness and
| emphasis of his denunciation and his
( daring defense OF state sovereignty.
! Favors Mellon Tax Plan.
, In stressing the dangers of tax
alton burdens Gov Ritchie declared.
81. democrat. believing with all my
heart that democratic policies and
democratic supremacy are best for my
state and my country, am still in
, favor of Secretary Melons plan to
/ lessen the burdens of the present fed
! eral income tax law" He declared
I that the present taxation is one of
the two great causes which are hold
+ ing back American business. agricul-
! ture and individual prosperity. Gov
Ritchie cited as the other cause the
: lack of European markets for Amer
lean surplus supplies, which condi-
! tion. he said. could only be remedied
by the reconstruction of Europe.
| "One of the contributory causes of
| the federal invasion of the pocket
books of the people. through taxa
ton" said Gov. Rftchie. lis the main
tenance of an enormous and growing
overhead of bureaus and commissions,
of which some are not needed, others
should be curtailed and still others
do work and spend money for pur-
poses which should be turned back to
the states, because they belong to the
realm of state government.
Hits Dry Appropriation.
."The most outstanding illustration
today of the latter class relates TO
thes enforcement of the eighteenth
amendment. For this purpose the
federal government has already ap-
propriated ss,37s,770 for the next fis-
cal year, and the federal budget has
just approved s2s.500.0O0 more"
Gov. Ritchie showed that in 1929
the federal government collected in
MARYLAND from all sources a $4466
per capita tax, or nearly four and
half times as much per capita as the
state collected.
why does the federal government
stretch forth it's hand into the state
to pay in each year four times as
much as we pay our state govern
nsent? Is this necessary and is 1T
wise? Not does the power exist to
do it, but should that power be exer-
cised?"
ut is not my purpose to complain
of an unwarra nted invasion of the fed
eral government of the liberties of
! the Maryland people," Gov. Ritchie
declared, in discussing the Volstead
act But it is my purpose to ask
that Maryland have her day in court,
and that you do not act until her peo-
pie have had the opportunity to de-
eide for themselves, as free Ameri-
cans, at the polls whether they want
this restriction on their liberties. or
whether they do not.
Prohibition enforcement is only one
instance of the encroachment of fed
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