The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-02-28
THE PASSING SHOW
By the Man In The Street

dates for Governor should be as plen-
tiful as September mosquitoes on the
Choptank swamps, but there's nobody
active-nobody breaking their necks
getting the nomination.
It's all because the old Democrtic
party with its 10000 majority in 1925
is headed for the rocks. And just be-
cause it is so headed the Republicans
are perking up. Men in that party
who, after the election of 1926 almost
thought the organization had been
wrecked, are talking about the excel
lent prospects for next year. There
are Republican would-be candidates
almost everywhere.
The adherents of the Richie ma
chine, now wabbling all over the high
way, have one great hope and that is
that they will be able to steer the
investigations" of the roads scandal
in such a way that the party will be
saved from humiliation next year.
On the Annapolis committee sits
Brooke Lee, who eats, drinks and
thinks in political terms. He is the
one politician who hopes to get some
thing out of the roads scandal. His
evident purpose is to soft pedal it and
get Democratic party thanks for so
doing.
But the spectacle observed from the
outside is a remarkable one. Instead
of one committee making an official
into the robbing of the taxpayers,
there are two. One, handpicked by
the Governor, sits in Baltimore. The
other, handpicked by the Governors
followers, sits in Annapolis.
The Annapolis committee summons
members and witnesses of the Balti-
more City committee. The Annapolis
committee undertakes to investigate
the Baltimore investigation. Mean
while two Grand Juries have dipped
into the mess and the States Attor-
ney of Baltimore City is called upon
to tell the Annapolis committee about
that.
Richie and Jackson
Deal Is Reported
The other day l heard report to
the effect that Governor Richie had
approached eX-Mayor Jackson in hope
of an alliance and that such an ALI
ance had been made. But l cannot be-
lieve it for, say what one may, 1t is
not at all likely that jackson is stupid
enough to tie himself to lost cause.
Richie is on the way out and most
people seem to think he could not be
elected dog catcher in Maryland in
the face of his record in handling or
mishandling the road scandal. Jack
son is hoping to come back and has
never been in such mess as is Rit-
chic
Of course it is possible that neither
Richie nor Jackson is making any
war Just now when the appointments
are pending and everyone wants to
get as much as possible. But cannot
see an alliance. 1t may be that some
of Jackson's opponents seeing the
status of Richie would like to have it
reported that such an alliance has
been effected.
1t is true that the Governor has
grown cold on the Curran-Ennis COM
bine. He has been cold on Ennis for
months, evidently having reached the
conclusion that that would-be leader
can never pass the would-be stage. l
take it that the Governor has had no
open break with Ennis only because
he does not want to displease Frank
A. Furst, who is devoted to his secre-
tary.
A great shock must have come to
Bill Curran when the governor named
a new judge of the Juvenile Court
without even letting him know what
was in prospect.
1t appears that the women politi-
clans for once took the Juvenile Court
matter in hand and prevailed on the
Governor to supplant Judge 7. j. G..
Williams. There were women candi-
dates for the place, it seems, among
them Mrs. Helen Sherry, prominent
in one group Of women lawyers while
the other group of women attorneys
failed to back her.
Miss Lavina Engle, the alert man.
ager of the League of Women Voters,
backed Thomas j. Shryock Waxter,
who was one of the darkest of the
many dark horses in these parts. And
so Waxter quickly went over while
city politicians of all shades of opin-
ion gasped.
Some undertook to charge that Miss
Engle had committed the unpardon-
able offense of indorsing Republi
can, but l am assured that Mr.. Wax
ter, still a young man, is registered
as a Democrat even though his father
was an active Republican.
Miss Engle tells me that Mr.. Wax
ter has been taking great interest in
social work for several years and that
she is confident that he will make
good. And, of course, all know that
the Juvenile Court of Baltimore City,