The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-10-09
olifical.
Letter of Acceptance from Hon. S.
TeOcIcLe Waits.


The following letter from Hon. s.. Teackle
Wallis was read before the Merchants meeting
which was held at Masonic Temple, Baltimore
on Tuesday night of last week:
New York, September Oath, 1875.
William W. Spence, Esq, Chairman OF the Com
tion, Baltimore:
DEAR SIR:-I have already telegraphed you
my respectful acceptance of the nomination fol
the Attorney Generalship of Maryland with
which your organization has seen fiji to honor
me. That nomination having been adopted by
the Citizens Reform party in Baltimore, and
officially recommended to the voters OF the Re-
publican party by its State convention, it is
due to all concerned that shall frankly state
in the only manner that my health permits
the considerations which have induced me te
let my name be placed before the public
NV necessary absence from home has pre-
cluded that personal interchange OF views be-
tween us which was to be desired. But think
that we thoroughly understand each other on
all points important to be understood. The
leading one of these is that it is no part of your
purpose or mine, by the movement in which
we are engaged, to break up the Democratic
party in Maryland, or to set up new party in its
stead, or in any way to hinder the legitimate
triumph of the princi Piles which it has hereto
| fore represented. IN Ine contrary, 50 lar de-
this movement concerns the Democratic party
its work, as l understand it, is exclusively one
of publication and refOrm-an effort to assist
| in making the organization and purposes OF
that party more worthy of its professions and
of the devotion with which the true men OF
Maryland upheld its principles when it cost
more to do so than now. Upon this subject,
| however, l shall ask your leave to speak more
| fully as 60 on.
| The next point is, that it is no part of your
purpose or mine, directly or Indirectly, openly
| or coverty, to disfranchise, prescribe or inter-
| fere with the rights Of any citizen because of
his religious faith or the place of his nativity.
| l should Justly offend you by abiding to this,
did it for a moment occur to me that such pur
poses have been ascribed to you with any
| shadow of justification. But efforts have been
made, on the hastings and through the press,
| to raise false issue with you, in advance, by
charging you with hostility to your Catholic
brethren, and desire and design to invade
| their political rights, through your present or
ganization, or the others which have united
| upon your candidates. Concerning such an
| accusation, do not think it becomes me, in
| accepting your nomination, to be silent. l am
| not Catholic, and consequently have no per
sonal interest in vindicating the rights of Cath
| olics. Neither do l say what am about to say
| to fatter or concilitate Catholic opinion-for
| the demagogism which bids for Catholic votes
| panders to anti-Catholic intolerance. But 1
| was educated at Catholic college, and am in
debted fer what little am, in great measure,
| to the teachings which had there from clergy
men of the Catholic Church. From my boy
| hood to this hour, many of my truest and most
honored friends have been members of the
same communion, clerical and lay. If there is
anything in their faith or lives to make man
unworthy of the privileges of an American cit
izen, l have never seen or heard it, or suspect
ed it. l should, therefore, be FALSE not only to
my clearest convictions of personal and politi-
cal integrity and duty, but to every obligation
of gratitude and manhood, if were to lend my
self to the prescription of Catholics for their
religion in any manner or under any disguise.
The whole antecedents of my life on this
point are known to those of my fellow citizens
who know me at all, and | had hoped they
would satisfy all who desire to be just, that if
your organization, or any other, had contem-
plated campaign Of religious prescription, it
would hardly have turned to me for aid. 1t
has been kindly suggested, am aware, in this
connection, by some amiable persons who are
wiser than I, that although am perhaps hon
est on the point in question, have been duped
and hoodwinked by designing people-mean-
ing, probably, yourselves. 1t is quite possible,
l admit, for the best meaning persons to be
kmade the tools of rogues. 1t is even possible
that such thing may occur with the nominees
of Democratic convention. Whether 1t is
likely to be deemed the fact in my case must
depend upon the public estimate of your integ-
rity and my intelligence.
