Evening star., 1938-10-28
GOV.N|CE DEFENDS
FINANCIAL RECORD
Claims State Rehabi!itated
by Expenditures-Tours
Worcester County.
BY JAMES E. CHTNN,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT

Quar- otAA NOlreSpOnQe0L.
SNOW HILL, Md, Oct. 28.-Gov.
Nice today travelled along roads that
flank the Atlantic in Maryland's
Worcester County, stopping at cross
roads stores, gasoline stations and
''hot dog stands" to shake hands with
the men and women who will 60 to
the polls November to decide
whether he is to be the chief execu-
tive of the State for another four
years.
The Governor first visited Snow Hill
and in driving rain shook hands with
a score of men who lined the sidewalk
in front OF the post Office and the
Worcester County Courthouse. He
then went into the courthouse to greet
county officials. The Governor will
interrupt his campaign tour shortly
this afternoon to 60 to Baltimore,
where tonight he will be the guest of
honor at Shrine celebration. He will
return to the Eastern Shore imme-
dlately afterward, however.
The Governor began his Worcester
County campaign after making one
OF the most important political
speeches of his trip last night in
Cambridge
There, in what he described as the
first of series of speeches devoted
to Maryland's fiscal situation. he
criticized his Democratic opponent.
Herbert r. O'Conor, who as attorney
general of the State, he said, failed
to make any effort to force the State
Legislature to hold public hearings
on legislation based on the so-caled
Casey report, which recommended q
tax revision program to put the State
on pay as you go" basis.
Answers Debt Charges.
Gov. Nice first delved into Mary
lands financial situation, describing
the State as company" of which the
voters had made him the head
nearly four years ago. And he an
swered charges that he had plunged the
State into a debt Of more than s13,-
100000 to finance current expenses
by declaring:
MY administration has spent s13,-
100000 in capital Improvements. We
have done all of this and today your
company has sl6.303,129.12. And
your company has this money in the
banks-and they are open banks,
where all of it is available. 1 chal-
lenge any one to take that record
apart"
The Casey report concerned recon-
mendations Of committee headed by
William j. Casey which was never
submitted to the State Legislature.
The committee made its report at a
time when the Governor was faced
with the serious problem of raising
additional revenue to keep the State
out of debt
Tells What Happened to It,"
To start the picture of the financial
condition of the State, Gov. Nice said
the proper beginning was the Casey
report "and what happened to it. 5.
When the Casey commission pre-
sented its findings to me-" he said,
Il was not satisfied with some of its
contents, nor did I agree that the
State should not formulate a policy
OF long-term financing On the other
hand, did not feel I could hand
this important matter to the Legisla-
ture with written reservations as
to any one or several of its recon-
mendations.
Il either had to approve it as a
whole or reject it as a whole. in
structed the attorney general, the
same attorney general who is now
my distinguished Democratic op-
ponent, Herbert O'Conor, to prepare
and submit to the Legislature the
legislation based upon the proposals
IN this so-called Casey report.
Legislature Rejected Bills.
THE Democratic Legislature did
not give even scant attention to these
bills. They rejected them as rapidly
as they were introduced There were
no public hearings. The Legislature
did not try to get the views of the
people. Nor did the attorney general,
who was in effect the head of the
Democratic party, make any effort to
force the Legislature to give these i'm
portant bills public hearing.
There was a deficit in State funds
which I inherited from the previous
administration. and the whole busi- |
ness Of our State government was at
q standstill.
ANY bank in the United States will |
tell you that Maryland bonds sell at
at an abnormally low interest rate.
Your company can borrow money
cheaply because our financial affairs
are now in very sound condition.
And we are going to stay that way
as long as I am Governor-and will |
be Governor for the next four uears