The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-03-14
THE PASSING SHOW
By the Man In The Street

The weeks best show continues al
Annapolis where it seems that tht
Governors two committees, camou.
tagged as investigators" apparently
are doing their best to discredit any
and all who undertake to tell anything
worth while about the corruption and
incompetence that marked the roads
administration for eight long years.
Director Edwin G. Baetjer, Jr., how
ever, caught somewhat of Tartar on
Wednesday when he tackled Delegate
Joseph A. Wilmer of Charles, a mi
nority members of the committee and
one who at first hand knows some
thing of the maladministration of the
roads department and it's operation
as political machine.
Mr.. Wilmer stood out as one man
with the nerve to denounce the method
followed or permitted by the COM
mittee through which witnesses have
been browbeaten in an effort to break
down their testimony and at the same
time brighten any other who might
otherwise be willing to come forward
and tell.
It's an old game-as old as the hills
and every lawyer knows it, but the
layman who has never been in court
falls an easy victim. There are few
witnesses who have the nerve or
knowledge to protect themselves
against an experienced lawyer.
BrOwbeating of Dan Carroll
May Be the Next Best Move
Looked at from the outside and
noting the inclination of Lawyer
Baetjer to become witness for the
administration instead Of an investi-
gator one sees preparation for making
a victim of Daniel H. Carroll, the
Deputy State Auditor who discovered
the deplorable conditions existing in
the State Roads department.
EVERYBODY who has been reading
about the scandal or talking about it
knows that Dan is in bad He dis
covered the scandal and it leaked out
while the Governor and Roads Chair
man Mackall were trying to cover it
up. Dan has never been forgiven.
His chief, State Auditor Milbourne,
tried to cut him off the payroll with
the Governors acquiescence but when
the public learned of it the Governor
ran away and left Milbourne who is
now to be legislated out of office along
with Carroll and all the others.
But Carroll is in bad and it seems
that his great offense was in finding
what had been covered up and what
the administration tried to keep on
covering up after Carroll had point
ed out the thefts.
So now it is alleged by Mr.. Baetjer
as the Governors representative that
Carroll went to the State Roads office
at night with former employees and
that records were destroyed. This
is all for the apparent purpose Of
damaging Carroll and imparing his
usefulness as a witness for the prose-
cution in cases yet to be uncovered.
He has been the States Attorneys
most valuable witness in clearing UP
the cases now the effort of the State
administration is to destroy him.
There is no other way for the I'M
involved individual to look at it.
One might think that the investi-
gators would seek to strengthen the
hands of the States Attorney but
they are working the other way. The
committee or committees at Annapo-
lis are evidently doing their best to
whitewash the higherups. No one can
see them producing anything worth
while of their own volition. All that
is brought out is what is forced upon
them.
Richie Machine Claims
An Important Point
Naturally the members of the Gov
ernor's outfit many of them shivering
with fear. are claiming they have
made big gains. They exult over the
denunciation of Witness Butler by the
Nelliganites but they rejoice more
over the fact that Lawyer Baetjer is
considered Republican and as such
is doing the heavy work in washing
the Governors very dirty linen. This
is big point and these followers of
the Governor claim that this will pre-
vent the Republicans from making
effective use Of the scandal in the
State campaign next year.
On the other hand there are those
who think that if Baetjer so mixes
things up that little or nothing comes
out Of the so-called investigation one
of the chief beneficiaries will be a GER
tain prominent Republican who is in
the road building business and who, it
has been frequently alleged, was
greatly favored by the Richie State |!
machine.
Fourth Termers Now
Beginning to Whisper
Since an effort began to revive the
waning political fortunes of the Gov /