Having thus endeavored to state what your
movement does net mean, as understand 1t,
and what do not mean in representing it, per-
NIT me to say little more definitely what
understand it does mean. l understand it to
embody and give utterance and practical effect
| to the protest hitherto made, for the most part
| in private only, but made in private every
where for some years past by the best men in
| Maryland-against the corrupt and degrading
| influences which have controlled and directed,
and still control and direct the ruling politics
| of the State. I understand it as an effort to
arrest the progress of venality and extrava-
gance in State and municipal legislation; to
/ drive out and set to honest labor the drones
| who are billeted on so many of the public
| Offices in order that they may cheat at the
public expense, when they are needed at the
| primaries and the elections. l understand 1T
| to be your purpose to investigate fraud, and to
expose and punish it if you find it; to turn the
public revenue from the channels OF waste and
incorporation to those of public utility; to
restore your government, in fine, if you can, to
its original uses as public servant, and not a
private machine. If this is your programme,
| as understand it to be, am at a loss to know
how it can otherwise than challenge the sym
pathy and support of the public.
Since the year 1857, when the Democratic
Conservative party, with its constitution OF
that date, came into power, it has been practl-
| cally reigning without opposition. Ithas made
or marred what it has pleased to make or mar.
1t has had the right to be supreme, inasmuch
as it has represented q large majority of our
people. But with its right to govern came its
obligation to govern uprightly and with decen-
cy. 1t owed this to the minority not less than
to itself, and I have no doubt that it assumed
the reigns of government with determination
as party to do its duty to both. But it has
been corrupted, as all parties and dynasties are
corrupted, by excess of power. Like most alb
solute monarchs, it has taken to its pleasures
and let its favorites prey upon the State. 1t
has had predominance enough to make its
nominations in general equivalent to election.
and has been INSCRIPTIONS and reckless IN the
choice of its nominees, as its present lists be-
fore the public will, in great part, painfully
show. 1t has had numerical force enough to
dispense with the good opinions and the bal
lots of the best of its voters, and it has accord
ingly treated their opinions with contempt. Ii
has official control of the elections, and when its
nominations have driven voters disguised from
the polls, it has stuffed the ballot boxes and
elected its candidates, or magnifed their ma.
ljorities, at its pleasure, by fraud.
These are not matters of doubt or specula
ton, but of fact-familiar, common fact
known we'll as such to every active politician
to every man who knows what is going
on about him-known to or within the
reach of every newspaper editor and re.
porter in Baltimore. / do not mean to say
that such things have been universal, but
do say they have been the rule = not IT,:
exception, and that in Baltimore 70 arsbaei
i they have been staring every hone man n
1.-The face and defying him. It is idle folly, oil
worse, to pretend to deny them. Like your
selves and thousands of members of the party
have felt the shame of these things, but, be-
ing.a member of the party, and as anxiously
solictous as any man in it for its success in the
country, I have earnestly desired thatlt shoul6
correct them through its own organization.
Two years ago publicly repudiated the un
authorized association of my name with an in
dependent organization protesting the purpose
of reform. But, in so doing, / used Language
| which beg your permission to repeat, because
it shows that the opinions which l express to
day are not the growth of the moment, or sug
gested by my present position. What sale
| august, 1879 was this: "In common with 6
large number of private citizens, have lamen
ted the injury which has been done to the goot
name and prospects of the Democratic Gonserv
alive party in many portions of the State b,
corrupt practices, unworthy nominations, per
sonal intrigues and low counsels. l believ
that no party can long retain respect or powe
under such demoralizing influences, and an
free to say that do not think the Democratic
Conservative party will deserve to retain eithe
unless it mends its ways in these regards, ant
that speedily"
The Democratic Conservative party has ne
mended its ways, nor has it needed any one
counsels, and if judged to-day by the influence
|, which control its organization, it has ceased t.
deserve the respect which belong to its recor