ROTARY LADIES' NIGHT 18f

of Maryland. Had the legislative leadership been less dedicated to
progress and played the game of political monopoly with the bill, it
would have stayed stuck on PARKING and never passed GO.

Bridges, let us never forget, are structural assets to the flow of goods
and people and are not, as viewed by a certain Baltimore County
congressman, passageways that lead from the House of Representa-
tives to a seat in the Senate of the United States. To make a poor pun,
the short view of things is sometimes more constructive than the
Long one, and in this instance there can be no reasonable dispute of
this fact.

There also can be little doubt of another fact — that the most
significant act passed by the Legislature was the law for tax reform.
I suppose you have heard of it. It's the law that's going to protect
the man on a pension from being forced to sell his house. It's the law
that's going to help young married couples just starting out in life
from diminishing their dowry in sales taxes. It's the law that asks a
lot less of the poor man and somewhat more of the rich man. It's the
law that enables your county government to build new schools, hire
better teachers, train more policemen. It's the law that returns one
hundred million dollars directly to local governments to insure that
your children will have the finest educational opportunities from
kindergarten through college and your streets will be safe again to
walk by night. It is a law so unoriginal that its concept is that of the
Government of the United States and of our most progressive sister
states.

It is a law that is fair replacing a law that was unfair; a law that is
progressive replacing a law that was regressive; a law that is more a
matter of redistribution of the tax burden than one of increased cost
to taxpayers.

Some people insist I committed a political blunder if not outright
political suicide by giving leadership to this much needed and long
overdue reform. I have been advised that when the ax falls it will not
split the hair of Marvin Mandel or William James or Harry Hughes
or Louis Goldstein — but rent its wrath upon my particular mane. I
have heard it said that I will fall victim to good intentions and prove
martyr to the just cause.

As the "so called" condemned man, let me speak my final piece.
If indeed I have but one term to give my State, I promise you it will
be the very best I have to give. If I have two terms to give my State,
they will be the very best I have to give. And if there are those among