The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-07-31

THE DIMENSIONS OF THE
NEW RING.

The County Convention as Tame as the District
Contests Were Spirited-H esitating Demo
crats-0ne Doubling Brother in the
Wrong Crowd-The Combination
Very Jubilant
There was Il time in the history of the
Democratic party when its machinery ran
much more smoothly than it does at present
This was notably the case in the palmy
days of the old Ring, when Richelcu. Tai
icyrand and Bonaparte constituted the CEN
trail triumvirate that rarceled ont the spoilS
among their friends and henchinen through
out the county. This was before the all
powerful force evolved by the JN4 combina-
ton, which was as hard to understand as
the workings of the Kelley motor, had
come to he Il recognized power in local poll
ties. Things are different now Richelieu
is no more, and Talleyrand and Bonaparte,
forgettul of the scriptural maxim that Il
house divided against itself cannot stand,
are now found arrayed against each other
in the political arena, striving to do what
their political adversaries have failed for
so many years to accomplish, namely, to
burst UP and blow the Democratic ma
chime into smi;hereens.
The old Ring possessed an amazing
amount of vitality, probably more than
DIR. Tanner who for many days has been
trying to starve himself to death. 1t had
taken no political sustenance, comparative
ly speaking, at all since the election last
Fall, and, indeed, took very little then. be-
cause the more astute managers of the jX4
combination fixed things so nicely ut the
caravansary on that memorable occasion
that they We're able to gobble it all up and
gulp it down themselves. This dainty dish
of political pap was easily digested, but in
stead of satisfying the appetite of those
who fed upon it, it only served to increase
it, and impeled by the cravings of their
diseased maws, they resolved, many months
ago, to reorganiZe the new Ring, with the
view of sending the champion of the new
dispensation to Congress. To this end the
champion traversed the county from one
end of it to the other, speaking "burning
words" to whomSoever he found that would
listen to him. Nor did he contine his efforts
to his own faction, nor to the members of
his own party, but sought to make Il truce
with his political enemies, the despised
and prosecuted Republicans, whom, a few
years ago, it was his delight to anathema-
tie in the columns of the New York Dan
Book. because, forsooth they had dared to
interfere between treason and loyalty, and
he, political hotspur that he is, still had
country in spite of the wish of his friends
to destroy it. But his success was in no
wise commensurate with his efforts, and his
following was confined principally to the
members of his own party. Nor We're the
members of the old Ring idle. They had
made desperate effort to send one of their
brightest opponents to the State convention
with view of making him candidate for
delegate at large to the Democratic Sanhe-
drim ut Porkopolis, in order that if the
nominee of that heterogeneous conglomera-
ton was successful, they would be in 4
position to parcel out the national patron
age, and the champion and his followers
would be left out in the cold. In this they
We're unsuccessful, for the champion rallied
his forces, and for the second time inside of
i year the managers of the old Ring were
defeated and left out in the cold themselves
So it no wonder that when the de-
cisive hour arrived last Saturday afternoon,
the streets We're filled with the lame and the
halt that only n Democratic primary meet
ing can inspire with courage enough TO
leave their beds, take up their crutches and
walk. The champion had run the cam
paign, so far as he was concerned, in the
interest of whisky, and, if his opponents
tell the truth, principally by means of that
article, and, considering this, it was re-
markable that so many of the faithful were
sober.
The polls were opened at 3 o'clock, and
except an unimportant squabble or two
when pretty nearly all hands got ready to
fight, but upon second thought, concluded
not to do so-was unusually quiet until the
polls were closed. Later in the night and
early Sunday morning, the usual amount of
broken heads and bloody noses We're seen
upon the streets by those who We're kept
awake by the bacchanalian shouts of the
Barrenites and others who had been punish
ing Il large amount of free whisky in the
early part of the night.
Four hundred and thrty-seven votes
were cast in the Third district, and the
champion was defeated by majority of
thirty. This was Il surprise to both fac
tions, for SO well had the champion and his
friends managed the campaign that each
side thought the champion was victorious.
AS the night wore away the returns came
struggling in one by one from the other dis
tricts. and it soon became apparent that the
whisky element had secured ut least twenty
one delegates and their opponents nineteen,
which the result on Tuesday showed was
close approximation to the truth, with the
Ninth district in doubt, but claimed by
both factions, each of which spent an anx-
ious Sunday trying to devise some means to
make it plain to the Ninth district delega-
ton that it should support them.
THE CONVENTION
The court house bell with hoarse and
brazen throat rang out a solemn knell short
ly after II o'clock on Tuesday, and the faith
full, with slow and measured tread, filed into
that ancient structure and sat down inside
the bar. 1t was evident that something was
to be done. but the quiet that pervaded the
assembly, and reminded one of that which
broods over 4 Quaker meeting, seemed to
indicate that those who had been selected
to do the work regretted the part they We're
expected to take in it. The champion and
his favorite henchmen busted themselves
going from one to another of the delegates
and inspecting certain mysterious pieces of
paper which they held in their hands, and
which are believed to have been the tickets
which had been given them and which
probably they We're suspected Of changing.
ed to lengthen themselves into hours, in this
manner, somebody moved that Mr.. Henry
Coudon act rs temporary chairman, which
was put and carried, and that gentleman
took the chair. Somebody then nominated
DR., Mearns, of the 9th district, as secretary
But that disciple of -iisculapius peremp-
torily declined to serve in that capacity;
and Mr.. Caldwell, OF the 18th district. was
nominated, who also declined. Some one
then nominated Mr.. Milton Y. Kidd who
was standing outside the bar among the
spectators, and to the surprise of every
body, Mr. Kidd declined. For many years
Milton had been ready to serve the Democ-
racy in season and out of season, and had