the industry and determination of a hardy and enlightened popula-
tion. It is a situation, in my opinion, which calls for bold action on
our part to sustain the pace that has been set. We must under these
circumstances, I think, move ahead courageously in the spirit of our
times toward new goals and new horizons. To allow Maryland to
falter or lag behind in an era of general advancement would be to
neglect our responsibilities as public officials. We must continue our
efforts to expand our economy so that the people may have jobs and
profits and all the benefits that go with life in a prosperous society.
We must battle relentlessly the evil enemies of mankind—ignorance,
poverty and disease, knowing that we may lose the fight unless we put
forward our best efforts to improve the quality of our education, to
develop our economy to its fullest potential, and to strengthen our
programs for the prevention, treatment and cure of human illnesses.

The budget which I am submitting to you for your consideration
today attempts to translate these stated objectives into action. It is
not an extravagant and visionary program which I am asking you
to endorse. On the other hand, it is not a program of weakness and
timidity, such as would jeopardize the future happiness and pros-
perity of our citizens.

STATE OF THE STATE

But before I got on with the budget plan, I should like to review
with you in more detail some of the conditions of the State which we
may wish to consider in connection with the decisions we make at
this session. Briefly speaking, the economic condition of our State,
as I have indicated, is good. Our factories are humming, our market
places are teeming with buying and selling, our lanes of commerce
are crowded, our people have attained a standard of living that
Marylanders of a generation ago would have thought unattainable.
Two weeks ago President Johnson gave a report to the Congress
on the economic state of the nation which indicated that the national
economy is indeed in a healthy condition. With a gross national
product growing at a rate of 5 per cent—in fact, reaching the $624
billion level during the last quarter of 1963—the national economy
shows great vigor and reveals an excellent potential for a continuing
upward thrust in this current year.

What is the economic picture of Maryland? While the gross na-
tional product expanded at the 5 per cent rate, the total state in-
come and product of Maryland was developing at a rate to 10 per
cent. According to estimates of our Department of Economic Develop-

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