The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-12-06

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expert accountant. The new State Au-
ditor picked by the Governor was not
an accountant at all. The Governor
knew all that. But that was his way
, of doing things, figuring as he was on
getting a new term of office and then
running for President. The State Au-
ditor's office was made part of his po-
litical machine while the employees
of the State Roads Commission pro-
ceeded to loot the strong box.
Would Sue the Banks to Appease
The Public
Right on the heels of the "Advis-
DRY" Committees report, Roads Chair
man Mackall opens his mouth again
and starts to talk of suing the banks,
the principal one among them being
the Union Trust Company, of which
State Treasurer John M. Dennis is the
President. l wonder how Mr.. Dennis
feels about that, inasmuch as he was
reputed to have had hand in getting
the appointment of Roads Chairman
for Mr.. Mackall.
Attorney General Robinson is quot
ed as saying the banks will have to
pay losses on forged" checks. Pos
sibly; am not lawyer, and neither
are many members of the bar. But
according to the information l have
| been getting the money was not
scooped out of the Roads Commission
with forged checks at all but with
checks signed by those authorized by
the Roads Commission or its chair
man to sign such checks as they saw
fit. The sum of $4,000 was kept in
this fund and when it got low it was
stocked up again and the pilfering
went on right under the noses of the
members of the Commission, who
were SO busy with parades and toy
balloons they could not notice what
was being done.
Of course we may have some fine
law suits. l recall that the first Secre-
| tary of State under Governor Har-
rington withdrew from the State
Tresury certain funds it was contend
ed he should not have had and put
them in a bank of his own selection
Later the State sued to recover the
money. The State never got the
money. The State never got any
money and so far as l know the thing
went to seed. They were all good
Democrats.
Same Method Followed In
Governors Office
1t is plain that the chief trouble
with the Roads Commission was
largely due to the custom of drawing
money from the State Treasury in a
lump sum and expanding it without
presenting any vouchers. The Cover
nor could have stopped this but he did
not. He knew it. No, he did not stop
it for he has been pursuing the same
course in regard to his own Office
He has at his disposal several differ
ent funds in addition to his salary.
The contingent fund the constitution
requires him to report to the Legis-
lature and this he does in some in
definite sort of way but the other
funds he draws from the State Treas
ury quarterly and puts them in bank
! in his own name. Checks are then
drawn on these funds set aside for
this or for that and as far as l have
been able to ascertain no vouchers
explanatory of these expenditures
have been presented to the State
Comptroller since Governor Richie
has been in Office. If l am in error,
| will be glad to be corrected publicly
and to be shown that the Governor
has adobted the only correct method
of accounting for public monies.
Senator Levin Takes Shot At
Prevailing Evils
Now comes Senator Levin calling
attention to the vast concentration of
absolute power in the hands of the
Governor through the making of APP
pointments without the consent of
the Senate. He recalls that the Leg
islature passed a bill correcting this
autocratic system but that the Gov
ernor used his veto power to kill it
and thus retain his absolutism. The
Senator indicates that the question
will be taken up again by the next
Legislature. 1t should be and that
promptly. The Governor has been
prating about home rule, local self
government and all that sort of stuff
but when the thing comes right to his
own door he wants none Of it.
Naturally the Wet Blanket, now
Maryland's chief laughing stock, takes
the Governors side. The editors have
to take their orders from the finan-
ciers for whom they work and who
are close to the Governor.
The argument advanced by the
Governors partisans is to the effect
that the advice and consent of the
Senate means interference by politi-