The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-07-31
LEGISLATURE in SESSION
ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF
Registration Measure RailrOaded
Through House and Senate In
Record Breaking time Tuesday
IS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

sessions on record, the Maryland
General Assembly met today,
passed a measure changing reg
istration dates for Baltimore
City and one tt defray costs of
the session, and adjourned in one
hour and thirty minutes.
The legislators, working under sus-
pension of rules, jammed the measures
through without hitch from Repub-
licans or any anti-administration DEM
ocrat, as fast as the nearly score of
roll calls necessary in each house
could be completed.
The House convened seven minutes
after noon, with the Senate going into
session three minutes later. In joint
session, they heard Governor Albert C.
Ritchie's measure calling for the
change in registration dates which
conficted with orthodox and reformed
Jewish holidays, and Immediately the
administration bills, already printed,
were introduced.
Speedy Action Taken
Then came the first roll call, that
on suspension of the rules so that the
bills might be considered by the Balti-
more City delegation and he-elections
committee, to which they had been re.
ferred.
Tho Cnnofn y,ooIynI cpao1tIxy
than did the larger House. Just IS
minutes after President David G. Nc
Intosh called the Senate to order, both
the measures were given approval, one
to change registration dates from Sep
TENDER % and "a and October 7 and
8 to September 16 and II and October
9 and 16, respectively, and the other
appropriating $4,000 to defray the ses--
sion's cost. 1t then adjourned await
ing House action.
In the House, things were moving
as speedily as the clerk could call the
roll. The committees reported the
measures favorably, again rules were
suspended and the bills jammed thru
for final passage.
Then came a forced wait while the
Senate measures were sent to the
House for concurrence. They under
went the same procedure and were
sent back to the Senate and given
final ratification along with the House
bills.
Measure Immediately Signed
Then without going out of the CAPT
toll building, Mr.. Mcintosh, E. Brooke
Lee, speaker of the House, and the
clerks of the two branches took the
engrossed measures upstairs where
they Immediately received the sigma
ture of Governor Richie, enacting
them into law.
Both of the measures were treated
as emergency legislation, receiving the
unanimous vote in each house when
they were brought to the floor, and
became law as soon as they were
signed.
The State legislators rallied to Gov
ernor Ritchie's call for the special ses-
sion almost to the man. But one SEN
ator of the 20 was missing, and 112
of the ia eligible members of the
House answered the roll call. Even
George C. Poverty, of st. Mary's coun-
ty, ineligible to hold his seat since
the last session, due to his appoint
ment as State Land Commissioner,
was in the House, though he. could
take no part in the proceedings.
The official absence of Poverty ne
cessitated the appointment of George
C. Hofferbert, of Baltimore City, as
chairman of the Elections Committee,
to which the bill changing registration
dates was referred in conjunction with
the Baltimore City delegation.
Praises Governors Action
The session in the House was mark
ed by speech in favor of the bill by
Daniel C. Joseph, Baltimore City MEM
Der since 1914, in which he announced
his retirement from the House. JOS
eph, himself Jew, praised Governor
Ritchie's action in calling the special
session that his $4,000 fellow Jews Of
Baltimore City would be- enabled to
vote, as an impartial act, though he
has been one of the greatest foes the
Maryland executive ever has had, and
in the session of 1929. was the leader
of the Democratic insurgent bloc.
No Parry Opposition
Trouble from the Republican side of
each house failed to materialize, fol-
lowing conference between Governor
Ritchie and Galen L. TAFT, chairman
of the Republican State Central Com
mittee. TAFT had sought to have the
legislation limited to additional reg