The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-02-07
THE PASSING SHOW
By the Man In The Street

mittee or the Legislative committee
dominated by Speaker Brooke Lee
will have to dig through many details
and these will be the details of the OPP
Grafton of vast machine which built
roads, expended millions of dollars
and operated as the most important
unit of the Governors political organ
ization-an outfit that decked it's en-
gineers with Richie buttons, took in
Republican contractors to help the
cause along and put on full steam
for unlimited rule in Maryland.
If any committee is to find out what
was done it will have to go into every
county in the State, from Garrett to
Worcester, and see what there is in
the charge that even the filling sta
tons were brought into politics. They
will have to see about the procuring
of rights of way and ascertain
whether these Jobs were let at cost
plus prices to Richie machine politi-
clans. They will have to find out
what became of all the war material
and how much Cf any was parcelled
out among the Governors friends.
And they will ascertain why and how
it was that one contractor got six
fve-ton tractors at $500 piece and
then forgot to pay for them until his
name and his debt was printed in the
papers.
Certainly Mr.. Michigan is right in
saying that there is long road ahead
and if it can be made long enough it
will stretch out to the beginning of
1881. Then it will be up to all good
citizens to get behind Richie for a
fourth term so that he can push this
investigation to the very end.
Tippett Complains
Of Freezing Temperature
Lawyer Richard B. Tippett, who
built a very hot fire under the Gov
enor last summer and directed pub
lie attention to the fact that the loot
ing of the road fund was conducted
on very large scale and this at a
time when the Governor and his
friends were trying to soft pedal it
for political purposes, had new ses-
sion with the Michigan advisory"
committee on Tuesday but he doesn't
appear to have gotten any warmer re-
ception than he got earlier and which
reception he referred to as "freez-
ing"
Mr.. Tippett wants to go into the
contracts where if there was stealing
at all, there was big stealing. Law
yer Edwin G. Baetjer was there for
the Nelligan committee but from the
published reports l take it that he
felt somewhat as counsel for the de-
Tense. l hope it doesn't work out
that way. Let the contractors en-
ploy counsel for the defense if they
are under fire. Mr.. Tippett expresses
the view that there is much yet to BE-
revealed and | am confident he means
what he says.
All along it has been apparent that
Mr. Tippett's help was not badly
wanted. The Governor has appeared
to have as much desire for help from
Mr.. Tippett as he would have for the
help of an undertaken. Consequently
there has been a feeling that the Gov
ernor has been trying to hide some
thing even at this late day when his
political sun has sunk below the hori-
ION.
If the Michigan committee will take
up and follow the Tippett hints and
tips, I look for interesting things, We
may find out why it was that certain
contractors appeared to have such a
strong swing with the Roads Commits
sion. We may find out whether the
State lost money by the way things
were done. We may find out whether
contracts were let without the COM
mission passing on them.
Speaker Lee Now Jealous
For An Investigation
The most interesting sight at An
napolis is Speaker Brooke Lee. One
minute he is on the rostrum making
ruling to help the Governor out of
the mess and the next he has given
up the chair and run to the floor to
defend himself or his patron saint,
the Governor. He leaves nothing OF
little to Democratic Floor Leader
Lindsay, a quiet, capable fellow who,
however, apparently gets no pleasure
out of shoveling mud for Richie and
Lee. Lindsay may want to go to the
State Senate next time and the best
way to ge there is to keep his record
straight. He's not in the road con-
! tracing business, nor is he getting
any State or county roads built thru
his real estate.
Without Lee there is next to no one
to defend the Governor in his plight
G. o. p. Floor Leader Wilmer makes
the welkin ring with his denunciation
of the State Roads machine and its
favoritism. The men who by their