654 State Papers and Addresses

to mount, to take care of increasing armament expenditures and rising cost of
governmental services, Maryland is reducing, and reducing drastically, its taxes
upon its residents.

As a result of legislation sponsored by the Administration at the last ses-
sion of the Legislature, and made retroactive for 1940 incomes, a saving of close
to $5, 000, 000 was effected for the people of the State.

Furthermore, during that same session of the Legislature, the State tax
was reduced for the years 1942 and '43, and provision was made in the law
permitting the Governor and Board of Public Works to utilize surplus above
a given point to reduce further the State tax for these years. Thanks to the
healthy condition of the State's finances, brought about, to a great extent by
careful handling of receipts and expenditures during the past two years, it
was possible under the new law to reduce further the State tax to the point
where a reduction of approximately 40% was affected. This means that for
the years 1942 and '43 owners of real property in the State of Maryland, will
save in excess of $4, 100, 000, without impairing in the slightest any, essential
functioning of State services.

So exceptional was this state of affairs that newspapers all over the
Country took note of it, and one of the leading magazines of the Nation saw
fit to send one of its feature writers to Maryland to prepare an article for an
approaching issue.

All of this is interesting not only because its final effect will be a saving
of tremendous sums to Maryland taxpayers, but also because it is a great indi-
cation that Maryland's 'fiscal situation is sound, and that whatever the future
may bring we will be in a favorable position to meet developments.

Maryland was among the foremost of all the States in initiating definite
defense moves. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Governors'
Conference, it was my privilege to issue jointly the call for the first joint State
Federal conference on defense problems in Washington, in August of 1940, and
in later conferences in Washington, Boston and Chicago. • We have been active
participants not only in bringing Maryland's defense efforts into line with those
of the leading States, but also in helping to shape the general defense policy of
all the States.

Several weeks ago I had the honor of conferring privately with the Com-
mander-in-chief of our Army and Navy, President Roosevelt, at the White
House, regarding defense planning in Maryland, and was privileged to convey
his views on various phases of State Defense Planning to a meeting in Chicago,
(of the Executive Committee of the Governor's Conference, charged with inte-
grating the defense activities of all the States.

This National emergency is not a thing that waxes and wanes from day
today; it is a constant menace. It is an ever-growing peril. It creeps in from
the horizon and comes like a poisonous fog between us and the sunlight of our
liberty. It was there yesterday—it will be not gone tomorrow.

Who then is really safe from this dragon of the sky ? Only the strong are
safe. Only a nation with weapons already in hand. Only peoples who reject
in derision and disgust any promises of any kind from that monster of so many