The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-12-06
LID LIFTED A LITTLE ON The STATE ROAD MESS BUT
NOT ILLUMINATING And DISCREDITS ADMINISTRATION
lFrom The Observer. BaItimorel


tie, but only little, by Governor Rit-
chie's "Advisory" Committee. The
public-the discerning portion of the
public-will be sorely disappointed to
note that committee of three promi-
nent business men undertook such a
task as was involved in this case and
then did not finish it. Perhaps they
thought it too big job to handle
without pay. All of the three are
busy men in their regular pursuits.
The public, I take it, we'll knew
after the State Auditors men were
called off the roads investigation that
the stealing amounted to much more
than the $4,000 admitted by States
Attorney O'Conor. The public has
waited months and months for the
facts and now the committee tells us
that the amount illegally taken by
employees and others was S176,183
and that there are "bills receivable"
amounting to $250,000. The latter is
something new, for up to this time the
public did not know that the Roads
Commission had "bills receivable"
No Facts As to Commissions
Operations
The report as handed out at the
Belvedere Hotel on Monday night, &C.
companied by statement from the
Governor in which he twiddled, tells
little that the public wanted to know
The public wanted to know what if
any contractors had special pulls with
the Commission.
The public wanted to know to what
extent the road building and the hand
ing out of the States money was con-
Quoted as part Of political machine
There is no such information forth
coming. Instead there is talk that if
possible some twenty persons are to
be prosecuted and bank or banks
are to be sued to recover money stol-
en- by the States employees.
We find nothing in the brief report
that really enlightens the public. We
do find, however, recommendation
that the office of treasurer of the
Roads Commission be created, thus
providing another job for one of the
Governors political favorites. There
is no explanation Of why the State
Roads Commission should need a
treasurer any more than does the
Highways Engineer of Baltimore city
The Highways Engineer of Baltimore
city has no treasurer. The Sewerage
Engineer has no treasurer. The Fire
Department has no treasurer. The
School Board, dispensing many mil
lions, has no treasurer. The Park
Board has no treasurer. All these
many millions are kept in the City
treasury and therefore intelligent per-
sons will wonder why the Governors
advisory" Committee wants to Gre
ate another State job.
Talk of Laxity Raises
Question
1t would appear to one reading the
scanty report of the advisory" Com
mittee that if the supervision of the
handling of the roads money has been
lax the laxity should have been cor
rected long ago. The stealings were
discovered in February last by the
State authorities and by others with
ordinary eyesight some time before
that. Now after nearly year has
passed and millions of additional dol
lars have been spent, there is talk Of
remedying the laxity.
If the advisory" Committee had
any legal advice it must have discov-
cred before it got very far that the
Roads Commission had been proceed
ing in wholesale disregard of law
ever since Governor Richie has been
in office. And if it looked bit fur
Their it must have become convinced
that the Governor knew of this disre-
gard of the statutes. He is the man
responsible for the budgets.
Stealing Began With Richie
Administration.
1t is more than significant that the
systematic stealings did not begin
until the first fiscal year of the Rit-
chic administration. Prior to that
there was a small piece of thievery,
but it was discovered within the Com
mission. The Governor superseded the
Commission named by Governor Har-
rington four years earlier and put in
his own favorites. 1t wasn't long
after the new administration had
taken hold when Governor Richie said
to the writer of these lines:
"In my opinion the man in the
street, as you call him, doesn't care
how you spend his money after he has
once paid his taxes"
Some employees Of the Roads Com
mission evidently got wind of this
devil-may-care attitude on the part of
the Governor, for they proceeded to
do what they had not done before and
waded in, the figures of the auditors