The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-01-31


ton greatly desired by the city admin
istration. Be that as it may, the fact
is that the Republicans on Tuesday
night went into meeting with the
Jackson-Bichy Democrats but voted
for one of their own members as
chairman of the delegation.
AS result the city delegation in
the House is still without a chair
man even though Brooke Lee and the
! CurranRanft people combined to
have recorded on the journal note
to the effect that eighteen is major
ity of thirty-six, new thing in math-
ematics. At that time the Curran-
Ranft people mustered total of
eighteen votes-now they have only
seventeen.
The latest report is that Green
mount Avenue Joe Kelly is still striv-
ing to bring about a compromise and
that he has been sending many mes
sages. He has been to Annapolis a
great deal and standing around in the
lobby is usually the center of a group
of admiring Tenth Warders.
Ravre de Grace Bridge
Subject of a Mess
There is a great deal of snickering
over another mess the State admins
tration has gotten itself into and this,
! 10 IL 4lo IL.
ment.
1t will be recalled by those who are
given 60 reading about hullabaloos
that the tolls on the Havre de Grace
State bridge were abolished by the
| Governors edict on September 20 last
and there was a TODD about it, in
Guiding the ceremonial burning of the
toll house and the discharge Of toll
takers and all that. Recently in max
ing some confessions relating to the
raods administration the Governor
admitted that he had authorized the
expenditure of $1,000 for this hula
! baioo just as he had without any
known color of law appropriated $l6,-
600 Of the highway money for his
fandango at Marlboro and more than
$4,000 Tor dress parade at the OPP
ening of the Severn River bridge.
SO the Havre. de Grace bridge has
been free of tolls since September 20
last but an examination Of the statute
under which the bridge was acquired
shows that the tolls were specifically
imposed and that it was further pro-
vided that when enough money
| should thus be collected to redeem
| the bonds issued on the bridge and
also pay the interest thereon these
maximum tolls should cease and that
| there should be collected lower toll
of twenty cents on each vehicle cross
ing the bridge, this money to be used
for maintenance of the structure.
| But the administration, Selling the
law making power a few weeks be-
fore the election took off all the toll
and made the bridge absolutely free
/ Now the matter has given the admin
istration a bad week and to crawl out
of the hole this same administration
has had Senator Ensor Of Hartford,
introduce bill abolishing all the tolls
as Of September 20 last.
This incident in itself, by which the
States revenues were decreased, only
shows that there is still much to be
uncovered in the roads administra-
ton in connection with its operation
as political machine to keep GER
tain clique in Office indefinitely.
That Unenlightening
Audit of Roads Funds
Despite the fact that the special
auditors employed by the Governor
and paid for out of highways funds
have presented bulky document to
the Governor, few persons have had
the privilege of inspecting it. So far
as l can learn after talking with
some of those who saw it, there is no
enlightenment to be had in regard to
the thousands of dollars spent on the
ballyhoo at Upper Marlboro in con-
nection with the opening of the more
or less famour Grain highway. Ever
since Richard B. Tippett insisted on
letting out the facts we have known
that not less than $4,000 was spent
on that one day spectacle. But all
the available information has been
that most of the money was paid
over in lump sums to two individuals
and by them disbursed. AS these two
gentlemen are not suspected of pocli-
citing any money the question before
the house is the use that was actu-
ally made Of it. We know that part
went for programs, that part went
for music and so on. But as it was
the money of the taxpayers that was
spent without warrant of law and in
bold defiance of the budget system,
the taxpayers have a right to know
the destination of every cent.
1t is all right for the auditors to
tell who stole money and it is all
right for the authorities to prosecute
the thieves, but money that was flag