The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-01-09
ANNAPOLIS EDITOR URGES
BRIEF SESSTONOF ASSEMBLY
Annapolis Capital Editerially
Calls On Members To Limit
1t To Two Weeks

The Annapolis Capital. said editori-
ally on Saturday that members of the
legislature should limit the approach
ing special session to mot more than
ten days or two weeks. ..,a,
The paper asserts all local bills
should be barred and that only the few
committees necessary to act on relief
measures should be formed.
Its editorial, entitled, snake 1t
Short" follows
"The special session Of the Mary
land legislature, to be convened next
month to act on relief problems, should
not last more than ten days or two
weeks. i....& -, ..
"It is the duty of the Democratic
and Republican leadership to take
steps to prevent the session from be-
ing drawn out by the introduction of a
mass of Legislation that could wait I'M
til the regular 1887 session. If they fail
to do this, they are derelict in their
duty, worthy of the severest criticism
and wasteful of the states revenue.
Would CurtaiI Bills
"In other special sessions, arrange
ments to curtail the bills that could
be presented were taken as soon as
the legislature convened, This has
been accomplished by only organizing
the committees absolutely essential to
the problem before the legislature, and
prohibiting the introduction of other
measures. With this done there was
no committee to consider bills that did
not come within the purview of the
existing committees.
"The responsible leadership of the
House and Senate, which, in the pres
ent case, is the Democratic leadership,
should act at once to organize only the
judiciary and finance. committees of
the two bodies. These are the only
groups that could be concerned with
relief problems, while the finance
group has wide scope to consider any
other matter which involves the fnan-
ces of the state.
"When the legislature put a one
year limit on the one. percent gross
receipts and automobile fitting taxes
for relief and old age pensions they
acted because the national situation
was in a state Of f1ux, and it appeared
probable that the working Of the WPA
and other measures might remove the
necessity of the tax after IL months.
The Legislature did not consider re-
assembling in special session to con-
slider any other measures except relief.
Relief Only Issue
$50, when the General Assembly
meets in February, the only question
that should come before it is whether
the present gross receipts and auto
mobile titling taxes shall be continued;
whether they should be allowed to ex-
pire, or whether another type of tax
is essential. Allied with these are the
questions of whether, if it is decided to
continue raising relief state revenue,
the present system of administering
relief is to be continued, or changed
to some other possibly more economi-
cal method. With the falling off of the
relief load in the counties and the de-
mand for decentralization Of relief in
various quarters, this phase may cause
much study.
"Faced with this problem, the legis-
lature should devote itself to the solu-
ton without being diverted by any
thing else. Stop the flow Of local bills,
although many legislators may con-
slider them important. y " |'
"Solve the relief question by dill
gent application and adjourn. Re-
member, every day saves the state
from $4,000 to $780, in expenditure. "