NEWS CONFERENCE 709

A. I assume that being a knowledgeable law enforcement officer of
years and years of experience, he is doing everything that can be done
to stop illegal gambling in Maryland. I think it's been made com-
pletely clear — all you have to do is look at the stories that have broken
in recent weeks about illegal gambling and about its connections with
illegal activities such as attempted influencing of legislators down-
stairs — I think it's perfectly clear that a very bad section of the com-
munity is involved in the background in the pinball industry, and
while I wouldn't condemn everyone who has a pinball as being a part
of this particular community, I think they are unwittingly cooperating
with the underground, with the underworld, in these efforts.

(Civil Disorders)

Q. Governor, two bills on the Senate floor recently [garbled] civil
disorders.

A. Well, I think if there's been any merit to the contentions of those
parenthetical remarks that were made by one or two people, it's
brought out by the fact that members of their own party present when
those remarks were made castigated them and told them to leave
politics out of that particular consideration. I think also that the way
Cambridge was handled is not open to criticism. I was on the scene
within hours of the time the problem broke. The Attorney General
and the Commander of the National Guard were on the scene before
it broke. The State Police director was on the scene before it broke.
At the time immediately after the Cambridge uprising, no criticism
was made of any specific lapse on the part of any State official in han-
dling it, so why after several months have gone by and memories have
become fuzzy, why this very subtle attempt to create an aura that
something was lacking in the handling of Cambridge? I say to the
Senators that make these criticisms, "stop hinting and say what was
done wrong. " They can't and they won't.

Q. Do you think then that new laws are necessary?

A. New laws are necessary to facilitate the handling of the riots.
These new laws have been introduced and successfully enacted in
many, many other states that have had civil trouble. They are there
to facilitate the Governor's authority to move quickly and expertly
when trouble does occur. They are supported by General Gelston,
they are supported by the Attorney General's office, and they are not
partisan legislation. Now the attempts of a few isolated members of
the General Assembly to use this as political capital are reprehensible
and not in the best interests of the safety and order of the State.