The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-11-23
A Bel AIR Democrat on the Crawford Sys
tenn

EDITOR EGIs: Permit me through your
columns to briefly correct an erroneous cor
respondence from this place which appeared
in the Baltimore San of Tuesday, November
Is, with regard to the proposed change in
the system of making the nominations of the
Democratic party in this county and which
was reproduced in your issue of last week.
The correspondent states that the question
which now confronts the Democrats of Har-
ford is, ''Shall the Crawford system be con-
tinued :" say such is not the case, and that
the question is only agitated by some parties
who are anxious to become candidates or lead
ers or perhaps both, and feel that their only
hope of so doing is through the convention
system and not by the will of the people.
The rank and file of the party are satisfied
that the Crawford system was not the cause of
our defeat in ninetythree any more than the
convention system was the cause of our defeat
in ninety-four.
best to be done to secure victory in ninety
five, when a Governor and Comptroller for
the State are TO be elected, together with the
entire county ticket except Clerk of the Court.
In answer to that would say let every Dem
ocrat who has the interest of the party at
heart, do anything in his power to concliate
and bring the party together, and, when the
time comes for making the nominations,
induce our best men to allow their names to be
used as candidates for the various offices, and
| feel sure that a ticket could be nominated
that would command the full party strength.
Certainly it would do more to bring the party
together than if the Executive Committee
were to make so radical a change as proposed
by the correspondence above referred to.
The Democrats of the county have become
accustomed to the right of direct participa-
tion in the matter of making the nominations
and to be denied that right at this time
by an act of the committee would, in my
judgment, produce a condition of things
worse than deplorable. The fact that the
question of going back to the convention sys-
tenn was submitted to the people ten or twelve
years ago, and defeated by majority of some
fifteen to eighteen hundred, is a greater reason
than any can offer why the change should
not be made without the consent of the voters.
Nominations can be made under the Crawford
system that will be satisfactory, as was the case
in 1888, when after part of the ticket was de-
feated in 81, the party had an average majority
of 900 at the next election, and so it will be
next year, provided nothing is done to create
distrust or dissatisfaction amongst the rank
and file of the party. The will of the people
must be obeyed, and when we find out from
the Democrats of the county that they desire
to return to the convention system of nomi-
mating, then it must be done, and all who call
themselves Democrats will submit, no matter
what their personal preferences may be. We
have had bitter experience resulting from
defying the will of the people, and it is to be
hoped that no further experiment will be
made in Hartford.
In conclusion l suggest that the candidates
announce themselves through the press of the
county and let the Democrats make the nomi.
nations without further solicitation. That
would relieyet the people from the annoyance as
charged by the article.
DEMOCRAT
BEL AIR, Nov. q, 1894.