of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 93

When we attempt to characterize and appraise Governor Ritchie's qualities
and service, paradoxical as it may seem, we find it easy and yet difficult to do.
That is to say, it is not easy to particularize in assessing and summing up the
contribution made by a public man.

Governor Ritchie's public life, it seems to me, was predominantly character-
ized by superiority of character, clear-headedness, a sense of responsibility, and
extraordinary industry in the performance of the tasks which came to his
hand. I realize that in so enumerating the qualities which to my mind give
distinction and explain his career, I am using general terms, such as are too
frequently used in describing the qualifications of public men of much smaller
caliber.

When, however, the word "character" is used in its fullest and superior
sense, no description can convey a higher tribute to a public servant, either
living or dead. It is in that best sense of the word that I venture the thought
that the chief contribution made by Governor Ritchie to the people of Mary-
land, was the high character, as a man, which he brought to their service.

Fortunate as he was in birth, background, cultural and intellectual attain-
ments, he brought to the administration of the affairs of our people standards
of high-mindedness, integrity, —and in a word, gentility, which soon caused him
to be recognized and accepted as a symbol of our best traditions.

Gifted with an intellect of the very first order, thoroughly educated, in-
tensely industrious and level-headed, he had already achieved a marked place
as a lawyer, and civic student before he came to the position of Attorney
General of the State.

When elected Governor, he succeeded an era in our public life during which
many of the standards had been lowered, and many of the methods had come to
lag, and to be all too lax. House-cleaning was decidedly in order, re-organiza-
tion was a crying need which had been talked about for years, with practically
nothing done. Governor Ritchie gave instant recognition to the defects of
administrative condition. By suggestion and leadership, he brought about
remedial legislation, and proceeded to put the affairs of the State upon a
business-like, intelligible and workable basis.

At the same time, by day-to-day high-minded action and industrious in-
quiry, he almost at the very beginning re-established better rules of public
conduct. In a word, he raised the standards of public life in Maryland by force
of his character and example as the chief servant of his State. He not only
caused his name, but the name of our Commonwealth to be more favorably
known. The people promptly came to realize that in him, superior character,
integrity, appreciation of and faithfulness to public trust, found exemplification.
From thence on, they rallied to his support, and enthusiastically followed his
leadership—with the result that as the years went by, he was honored by the
people of his State to a degree without parallel—and Maryland, under his
leadership, assumed a position of challenging importance in the eyes of the
Nation.

Through his advocacy of the doctrine of States' Rights, but more important,
through the breadth of knowledge and understanding of our form of govern-
ment and the essential requisites of Democratic institutions, Governor Ritchie
became well and favorably known throughout the United States. Persons
visiting all parts of this country had the experience of learning that people