750 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 23

UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

The President then laid before the Senate the Unfinished
Business of March 22, being a resolution by Mr. Archer:

WHEREAS, The Democracy of Maryland, in convention as-
sembled, on the twenty-third of September, 1915, pledged the
party to the most rigid economy in the administration of all
the affairs of the State, so that the saving in the expenditure
of the public money might be as great as is consistent with
good government; and, as part of the economy plans in the
platform provided, pledged that character of business ad-
ministration which will insure the highest degree of economy,
believing that in the transaction of public business the same
degree of ability, attention and forethought should be exer-
cised as is given the most successful mercantile, banking, pub-
lic service or other enterprises whose success depends upon
a high order of business efficiency; and

WHEREAS, The changed condition since the adoption of our
present Constitution in 1867, as well as the recent creation
of offices and commissions by successive Legislatures without
any comprehensive survey of the State's business, have re-
sulted in the existence of offices and commissions which have
become useless, or the duties of which overlap and should be
consolidated; and

WHEREAS, In order to remedy these conditions the party,
in convention assembled as aforesaid, pledged the prompt and
faithful passage of such laws and the proposal of such amend-
ments to the State Constitution as may be requisite, in order
to abolish each and every office or commission which has be-
come no longer reasonably necessary to the public good, or
the duties of which should b© transferred to some other
office or commission, and to the passage of such laws and
the proposals of such Constitutional amendments as may
be necessary to prevent waste and duplication, and to pro-
mote the greatest possible economy and efficiency in the ad-
ministration of the State's affairs; and to a policy of rigid
retrenchment in all State expenditures, and to such legisla-
tion as may be necessary to the efficient handling of the
State's finances; and

WHEREAS, In order that the pledges might be faithfully, in-
telligently and promptly fulfilled, and that there might be no
abatement in its progressive policies, the Democratic Party,
in convention assembled as aforesaid, appointed Dr. J. F.
Goodnow, Hon. James Alfred Pearce, Joseph D. Baker, Philip
D. Laird, William Milnes Maloy, E. Howard Griswold, Jr.,