The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-13
Around Capitol Square
Continued from Page Six

ing this bit of history is to show
that while Gregg Cherry has ex-
cried perhaps more influence
upon the fiscal policy Of the state
than any other man connected
with state government, it was
done before rather than during his
term as governor. When he came
to the governorship he looked
back upon the work Of seven leg
islatures IN which he had active
part and decided that as to fiscal
policy it was good. AS governor
his claim to credit lies in the fact
he did not seek to upset his own
work and that Of his legislative
colleagues in formulating state
tax policy. Economic conditions
incident to the var and a sound
tax structure previously establish
ed instead OF current official wis
dom made Us what we are in
state financial status.
CREDIT - The governor does
deserve credit for obtaining in the
1915 general assembly action set
ting aside enough money to pay
off the state general fund debt of
about fifty two million dollars,
and in the 1947 session the addi-
ton of nine million dollars to the
reserve cushion fund" bringing
that reserve up to thirty millions.
His insistence upon these meas
ures was vigorously opposed in
some quarters, but readily accept
ed by majority of the assembly
at the time, and since universally
commended as sound business
and governmental policy.
PATTERN To somewhat less
degree Governor Cherry's attitude
on other state issues has followed
the same pattern. He is the first
man in this century to come to
the governorship directly from the
general assembly, and he has had
more legislative experience than
any governor under the present
constitution. Consequently he is
legislative attitude and has shown
familiar and sympathetic with the
high respect for the constitutional,
division of state government into
three phases of equal prestige
legislative, executive and judicial
APPOINTMENTS - The COVER
nor has been somewhat slow t.
make appointments to offices ane
boards. He has been criticised al
50 for continuing in office appoint
ees of mis- predecessors. A few
significant exceptions may be not
ed. Replacement of Baxter Dur
ham by Nathan Yelton as head o.
the retirement system; of Arthur
Fletcher by Henry Kendall az
chairman of the employment Sc
curity commission, and of Thorn
as Creekmore by Walter Ander
son as chief of SBI, r cases il
point. But majority of appointivt
executive heads of department
and personnel of boards and com
missions has been continued, al
though in many cases it was oh
vious that reappointments wer'
made when the governor appoint
ees we're not his particular per
sonal or political friends-but VIII
had done good jobs for the state
JUSTIFICATION - This att
tude Of permitting state depart
ments to work out their own prob
lens, of reluctance to exert tn
prestige of his office to NOR
quickly accomplish desired end
has o%ccasioned frequent criticism
Early in his administration sever
al newspaper reporters wer
needing him to take some actio:
with respect to alleged frictio.
and incompetence in a certain de
partment. The governor wer
back to his early boyhood in Sout
Carolina for an illustration to jus
tify his attitude. He recalled
farm. branch that was polute
near it's source, but a few hund1e
yards down stream the flow wa
of pure water and could be drum
with impunity by humans and ca
tie. "Most Of these situations wi
soon clear up themselves" h
said. That attitude is not popula
with q lot Of people, and it
true that sometimes the cond
tons do not get better. Executiv
action Their is resented more tina
it would have been at first.