of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 441

interests of Maryland and her citizens in the present emergency, the recent
Legislature passed a number of laws which relate to National Defense matters.
I welcome this, opportunity to explain the purpose of these laws, so that
the members of this Association and the public generally may know that they
were all enacted solely as an aid to carrying out the National Defense Program
and safeguarding the interests of the people of this State. The almost
unanimous approval given these statutes by the Maryland Legislature clearly
demonstrates that the vast majority of the people of Maryland favored their
purposes, and are prepared to make whatever sacrifices may be needed to
carry them out.

Four of the defense laws were sponsored by the Federal-State Conference
on Law Enforcement Problems held in Washington last 'August, which was
called by the Governors' Conference, the Council of State Governments, the
National Association of Attorneys. General, and the Interstate Commission on
Crime in cooperation with the Department of Justice. I had the privilege of
presiding over one of the sections of the Conference. Two hundred and thirty
representatives from 46 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal
Government were m attendance, and these representatives included the Gov-
ernors of 14 States, 26 State Attorneys General, the Attorney General and
Solicitor of the United States, the Director of the FBI, and many other State
and Federal officials.

The Conference recommended that the States pass legislation on certain
subjects, and a committee to prepare such legislation was selected. After
making a preliminary study of the subject and exchanging tentative drafts
of the laws, this Committee decided to propose four model laws, and drafts of
these laws were finally approved and sent to the various States in December,
1940, for submission to the forty-three State Legislatures scheduled to meet
this year.

The subjects covered were the formation of State. Guards to function
while the National Guard is in the Federal service; the control of explosives;
the interstate protection of public property, and the prevention of sabotage.
The Maryland Legislature passed all of these Acts, though certain amendments
were made to some of them.

There was no opposition whatever to the Act providing for the interstate
protection of public property, and there was not much opposition to the State
Guard Act, and the Control of Explosives Act. However, at the suggestion of
the representatives of organized labor, an amendment was made to the State
Guard Act to prohibit members of the State Guard from accepting gifts or
gratuities from private corporations or individuals; and at the suggestion
of representatives of the Miners' Union, and in cooperation with the coal
operators, the Control. of Explosives Act was amended so "as to avoid the
necessity of each individual miner securing a license. Various other amend-
ments were made to lessen the inconvenience which the Act would cause those
dealing in and using explosives.

The greatest opposition was to the Sabotage Prevention Act, with repre-
sentatives of organized labor taking the position that this Act would interfere