The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-01-06
GORMAN SYSTEM EVIDENT
TODAY AS In PAST YEARS
Maryland's General Assembly
Has Been Governed By Exped-
iency Since The Civil War
By Paul Winchester, Editor of The
Marylander

Marylander
Next week the centre of political
interest will be at the State House,
in Annapolis, and the probabilities
are that the session of the General
Assembly will be filled with more or
less excitement from the very
start-not because there are now in
sight many great matters of public
concern to be considered by the men,
bers of the two houses-most of the
questions which seem likely to come
up for determination, are of no really
great moment, if the leaders have
! their way and are able to confne
/ legislature to routine affairs affecting
the State Government. For it is I'M
derstood, that the Governor and his
advisers will do all in their power to
prevent the introduction of anything
which may tend to interfere with the
| present apparent harmonious condi-
ton which exists in the democratic
party. To what extent they will sue
coed is at present problematical-to
all outward appearances they have
whip-hand of the situation, and, I'M
der ordinary circumstances, should be
able to retain a rigid control from
the opening to the close of the entire
session. If they show the wisdom in
dealing with the members which they
should possess, they will have little
trouble in carrying out their pro-
gram. That is, always provided,
they find the majority they have as
basis for action is made up of men
who desire above all else to be "regu-
lar" and who are ready to submit, to
what is presumed to be the superior
knowledge and ability of those at the
head of party affairs, whether their
views are in agreement or otherwise.
Indeed there should be no cause for
party disagreement. The matter to-
be considered are practically all pure
iy business in their character, and.
whatever friction may be caused will
probably be of such kind that it can
easily be adjusted by compromise, and
thus prevent sores, which now seem
to have been releggated to the back
ground as a result of the overwhel-
ming vote of confidence in the State
Executive and the other leaders polled
at the last election. If large ma
jority means popular approval, and
popular approval means anything, the
people at the election last November
decidedly approved the administration
of the present Governor, from its very
inception seven years ago-the ap-
prevail also extends to all those lead
ers who were associated with him.
not only in his administration. but al
so IN the conduct of his campaign for
reelection-and what is of more i'm
portance where the General Assemb-
ly IS concerned, it virtually binds the
whole democratic membership to back
up the Governor in the completion of
his program of legislation-a pro-
gram which was fully outlined and
understood, and on which, as a cam
paign basis, all, from the Governor.
the State and other officials, and es
peclally the members of the law MAX
ing body, were entrusted with the adj
ministration of the several branches
OF the State government for the ensu-
ing four years. There is no getting
away from this conclusion. Governor
Rltchle, his record and his policies,
were well known. They were the is
sues on which the election was won.
Every candidate of the Democratic
party who was elected, won as a sup
porter of the head of the ticket and
those policies-all, not only backed
them up, but openly supported them
and, from a political standpoint, all
are bound to support them, officially
and otherwise, for the next four
years. There can be no misunder-
standing on this subject, the whole
campaign, from the time the Govern
or was considered a candidate for
third term, when he made his formal
announcement, during the months that
ensued, when the State Convention
met, when the platform was framed
and adopted, when the City and coun-
ty tickets were chosen, it was clearly
and emphatically stated in the CITY
and in all the counties, not only in the
speeches made by the candidates and
others, but in the party newspapers,
that the whole campaign was based
on an endorsement and thorough ap-
provel of the Governor, not only as to
what he had done, but what he pro-
posed to do.
And yet, Notwithstanding all the
above well-known facts, it would be
futile to attempt to predict with GER
tainty what the General Assembly
may do when in session for the next
three months. That old time-dishon
ored maxim of the late Senator Cor
man, platforms are made to get in
on, not to stand on" has so permeated