Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-09-21
FIRST GUN !.
The Campaign is Formally
Opened at Annapolis.
MP HURcT SpEkKc
He Says He Is No Mans Man and
il Elected He Will he
Governor.

One OF the greatest political demon
stations ever witnessed in this State
was the opening of the Democratic
State campaign at Annapolis on Tues
day night. A special train carried
Messrs. Hurst, Smith, Crothers, Miles
and others tn the State Capital where
they wer~ met by an immense parade
headed by band of music and escort
ed to the place of meeting. The speakers
OF the evening were the candidates of
the State Ticket, and Messrs. Miles
and Barton, Senator Moss presided over
the meeting Maryland's next Cover
nor made n most favorable impression
and his speech was received with en-
thusiasm:
John T.. Hurst, the Gubernatorial
candidate, said:
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow. citizens
Ny laborious life as business man
has afforded me but little time or op.
portunity to acquire readiness as
public speaker, and naturally regret
very much my inability to present
upon the hustings the issues of this
campaingn in such way as they de.
serve but having been honored by
the convention with the nomination
for the high office OF Governor of this
state, feel il to be no less n privilege
than duty TO go out, rs | have never
done before. TO meet the people every
where and present, as well as | can,
the claims Of the great party whose
standard bear in this campaign to
their continued support.
OF my qualifications it does not be-
come me to speak, and shall, there.
fore. leave to others to say what they
think upon this merely personal aspect
of the canvass
may, however, he excused for
referring with some satisfaction to the
fact that. thus far, no one has said that
my nomination was one not fit to be
made, nor averred that, so far as the
record of my lite's work goes To prove
ANYTHING, the office will find in me. IT.
elected, an unworthy or incompetent
incumbent.
The line Of attack that has been and
is being made upon the ticket does.
however, call from me some alusions
of another sort, personal to myself,
and in this, my first public utterance
upon the platform, | wish to express
myself with plainness of speech that
nobody can fail to understand
DID NOT SEEK THE NOMINATION.
did not seek this nomination. II
sought me- When was first asked To
allow my name to he used for it, the
suggestion was gratifying, but saw
that its acceptance involved labor and
sacrifice, and the undertaking, il elect
ed, Of new duties and responsibilities
which no man. brought up as have
been. could contemplate without mis-
giving.
Finally, however, | yielded to the
solicitations of my friends, and agreed
To become Il candidate. ! did not
enter into the struggle at all, and can
conscieniiously saw that il ever there
was Il case when the office sought the
man and not the man the office, this is
that case. Not unnaturally, supposed
that such candidancy and momi-
nation made in that way would iird
favor with the great body of the peo-
pie, for they would see in il an absence
of those personal opportunities and
methods which so frequently degrade
our political contests.
Heretofore the cry has been that
nominations should not he the result
OF scramble and struggle and self
seeking hut that the candidates
should be selected without those incl
dents. which are always more or less
disagreeable and ofteniimes positively
disgusting.
The objection now made is based
upon the opposite idea. and Democrats
are asked to vote for the Republican
ticket because did not announce my.
self rs candidate months or AT least
weeks before the assembling of the
convention and 60 down actively 10
work in the primaries Indeed, the
point. So far as can gather it from
the discussion in the two newspapers
which. alone of the Democratic press
in the state, are opposing our ticket, is
that the convention could not nomi-
nate any man who did not make such
Il contest in the primaries without
thereby losing its rights to claim that
its action is binding upon the party.
II such an extraordinary preiension
he conceded to have any force what
ever, where would Judge Fishers
nomination have come in had he been
selected instead of myself? He did
not go into single primary, so far as
am advised, or run tickets publicly
in his interest in single election dis
district or precinct in the state and
if the point TO which | am now refer
ring be well taken, he would have
been shut out from legitimate consid-
Grafton by the convention rs well as |.
MERELY FRETENT.
OF course, no Democrat can honest.
~ stand on such an untenablc ground
of objection rs this But pursuing
this line of attack upon us little
more closely, it is urged that my right
10 demand the support Of the party
could not well be questioned if | had
been nominated upon the seco.d or
third or fourth ballo, instead upon the
first. This pretext for boiling the
ticket, for it is nothing but pretext,
means that, Notwithstanding all the
talk among the delegates that had
been held after they arrived in the
city had led TO the definite conclusion
that large majority Of them were in
favor ot my nomination, vet the farce
Of several complimentary and ineffec-
tual ballots was To he gone through
with in order that the appearance of
an animated and doubtful struggle
should be presented
Nobody was in reality 10 be ,leceiv-
ed by such a show of II contest, hut
still. to satisfy the scruples Of those who
insist that conventions should always