Evening star., 1933-12-12
R|TCH|E BILLS PASS
ASASSEMB[YE ENDS.
AII Administration Measures
SuccessfuI-Liquor Probe
Requested.
BY GEORGE PORTER.
Staff Correspondent Of The Star.

ANNAPOLIS, Md, December Ia
Having passed all of the admln1stra-
tons proposals and scores of local laws,
the General Assembly adjourned sine
die early today.
Closing hours of the session were
marked by battles over the fire insur-
ance and oyster bills and the so-called
Philadelphia road amendment, all Of
which were defeated.
The special session, which was called
to enact State liquor law proposed by
Gov. Ritchie, closed with the adoption
of resolution asking Congress to probe
liquor prices.
With scores of firemen in the gal
leries, Delegate George L. Edmonds of
Montgomery County staged strenuous
battle on the floor of the House to Sc
cure the passage of af1remen-sponsored
bill increasing the premium on foreign
and marine insurance policies.
Aimed to Increase Tax.
The measure would increase the tax
on such policies four-tenths of l per
cent, the proceeds to be used for the
relief Of volunteer firemen and for fire
inspections by the State insurance COM
missioner.
Although a favorable report on the
measure was adopted, DR.. Edmonds was
, unable to secure sufficient votes to sus-
pend the rules and have it passed.
Two bills to open the Potomac River
to oyster dredging were defeated in
quick succession. First the Senate
killed the Coad bill to permit sand
scraping, and then the house failed to
accord a constitutional majority to a
similar bill introduced by Delegate
Philip H; Dorsey of st. Marys County.
Swayed by political pressure and pub
lie sentiment, the Assembly killed ap-
proXlmately dozen important measures
IN the special session.
Lottery Bill Is Defeated.
They included two proposed consti-
tutlonal amendments, one of which
would have permitted lotteries and the
other prohibited the Governor from sue
ceeding himself in Office.
Other measures which failed Of pass
age included the following: The Chesa-
peake Bay Bridge bill, the unemploy-
ment insurance bill, two bills to reduce
interest on small loans, the bill to re-
pea! the Jim Crow law, the bill to re-
peaI the declarations of intentions act,
the Dill to allow quarterly payment of
taxes, and several anti-Iynching bills
Political pressure can be credited
with defeating the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge bill and the declarations of in
tentlons repeater. Both were opposed
by the State administration.
Inc bay bridge bill, which would
nave authorized construction of the
span with public works funds. and the
proposed lottery amendment had "a
run for their money" The former was
Killed on the floor of the Senate and
the latter by the House of Delegates.
Most OF the other measures were al
lowed to die peacefully in the files of
committees.
Voice Of People Is Absent.
Defeat of the unemployment insur-
ance bill and the bill to reduce interest
on petty loans can be charged to pub
lie sentiment or lack Of it. Certainly
there was insufficient evidence of an
aroused public sentiment in favor O.
these measures to make the legislators
attempt to pass them.
Those two measures, and some Of the
others which were defeated or died in
the files, may be classed as legislative
perennials. They have blossomed at
every session in recent years and un-
doubtedly will continue to reappear
until enacted.
Despite last-minute effort to save
1t, the bill to allow quarterly payment
of taxes was defeated in the House last
night, by vote of 42-to-49. Delegate
Marvin harrington of Montgomery
County spoke in favor Of the measure.
Delegate Emanuel Gorf1ne of Balti-
more City. who introduced the bill at
the request of the Home Owners En-
terprise Association, said that measure
would have a better chance Of passage
at the next session. It was handicapped
this time by being presented late.
In the meantime, he explained, an
effort will be made to word it@o that it
can be applied without difficulty to all
of the % counties and Baltimore City.
This will be necessary as the tax collec-
tion systems vary in many of the States
polittcal subdivisions he said