The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-01-05

was a trend toward too much govern
ment keynoted Gov. Harry w. Nices
last message to the legislature yester-
day, delivered before both branches of
the Assembly as the major business of
their final session.
Speaking in the chamber of the
House of Delegates, the states re-
firing chief executive summed up his
four years in office with brief 1900
word address criticizing Utopian
schemes and endless bureaus, agen-
cies, and unnecessary laws.
MAY l, not so much as the COVER
nor of Maryland, but as one of your
fellow-citizens, earnestly warn against
what seems to me to be a trend in
government which BODIES ill for liberty
if not checked" he said.
eve have today far more govern
ment, even in Maryland, touching the
individual citizen in more places, as
it were, than was ever dreamed of 20
years ago, and infinitely more than
was ever thought of at the time our
nations constitution was adopted"
Governor Nice, who leaves office
January II with the Inauguration of
Governor Elect Herbert R. O'Conor,
devoted more of his message to this
theme than to any other, but incor-
porated in his address a number of
suggestions and recommendations for
the incoming administration.
These included:
Appropriations for new gymna-
Sums at Towson Teachers College and
the Training School for Colored Girls;
for completing the state penal farm
and new buildings at the insane hos
pitfalls;
Standardization, by law, of state
civil service salaries;
An increase in the State Police
personnel to permit further expan-
sion of the highway safety program;
Improvements in the administration
of the lower courts, particularly the
Peoples Court of Baltimore.
Further efforts to eradicate the
present almshouse conditions, possibly
by creation of regional general hos
pitfalls operated by the state;
Plans for simplifcation of the
states budget administration, includ-
ing creation of a new bureau of the
budget to lay budgetary groundwork
prior to the start of legislative ses-
sions;
Incorporation of the relief program
and the unemployment compensation
division in the regular state budget,
instead Of continuing them on sepa-
rate special appropriations.
Governor Nice predicted surplus
of S3,679,375 on next September 80,
"the end of the fiscal period of my
administration. This estimate, made
by the comptroller, was extremely
conservative" he added.
"The governor-elect will not have
to borrow $1,OOO,OOO to pay running
expenses Of the state, including your
salaries during the legislative session,
as l had to do in 1885," the governor
asserted.
AS accomplishments of his admin
istration, he pointed to the state office
building here, now under construction;
reconstruction of the former executive
mansion; building programs at the
University of Maryland, and state
roads program (Which has turned the
tide of deterioration and neglect" of
Maryland highways.
In addition, he cited definite up
turn" in conservation of natural re-
sources, and great strides" in public
health and education, including resto-
ration of teachers salary cuts of 1888.
State employees salary reductions Of
1888 also were restored, he continued,
pension system established, and the
morale of state employees improved.
The prison labor problem, he said,
sis well on the road to solution"
"Your state tax rate has been raised
only slightly more than one cent since
came into Office" he told the as
semblymen, "and in the face of all
the attacks made on my admins
tration during the past four years
this fact remains outstanding, that
the public debt of the State of Mary
land is less today than the outstand-
ing state bonds plus the deficits and
bank Certificates" were at the time
of my Inauguration.
Meantime, the net value of the
states property, including land, build-
ings, bridges, roads, and investments
has increased $3O,833,0OO"
He recalled near the close of the
message that "the very few excep-
tions where my state appointees did
not measure up to the highest stand
ards of performance were promptly