The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-01-08
A Forecast of the Annapolis Big Show

have been vastly bettered, the State
saves the child born in a poor county
from having to pay a penalty for a
misfortune he could hardly avoid.
#**
The continuing drought and the abb
rupt check which national industry
has received, of course, have brought
their problems to Maryland as to
other States. The former catastro-
phe is being COPIED with as is. posi-
BILE through the Drought Commission,
which has pledged itself to endeavor
to finance farmers who need credit.
The unemployment problem is also be-
ing battled so far as it can readily
be; the State is pushing its own OPP
erations so as to keep men employed,
and individuals and communities
themselves are manifestly contribut-
ing their efforts in the same way.
A prosperity problem with which
the Legislature must concern itself,
however, is the recurring one of the
Estates seafood resources. Unques-
toned success has attended the Con-
servation Departments efforts, ap-
proved-after a prolonged battle-at
the last session. That is, the oyster
shell planting on reserved areas has
visibly aided the restoration of the
noble Maryland oyster. But it is only
start and the work on which Com
missioner Earle has embarked must
be continually and greatly extended,
notably in the Potomac, where once
700 oyster vessels used to operate at
) capacity and where now few sails
appear.
No formal fisheries program is like
ly to be presented to the Legislature.
1t is more likely that House and Sen
ate will be asked to appoint members
to a joint committee which can be-
gin original consideration of the prob
lem, examine the situation as Com
missioner Earle presents it and ar
range it's own program. All work in
the Potomac and, indeed, in the whole
lower bay, it must be understood in
advance, is going to be effective just
in so far as Maryland and Virginia
work in cooperation. A few years
ago there were contemptuous of each
other and the fruit of this indifference
was a raiding of the bay waters by
misguided fishermen and oystermen
which threatened (and in some re-
spects still threatens) to transform
the once prolific bay into barren
pond
Great progress has been made of
late. The ancient boundary waters
dispute is amicably settled. Mary
land is ahead of Virginia in some of
it's restrictions: Virginia is ahead of
Il Maryland in at least one-its prohi-
bition of oyster dredging in the Po-
tomac-and it is expected that the
Maryland Legislature will correct
that inequality at the coming session.
The abuse Of the purse-net is one of
the gravest problems. The conserva-
tionists' hope is that the Maryland
Legislature will effect an immediate
study of the needs for oyster and net
ting restrictions, fix on a tentative
program and then hold joint meet
ing with the Virginia authorities in
time to prepare a uniform program
for approval both at this years An
napolis session and at next years
Richmond session.
A Statewide matter of no great i'm
portance, yet of real concern as a
trouble maker, is the matter of the
constitutional convention. At the last
election only minority Of the total
vote cast favored a convention. But
of the vote on that specific problem a
majority favored it. What is the an
SWGI 1S d COINSIiClOll HihiiuhIOiJ VI
is it not? Both opinions find substan-
tial backing, yet very few people seem
to be screaming for any revision, and
they are chiefly the advocates of a
new ratio of city representation in the
Legislature.
Representation Well, here fight
is promised anyway, regardless of
convention possibilities. Always the
Legislature expects the city-county
fight. But this year there is the OPP
portunity to redistrict the whole
State. Under the Congressional re-
apportionment Maryland still has six
representatives, but the present dis
tricts are nowhere near even in popu-
lation, owing to the swift growth of
Baltimore and its suburbs. And
while the problem of how Balti-
more resident is to have his proper
tionate voice in Congress and in the
State Legislature is being given the
profound consideration of legislators
who are entirely free from all
thoughts of partisan advantage, the
equally disinterested city politicians
are expected to introduce some new
ideas about the redistricting of the
L