The Republican., 1938-05-05
MARYLAND'S HIGHWAYS
By HARRY w. NICE,
Governor of Maryland.

Continuing its three years of unfair
criticism, based entirely upon parti-
sanship, the bitter partisan press of
Maryland now states that | am using,
as an alibi for what do, the fact that
it had been done by the preceding ad-
ministration, and suggests that Gov
crnor Richie has provided we with
keynote for all that | do. 1t attempts
to create the impression that, in con-
nection with roads and other matters,
such as diversion of gasoline tax,
am repeating, as an alibi, the refrain
that what do is right because Gov
ernor Ritchie did it.
It's criticism of what l have done
and am doing, is unjust and unfair,
misleading, as we'll as illogical in the
light of the fact that, when Governor
Ritchie so acted, this section of the
press was nauseating in the lavishness
of its praise Of the very same acts
when performed by him. 1t speaks
f1ippantly of two dollar tags, and un-
justitiably and hypocritically excuses
the more than three million dollar
deficit as found by me when | came
into office. 1t does, after all, make d
difference as to whose OK is gored.
shall in later paper deal with the two
dollar tag question.
Knowing the people Of this State to
be fair minded and just, am con-
vinced that they are getting well fed
Up with this sort of partisan vituper-
alton. In dealing with the State Roads
situation, no one, not even a partisan
press, can accuse me of following the
former administration into sixteen
years Of waste, extravaganza and in
excusable neglect of the roads system
of Maryland, to say nothing of the
loss of hundreds of thousands of dol
lars of the peoples money, as brought
out through the larceny trials of few
years ago and known as the Roads
Scandal.
No fair-minded man or woman can
or does expect me, in the short period
of three years, completely to undo
the evil and correct the deplorable
condition of the roads system due to
inefficiecy, neglect and extravagant
wastefulness of the previous sixteen
years. First, let me discuss the condi-
tion of the roads as we found them;
second, what we have done; and third,
that which we are endeavoring to do.
| found the roads of Maryland,
when we took charge, to have fallen
from first place to almost that of last
place among tn eroads system of the
/ Nation. found the county roads to be
in such an intolerable condition that in
some instances it was necessary to
bring the dead out on the backs of
mules, and that most of the county
roads were utterly impossible during
the winter months. | found the main
highway system to be narrow, wind
ing and unscientifcally built. l found
that the preceding Commission had
loaned to the United Railroads almost
a half million dollars while the COM
pany was insolvent | found that the
preceding Commission had left on my
doorstep bills payable to the extent of
almost another half million dollars.
l received, in March, 1885, report
from Mr.. Abel Wolman, of the State
Planning Commission, to the effect
that our roads system was then mad
equate; that there was need for a
long term plan of orderly construction
of highways to provide an adequate,
safe and efficient system of arterial
roads; that there was abundant evil
dence of wastefulness in former con-
struction and building, with no sane
system of planning; that there was an
earnest and paramount need for the
| reconstruction and moderniZation of
at least nine hundred miles of the
State system. That report gave me an
eloquent picture Of how little the peo-
pie of Maryland had received for their
two hundred and fifty millions of dol
lars already spent for construction
and maintenance of a road system be-
fore came into office, and how COM
pletely and totally inadequate this
costly system was in connection with
traffic demands and safety.
I think that fair-minded people will
admit that much improvement has oc-
CURED during the past three years.
No one believes, nor do | state, that
anything like adequate correction has
been fully made. 1t could not have
been done during this short period, but
we have done the best we could in the
face of obstacles never heretofore
faced by a Governor of Maryland.
1t is true we have had Federal aid,
! and, therefore, have received more
IL.