I offer you four fundamental principles which I believe to be es-
sential to the conduct of a vigorous, progressive and intelligent ad-
ministration. I think of them as the four cornerstones of the structure
I shall try to build.

The first is "To Look Ahead". Matters of State no longer can be
handled in a day-to-day manner, without plan or program. Gone,
indeed, are the days when it was possible to think on a year-to-year
basis. We must project our designs many years in advance to achieve
the best results. I think it is regrettable that in the past State plan-
ning too often has been no more than a pious hope, an expression
of good intentions, ignored in practice after being paid dutiful lip
service.

The State of Maryland cannot afford the luxury of casual planning.
I shall offer no program during my administration the end of which
cannot be foreseen. It is my intention never to propose a course of
action without a cautious exploration of all its aspects and all its
possible consequences.

We must remain constantly aware that every move we make will
have its impact upon our tax structure, upon the relationship of
departments, upon the daily lives of the men, women and children
of Maryland. The effects of our action fan out and expand as the
years pass by. I conceive it to be the responsibility of this adminis-
tration to weigh these effects and project them into the future as far
as possible. Likewise, it is our duty to determine the needs of the
State two, three or four years from now. This is a continuing respon-
sibility and one that cannot be fulfilled by sporadic, independent sur-
veys. For all these reasons, I am placing "Looking Ahead"—that is
to say, intelligent foresight — at the top of my list of fundamental
principles.

A second precept I will call: "Keep the Public Informed". In a
democratic state, no program can be successful unless it is supported
by the people, and the people cannot participate in a program
effectively unless they understand it.

One of the great virtues of planning is that it gives the public
the opportunity to examine measures well in advance of their initia-
tion. The State is confronted at every turn with demands for services
which result inevitably in greater costs to the public. I consider it
my duty, and duty of every public official of the State, to do every-
thing possible to remove any area of doubt or misunderstanding that
may exist as to the effect of a proposed policy or program.