The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-06-10
ELKTON. JUNE 10, 1898.
AN ADROIT VOTE CATCHER.

AN ADROIT VOTE CATCHER.
When the devil was sick,
The devil a saint would he
-wusn the devil was well
A devil OF a saint was he.
lThat series of resolutions adopted
s 4 the Democratic convention on
" saesday at EIkton, pledging Its legisla-
he candidates to a full, free and far
w Expression, of the will of the people in
SSo4 upon the license question, may
,,!e shrewd piece OF party strategy, but
will hardly deceive honest opponents
of the license law.
I Mr.. Crothers may consider it wei
come declaration of his party behind
Ahich he can take shelter, but it will
fsMto relieve him of his individual
responsibility, in helping to impose
upon the people of Cecil county the
burdens and impurities of the present
license system.
A few facts from recent local history
seem timely at the very opening Of this
campaign, and which sober and reflect
tive people may consider at their
leisure.
In 1883, when the people of Cecil
county were enjoying the blessings OF
peace and good order, largely the direct
fruits of the absence of grog shops, and
not legalized saloon existed in the
county, when rum was outlawed, and
devoted mothers thanked God, that their
sons were being spared the temptations
of the glittering bars, Mr.. c. c. Crot6ers
now the INSTRUCTED" Senatorial candi-
date of his party, in MS capacity as
counsel for the Liquor Dealers
- Atsses ssaat.!oFl- Of Maryland and Cecil
county, took in person a petition to
10 Annapolis, purporting to be signed
by 74oo good and true citizens of the
county, who wished rum sold in Cecil.
This petition he presented to Dr. R
C. Mackal, gentleman of character
and standing and opposed to license,
then IN the Legislature from this
county.
1t was then noticed, that many
names to this petition were signed sin
blocks" and were evidently written by
one and the same person. In spite
of Mr.. Crothers' zeal in their behalf,
the hopes of those wishing the liquor
question re-opened in the county were
not then realized.
But the Legislature of 1890 was
more successfully importuned, and in
that year Mr.. Writ in a moment of
of weakness,-and for which he has
since paid the penalty-yielded to the
opportunities of those, CD who wanted
to drink liquor, (a) to those who
wanted to sell liquor, and CD to those
who wanted to rent properties in which
to sell it, and which three classes con-
stituted then, as they do now, the bulk
of those who clamor for license.
Under MIR. Wirt's direction the re sub
mission act of 1890 was passed.
Then, Mr.. c. c. Crothers took up
M g0csd CO work in behalf of his
clients ths three classes above referred
to.
All through the early days of the
campaign ofthat year 1900, the friends
of temperance, and the opponents of
the saloon, seemingly had everything
their own way. Under Mr. Crothels
instruction and leadership, the license
people "laid low and conducted a still
hunt )" but the purchasable voters were
carefully looked alter, and noses fire.
Quently counted In the ranks of the
mellow moonshiners. So quiet (?)
became the campaign, that the leaders
of prohibition were luled into a sense
of calm but deceptive security.
Then came the c0Hb 'ekaf.
Within ten days Of the election,
thousands of copies of a circular pre-
pared by Mr.. Crothers, and containing
specious and misleading figures as to
the expensiveness of prohibition, and
addressed to the pockets of the tax
payers, appeared from the Cecil Demo.
c,at press, and were plastered all over
the county.
So industriously were they sown, and
so purposely delayed their appearance,
that the time intervening until the
election was Insufficient to undo the
evil done by them.
The work of the circular was ably
supplemented by the money of the
liquor dealers invested in purchasable
voters at the polls, and largely through
his fundamentally and leadership,
license was carried in Cecil by
majority of 783 votes.
And now, when the willing worker
of this wickedness comes before the |
people of Cecil county, and asks them
to trust him to undo his work, and |
offers no better guarantee of good faith,
than the cunningly concocted resolu-
ton of party convention, what will
the people of Cecil county have to
sayf
OTJERY