The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-10-20
Correspondence Baltimore County Onion.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Oct. 10th. 1888:

w ASHINGTON, ~. u, oct. 10Th, 1855.
Messrs. Editors What with the German BIZ
centennial celebration, the Ohio election and the
car-drivers' strike, Washington had enough of ex-
citement last week. The celebration was one of
the largest and finest that has been witnessed here
for some time, the procession, which consisted of
bands of music, the various German societies,
symbolical floats, &C., occupying fully hour
and half in passing any given point. After the
procession was over number of banquets were
held, at which speeches were made, toasts drank
and the usual routine of such occasions gone
through with.
The Importance of the German element in our
population, both politically and socially, for
chilly impressed upon us by the magnitude of this
celebration throughout the country. As to the
number of the German population in the United
States, both native and foreignb born, it is stated
by Mr.. Wolff, leading and intelligent German
citizen of this city, to be not much less than ten
millions or nearly one-ffth of the whole popula-
ton of the country and entirely too large TO be
ignored by either of the great political parties in
an election in which either hopes to succeed
Again, that they can and do hold the balance of
political power in some States of the Union is
clearly proven by the last two elections in Ohio.
The Germans, as citizens, are patriotic-notwith-
standing their love of the "Fatherland'-and can
be relied on in peace or war to be true Americans,
believing in and supporting our political institu-
tons as heartily as though they or their ancestors
ed country. They good citizens, industrious
and law abiding. But they are tenacious of the
social customs to which they and their fathers
were born they are of the language and tradi-
tons which have been taught them from father to
son. These customs, among which are their Sun
day merry making, their beer gardens and their
ideas of education and family comradeship, they
are 10th to give up in this country where the
prevailing sentiment of the native American born
population is opposed to them, and believe that
they desecrate the Sabbath day and tend to the
increase of drunkenness. If these things be a
fault they are the only fault of our German fellow
citizens, and it were pity that they cannot, as
learn many are in all our large cities where the
influence OF the ttliouc German churches is being
more conformed to the surrounding influence of
the other Protestant and Evangelical churches,
be brought to abandon their "Fatherland' GUS
toms and habits and adopt the more American
ideas of temperance and Sabbath keeping. AS
loyal element, their patriotism was fully proven
in the late war, and since the war they have for
the most part belonged to the Republican party,
believing it to have been the loyal party of the
country and true to the Government and in their
fealty to this party they never wavered until, in
Ohio and other States of the West, their cherished
institutions of beer and beer saloons were attacked
by the temperance element in them. Then they
turned the balance of power in their hands against
the Republican party and defeated it. Yet still
and as soon the latter willing to retrace its
steps, as it did in Ohio in the late campaign, many
of them, especially in the city of Cincinnati, re-
turned to their allegiance to the party and were
firm in their adhesion thereto.
The Ohio Republican defeat was not very
great surprise to the best informed Republican
office holders and politicians here, exceptin far
that the majority was larger than was expected.
However, had the Republican party taken up the
second amendment, or prohibition issue, the Dem
ocratic majority would have been q great deal
larger and might have reached not less than 3d.
600, as is proven by the figures that we now have.
This shows that neither of the great political
parties of the country can yet afford to take up
the issue of temperance or prohibition, as it will
turn the German element as well as the whole
liquor element against it and work its defeat
But the most disgracefu reports that have come
from Ohio with reference to the late election are
against the temperance people themselves, and
are to the effect that all through the country dis
tricts of that State they systematically traded
votes with the Democrats, giving Hoadey, the
Democratic nominee, vote for each one they re-
ceived in return for the prohibition amendment.
This was extremely dSgraceful for two reasons:
First, because the Democratic party the
avowed enemy of prohibition or temperance, and
refused to put the amendment on its tickets to be
voted for secondly, because the temperance peo-
pie are commonly supposed to be exemplars of
tics is bad in any individuals party. Will the
temperance people in your county make note of
this? Some temperance men there have been
known to be "cheek by jowP' with liquor men at
the primary meetings when seeking to get nom
ination, and is any one assured that they would
not trade off their votes, if elected to the Legisa-
ture, for "mess of pottage" of some sort-say
the ducats of the liquor element or in payment of
promises made either at the primary meeting to
get votes to nominate them or the general election
to be elected? Since the exploits of the temper
ance people in Ohio, in the way of trading votes
with liquor Democrats, we are inclined to distrust
them everywhere.
With reference to the effect of the Ohio election
on the campaign of next year for President, or
even upon the elections to be held this year in the
other States, it cannot be much either for the
Democrats or against the Republicans, as no
National and only local issue was involved
The prohibition issue will not enter into the
National contest next year, only the fool-hardy
temperance men may put temperance ticket in
the field, which would show lamentable lack of
strength as it did in Ohio, receiving only 5000
5000 votes out of over 100000, and would have
no perceptbe effect whatever on the result
throughout the country. 1t being, therefore, no
ways possible to make the temperance question
National issue next year, and it will not be one
of the planks in the National Republican platform,
Ohio will again be safe Republican State, and
the whole National party viii be as well prepared
to achieve a victory as in the past.
The car drivers strike here pitiable failure,
as might have been predicted Yet it has worked
injury to some who could least afford to suffer
and they are the car drivers themselves, who,
having struck, are out of employment, the
companies refusing to take them back and having
put other drivers in their places. There is no doubt
but the strikers had grieyances-too small pay for
too many hours labor-especially on the Metro
politan line, where the strike began, stubborn
ly persisted in and resistance was made to allow
ing other drivers to take their places. But the
strikers gained nothing, the strike ending with
out the grievances being redressed and many of
themselves now having nothing to do. So it will
always be while corporations are heartless, seek
ing only to fill their Golfers with dollars and cents,
and there always plenty of men ready to do
the work at the price offered, however unsatisfac
tory to the persons who have just thrown up the
job. ANON.