The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-03-23

WITH THE

Annapolis, March %, 1899

Maryland Legislature. With less than
two weeks of the present session left
and a budget balanced only by slash
ing $225,0O0 year from the relief
program, or $45O,OOO for the two-vear
biennium, the Legislature would an.
pear to be headed for a miserable
mess.
This slash in the relief program is
not all that is worrying the Legisla-
tive leaders for Governor O'Conor will
soon introduce his supplemental bud
get which will call for an additional
S475,000. If our arithmetic is correct
it means that in the next few days the
General Assembly finds itself faced
with the problem of raising nearly
81 100000. When all available funds
have been considered in the original
budget it is difficult to see where the
additional one million dollars will
come from unless some already over
taxed source is subjected to an adj
ditional tax. Although the plan for
the registration of motorists has been
dropped by the Senate it will no doubt
! be brought to light again, and will be
cause for continued wrangling in the
Senate. New taxes are being consid-
cred, but it is said that the registra-
ton plan would solve the problem
easier than any other. In other words
the automobile owner is still the best
target when revenue is needed in a
hurry. Perhaps if the Legislature had
thought of the tax situation earlier in
the game it could have been remedied
without bringing an additional $500
fee on the motorist. And to think that
there was once man who talked of
two-dollar tags!
| Legislative leaders have begun to
play their cards to head off any Incl
pient rebellions, get through as much
of the administration legislation as
Governor O'Conor wants, and to weed
out stacks of unwanted bills The COL
lection of bills introduced now num-
bers nearly one thousand. Oh, for
Legislature with the political phiIoso-
ply of Congressman Bruce Barton
who advocates the repeating of law
a day. House leadership this session
apparently has been particularly poor,
and signs of the development of bloc
determined to ignore. the organization
Leadership have become more and more
pronounced in recent weeks. 1t is even
rumored in the executive department
! that there is a move on foot to farm
the present leadership out to the bush
leagues and put a new team on the
field. The conduct of Democratic floor
leader John S. White in the case of
the fireworks bill, and the house bill
to GUST the state employment COM
missioner has set a new low for the
General Assembly of Maryland.
Events leading up to the passage Of
the fireworks bill were probably the
most disgraceful in the history of the
state. AS we reported in a previous
column the lobbyists who gathered in
the halls of the State House and op-
posed the fireworks bill were deter
mined to defeat the bill at any cost
and they almost succeeded. An apall-
ing number of delegates changed their
vote when the bill came to a final
reading, and as a result the bill re-
ceived bare majority, and the lobby
lists were defeated. To the Garrett
county delegation we send orchids.
Although they disagreed with the
writer, they voted against the bill
from the beginning and bore the
strength of their convictions to the
end. In checking the list of delegates
who were once for the bill but later
decided to vote against it we noted
two delegates from Allegany.
We have favored the fireworks bill
from the first and will even do our bit
to gain its passage when it reaches
the Senate. This measure should be
enacted in the name of public safety
to protect the great number injured
by fireworks annually. The old argu-
ment that has been used by Western
Maryland "wets" in their campaigns
for beer and liquor that you can get
it in West Virginia won't work in the
case of fireworks because you won't
be able to get them in West Virginia
The West Virginia Legislature has
just passed bill banning the sale OF
fireworks in the entire state so if we
must follow West Virginia on the sub
ject of beer it might be wise to fol-
low them on the fireworks issue.
During the past few weeks we have
given you complete reports on the
Garrett county delegation but from
this point on we shall dwell with is
sues confronting the entire legislature
because practically all local legisla-
ton has been taken care of and impor'
tant statewide problems will be the
principal issues.
In closing we are reminded of the
saying that it isn't what yeu start
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