The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1935-12-12
NO ATTEMPT TO BLOCK"
RELIEF INVESTIGATION
Charges Made by Senator Friend
in Cumberland Interview are
Shown to be Without Fact
WELFARE RECORDS OPEN

Members of the Garrett County
Board of Welfare defended their
chairman against the accusation of
State Senator Clifford Friend that he
sought to block investigation of the
relief rolls.
Senator Friend said in an interview
Saturday at Cumberland that Charles
W. Ream, chairman of the welfare
board, sis trying to block" the re-
lief investigation by opposing the ap-
preparation made for it by State re-
lief and welfare heads.
mo member of the Board objects to
an investigation" said Miss Ethel Mil
Ter, executive secretary of the county
board Mr.. Ream was in Chicago on
Monday and could not Immediately de-
fend himself.
Says Records Are Open
"Nobody in Garrett county but
Senator Friend has demanded an in
vestigation and the records of the
welfare office have always been open
for inspection" Miss Miller said.
Senator Friend also asserted that
Garrett county citizens were Every
indignant over the situation and are
demanding an investigation"
Blaine Giessman, president of the
Board of County Commissioners and
a member of the Welfare Board,
answered that Friend has "misled the
people by charging that the relief adj
ministration had badly mismanaged
it's affairs"
Committee Appointed
An investigation committee was ap-
pointed after Friend had made SINH
lar charges before State Relief Ad-
ministrator Harry Greenstein at a
meeting here December 4. The We'll
fare Boad agreed to the investiga-
ton provided Friend served on the
committee. Greenstein promised mil
cage and stenographer, but no sala-
ries.
Giessman said the other two men,
bers of the investigating committee,
Truman C. Bittinger, Oakland, and
Adam Richter, Accident, refused to
serve without salary. He said Ream
and other members of the board,
serving without salary or expenses,
objected to salaries for the investi-
gators.
Miss Miller said Ream's require
ments of Friend as a member of the
committee were that he investigate
each of the 172 cases of unemploy-
ables on the rolls and submit a writ
ten report to the Welfare Board.
"Since the burden of relief has been
thrown back on the state and county
the office staff of relief headquarters
has been cut in half" Miss Miller
said.
"Many people are of the opinion
that Federal relief money has been
unwisely spent" Giessman said, "but
there has never been any hint of
misappropriation of funds or of mis-
management within the county well
fare board except from Mr.. Friend
At the meeting here December 4,
A. G. Cullers, House of Delegates
member, placed the blame of giving
relief to those who didn't need it at
the feet Of the citizens who wouldn't
"report their neighbors to the well
fare board, whether they were worthy
objects of relief or not, just because
they were neighbors." Because Of
this it was pointed out that there may
have been people on relief who were
not entitled to it, but no citizen cared
to be responsible for having his neigh
Dor taken from the roll.
Senator Friends only thought is
stirring up trouble, regardless of
whether or not he has facts to back
up his arguments" said Delbert
Continued on Page Four)