The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-06-11
FORCE OF ELECTRICITY IN POLITICS.

In June, 1877, c. {. Fulton wrote n letter TO
President Hays in which occurred this sentence:
"If the President will promptly make the M.
Pointmcnts for Maryland that have been suggest.
ell by Mr.. Thomas John h. aud myself u will
electrfy the whole State, aud I promise IN return
the election Of a reform candidate for Mayor next
fall"
az course one Of the appointment. recommend.
ell by "Mr. Thomas and myself was Mr.. Thomas
as Collector. Very much TO the detriment Of the
Republican party Of the State, Mr.. Thomas. We
presume in obedience to the promise to "elseirfy."
was appointed Collector in about ten days ailsr
this "eleetTifying" deVand. Lei u WhnS- thR
''slsctrifying" Sorksd. Mr.. Hays polisd n $50
votes In the State In 1876. In 1877, under the
"eisctrifying influence Of Mr.. Thomas and myself
the reform candidate for Mayor failed to discover
that he was elected aud the battery was so power
ful-so over-eharged with elsctrieity-that Il so
shocked $4,000 Republican voters that they failed
To find their way to the polls Dr. Porter the can.
diiate OF "Mr. Thomas and myself" for Comp.
troller receiving barely $4,000 votes, though Mr..
Fulton claimed in an editorial in the Imsr;ea.
about June 18th, 1877. that H., with Mr.. Thomas
left out. represented $4,000 Republican vote. In
the State.
In ISIS, with "Mr. Thomas AMI my SELF still In
possession Of all the Federal patronage. the party
organization and the electrical machine, Eve can
didates for Congress were nominated. In all the
districts Of the State "Mr. Thomas and myself
run the campaign and furnished the electricity,
except In the 9Th district, where Hon. Milton q.
Urrcr's friends took the canvass into their own
hands and secured his election. The "ricctrify.
ing" process was so powerful this year that It's
influence kept 1900 more Republicans at home,
the aggregate vote Of the State being only Is ,OOO
BY the application Of political proportion to these
facts one can see that IL would have taken, with
the aid Of another electrical machine, about two
years and half to have electrified" the Repub.
lican party of the State out Of existence.
In 1879 hs Rsp"Liira" party protested again.t
death by SlectriCity and nominated Hon. James
A. GARY for Governor. wrestei the party control
from the hands Of the cIeciriGer and Mr.. Thoma.
and made Hon. Henry Stoekbriige chairman Of
the State Central Committee. Although electric
iiy had been playing sad havoc with the party,
its vote went M from $4,000 in ISIS 10 60 0eO in
1879. with Mr.. Gary. it, candidate. aud Mr..
Stockbridge. its engineer.
In 1850 the Republican party. in convention
assembled at Frederick city. knowing and dread.
ing the diminishing influences Of the ''eiectrify-
ing power Of "Mr. Thomas and myself" turned
tho current Of electricity upon its source aud the
result was Stockett Matthews. John r. En.or.
'Mr. Thomas and myself and the machine were
slain by this back action stroke, and these do
lectablc statesmen were served with mn emphatic
warning 10 cease their obstruction Of the Repub.
hean party. The party saw TO IL that the warn
ing was obeyed. The result was President Oar
Geld received Ts.sij votes--aimost 5000 vo,e,-
1000 more than Mr.. Fulton claimed 10 own four
years ago.
IL President Garfield want. this magnificent
vote to dwindle to the IS ooo Of "Mr. Thomas and
myself in ls75-ss. the official announcement that
Mr.. Thomas is to be continued as Collector will
eleetrify the whole State that way. Mr.. Thomas
removal will keep the party abreast Of the times
and continue its vote upon a scale deserved by
his administration.