The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-07-24

cipating, in many cases, his advisers
description of the proposed laws and
his verdict in regard to them.
81 don't know whether there is a
joker in this one or not" said the
Judge, as he handed over the last Of
his blue documents, and moved to-
ward the door.
81 guess there isn't Richie re-
piled, shaking hands with his friend,
cor you'd know it. But I'll read it
again to make sure"
do you want Mr.. So-andSo in
here?" interrupted the Governor
secretary.
Il don't" replied the Governor,
"but if you can stand him, can"
On this invitation, mustachioed
young pouter bowed himself into the
room.
Il haven't been able to make re-
port on that bill as yet" he began
pompously: 81 am not familiar with
the law which it is designed to
amend"
Il am, replied the Governor, ris-
ing with brisk motion and walking
straight to a calf-bound volume on
an upper shelf. He handed him the
book. Here's the law. What l want
to know is about the amendment"
AS the important young man tuck
ed the volume under his arm and
skunk back to his uncompleted task,
could scarce forbear to cheer"
but l remembered my hosts own
words, eff you can stand him, l can, y
and contented myself with mumbling
something about a Governors having
to know everything.
"Absolutely!" laughed Richie,
pulling a long hand-written letter out
of his correspondence basket, "here
is a fellow who begins: 4 would like
to know briefly you get that brief
ly!-'how l can relieve myself of the
intolerable burden of taxation"
don't know why people pick on me
to answer their Questions-unless
Irwin Cobb's. You remember how,
one morning after a hard rainstorm
in southern Georgia, Cobb was walk
ing along the road and saw an old
negro named Henry sitting in an easy
chair by his kitchen door, fishing in a
small puddle of water that had form
ed there during the night.
Henry, you old fool said Cobb
what are you doing there?
q" Boss, said Henry, Use jes
fishin' little
" We'll, don't you know there are
no fish there?' demanded Cobb.
"'Yas, suh,' said Henry, 4 knows
dat, but his yere place is so handy
That's what Iam," concluded the
Governor, showing the letter back in
the basket, "handy."
"Do you answer letters like that?"
81 answer, everything"
His secretary told me afterward
that this was literally true Every
letter addressed to the Governor Of
Maryland, no matter if it is on the
most insignificant subject, goes on
Albert Ritchie's desk.
All this takes time. The Governor
is early on the job. He never eats
lunch. He works right through until
seven.
He is back at his office five nights
week. He sticks there until ten or
twelve. Then he goes back to the
Executive Mansion and really works
The neighbors say they see lights in
his room until two or three. Those
who assist him in his most crowded
periods-like bill signing and bud
get-making time-say that he is just
as alert at three in the morning, just
as thorough in running down details
as most men are at ten or eleven in
the forenoon.
might is the only time you can
work around here" was the Cover
nors own defense of his late hours.
The "around here" struck me as fun
ny; for there was mighty little going
on in that quiet town except the
things Al Richie himself stirred up!
excuse me a moment he said
making for the door, 1--WE got to give
the Attorney General something to
do"
In my hosts absence, l had a
chance to think over what had hap
pened in the few minutes since | had
entered the gubernatorial sanctum.
Friendly, understanding contact had
been established between the Gov
ernor and me; hearing had been set
and both sides notified; twenty or
more bills had been disposed of final
ly; a pompous young man had been
sent about his business. And it
struck me suddenly that the whole
procedure was astonishingly free from
political Chunk" l could have closed
my eyes and believed that l was in
na+roi+ Of Chico oo--co buCinpScli he