The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-20
MARYLAND POLITICS.
What the Politicians Have to Say
About Future Movements.
baltimore Herald. Monday.l


In conversation with a gentleman
on Saturday who is esteemed as high
authority on political matters he
said: 1.-THE dissensions among the
Democrats, nor even the lawlessness
of ring rule within the party, cannot
be deemed the only reason for the
disasters which have recently over
taken the organization. Reforms are
needed which they will not make.
The public-school law of the State is
not such as the growing convictions
of the people demand, nor is il
efficiently carried out. The system
which exists now outside of the city
of Baltimore is little better than the
"Old Field" method of fifty or sixty
years ago, nor does it produce in pro-
portion greater number of scholars.
While the political leaders in the
neighboring States are lending their
energies for the thorough education
Of the masses ours have been content
with budding together for a few
months in the year dozen or so of
children out of an entire community,
and offering to their ambitious long
ings feeble smattering of the three
RS, reading, writing and arithmetic.
Too often are they forced to take these
crumbs in wretchedly unwholesome
and uncomfortable room, and not in
frequently from the mouths of those
who know little more than them
selves. In the scramble for the school
examinerships the wants of the chill
dren are forgotten. The Democratic
party has absolutely ignored the cry
for knowledge which has burst from
the masses, and the better class of
Democrats are mortified at the hui
initiating contrast between ourselves
and others in this regard.
"The oyster question, moreover, is
of vital importance to large number
of our people, and the Democrats thus
far have shown their inability or un-
willingness to handle it properly.
While they have frittered away the
time and recources of the State in
petty contests oyer few appoint
ments, and have allowed their ap-
pOintpnC tO oarru on q ,l,t1ol, live
lier warfare among themselves than
against the unlawful dredgers, the
latter have piled their piratical trade
until what were supposed to be mex
haustible beds of food are fast becom-
ing barren knobs covered with shells.
Aside from the thousands in Balti-
more who are supported by the oyster
traffic a large and heavy voting class
of people lines the rivers and estu-
aries of the Chesapeake, whose only
living is derived from this source.
An improper execution of the oyster
law is rapidly narrowing their means
of sustenance and this may become
prominent factor in the next election.
To this may be added the general ap-
prehension felt at the gradual disap-
pearance of this biyalye, the most
juicy and delicious to be found in the
world.
"The recent revelations of the
"Ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain" in the inspection oftobacco,
coupled with the fact that these de-
yious methods haye been known to
the leaders of the party for fully if
teen years, have measurably des-
troyed public confidence in the in
fallibility of Democrats. When
pernicious system, to usea mild term,
has become so firmly rooted that an
honorable gentleman feels obliged
to sacrifice his ideas of right and his
feeling of independence to save his
place, and reform Government is
forced abruptedly to end an examina-
ton lest the foul disclosures should
knock the pins from under his own
throne, is it not time that political
power should be transferred to other
hands, at least until these pest houses
are disinfected? We learn from the
comptroller's report that the ware
houses drew from the State nearlysix
thousand dollars during the last fiscal
year, but he does not tell US with that
clearness for which his reports are re-
markable how many thousand pounds
of waste were sold and unaccounted
for, how many men were placed on
the pay-rolls to reward them as cleo
ton strikers, or how many poor la.
borers were defrauded of fifty cents a
day to advance the interests of their
masters, or for some more nefarious
purpose. All these grievances seem
slight when handled singly, but when
combined, and L could go on and
mention a number of others, they be-
come an insupportable burden which
the public has determined no longer
patiently to bear.
"The party tells you that it has adj