The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-02-14
THE PASSING SHOW
By the Man In The Street

we'll as one of the best reporters the
town has ever seen, being at the time
mentioned not an acquisition but a
holdover on the Wet Blanket from the
palmy days of the Abells. Here was
West as close to Richie as one pea is
close to another in the same pod. Here
was West riding to and from his Anne
Arundel plantation in the Governors
State car on occasions when the Gov
ernor came to or left town at the
right hour. Here was West pushed
to the front to write laudatory stories
about Richie in preparation for this
second term campaign and in his sec
ond term campaign, taking the place
for the time being of the regular hack
political writer.
Here was West visiting the Roads
Commission office frequently and al
ways being kind to the chairman and
his administration. Here he was toll
ing for the none too liberal Wet Blan-
ket day by day and doing his best for
Richie and Mackall at the same time.
And what does he get? He gets
limping fliver for SIS cash in hand
and the loan of a motor truck which
couldn't move unless it was pulled or
pushed.
1t reminds me of another political
writer on the Wet Blanket who, like
wise, did his darndest to help the Gov
ernor along politically by cooking up
his stuff and then the Governor be-
came so grateful that he gave this re-
porter a pair of gold cuff links with
real gold in them.
Of course it is true that later along
the Governor made Mr.. West a mem
Der of the Public Service Commission
and then promoted him to the chair
manship but this was not a reward
for anything. This was because the
Governor needed the West services
where they could be the most effec-
tive.
But l contend that if the Wet Blanket
reporter was to be let nave a car for
SIS it should have been at least a
Fierce-Sparrow and the truck should
have been one in good seaworthy con-
dition. l think the Chairman of the
Public Service Commission now has
good damage claim against the Roads
Commission or against somebody.
Tippett Holds On
Like Bulldog
Of course, many grafters are bark
ing at the heels of Richard B. Tippett
because he insists on bringing out
more of the details of the operations
of the Governors State roads mach
inc in the effort to perpetuate the
reign of the prevailing clique of poll
ticians. They bark and bark. But
Tippett holds on. He is not scared
away from the main points and he in
sists on producing the goods. No Won
der that those who profted by the
Marlboro celebration do not under
take to give him a silver service for
his pains.
Some of them wonder what Tippett
is getting out of it, for grafters can
not understand how a man can be
brought to do anything in the public
or any interest without getting some
thing good out of it.
AS l see it the cold fact is that
what Tippett is doing under great diff
ticulties should have been done by the
machinery of the State government
= which the Governor could have easily
put in motion. He had command of
the city detective force to make inves-
LEGATIONS but he did nothing. He had
the State police but they did nothing.
Nh. Tippett will get no thanks from
: the Governor. Neither will Deputy
State Auditor Dan Carroll. Nor will
anyone else who helped to uncover the
mess. And some editors who ought
to lend a helping hand, devote their
attention to the Panama canal to Rus
STA and the situation in Afghanistan.
There is a deal of house cleaning to
be done in Maryland.
That Government Material
Still Mystery
There is still much mystery about
= that $2,800,000 of road building equip
: ment given to the Roads Commission
by the Federal Government. The
: books giving the record have not been
found. Maybe they have been lost
Maybe they have been loaned to a wet
blanket reporter as were an automo-
F. bile and a truck. The retired Roads
= Chairman Mr.. Mackall, does not know
, what became of much of the stuff
Mr.. Tippett uncovers a few truck
loads handled as graft. But that is
rot a drop in the bucket.
Mr. Mackall says the stuff was
turned over to the purchasing agent
< now dead. 1t was only trife. 1t was
1 merely $2.800,00. 1t was handed over
to the purchasing agent to handle as
t he pleased and the chairman and the
: other members of the commission did
= not bother about it. EASY come, easy