The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-16
SENATOR GORMAN'S COUP.
Man Offers to Surrender
Party Leadership
TO HIS EDEAREST FOE IN DEMO-
CRATIC PARTY.

WIN Make Mr.. Abel of Baltimore Sun His
Residuary Legatee Providing Latter
Will Again Devote His Paper to the
Cause of the Democracy.
Baltimore, October 15.-United States
Senator German today issued an open let
ter to Edwin f. Abell, publisher of the
Baltimore Sun, in which he offers to re-
linquish the leadership of the Democracy
cept 1t and support the Democratic tick
ct in the coming state and legislative
campaign. he also intimates that he will
forego his ambition to succeed himself
in the United States Senate if it eau be
shown that such step is necessary to
Democratic success.
The letter, which is very long one, re-
views the course of the Sun in its oppo-
sition to Mr.. Gorman because of his views
on civil service, tariff and ballot reform
measures. To all the charges made
against him upon this score, Mr.. German
pleads guilty, but he quotes the Sun as
having admitted that such questions
were largely matters of opinion and as
serts that every man is free to think as
he pleases regarding them. He defends
his course in regard to all these ques-
tions and concludes with the following
proposition:
"And now, Mr.. Abell, let us pass to
question touching which there can be
no misunderstanding. These statements
O @ nd
retorts-au this petty clash of protesta-
ton and mpeachment-amount to very
little at the best. You have declared
your undying devotion to the Democra-
tic party, and have said that my leader
ship, my personal ambitions and my sell
fish purposes only prevent you from re-
storing your newspaper to the service of
the loyal people who originally made it
rich and powerful by their patronage,
their confidence, their support. You
have given Maryland to understand that
but for me and the bossism you are
pleased to attribute to me you would
bring back the Baltimore Sun to it's old
moorings and devote it to the exposition
of Democratic principles and the confu-
sion and overthrow of Republican rule in
the state.
"You have stated In effect, certainly
with the intent Of being SO understood
that you still love the Democratic party
and still wish to see it predominent IN
Maryland and you thereby involve your
self in a pledge to cast off your Republi-
can affiliations, repudiate your Republi-
can alliances and labor heart and soul
aor the success of the Democratic party
as 1t will remain after being purged Of
me.
"If you be sincere in this, the solution
of difficulty Is simple enough. If my
aspirations, leadership, my influence,
constitute the only obstacle to your return
to the people who made your newspaper
and founded your fortune and gave rsali-
ty to your position and your power, 1
less to me than you suppose. Political
leadership Is not SO necessary to my hap
piness as you, in your ignorance of my
character and motives, are pleased to
say. Strange as 1t may seem to you, l
am willing to surrender every prospect
of personal promotion If by SO doing
can reunite the Democratic party, restore
to it's ranks all their pristine strength
and harmony, allay the dissensions and
animosities that now exist and efface
the humiliating spectacle presented by
yourself and men of your way of think
ing-the spectacle Of the Democratic par
ty betrayed into the hands of the enemy
by those whom Democrats have in the
past exalted and enriched.
II do not undertake to say how much
you or any other man may love the Dem
ocratic party but l know how much /
love it, and know that I have no per
sonal ambitions 1 will not sacrifice for
its honor and welfare. know, too,
that 1 have no affiliations, no engage
ments, no plans of any kind that could
by any possibility embarrass me in ask
ing the proposed arrangements.
7You may understand this as an over
ture of surrender on my part, as an ad-
mission that the Democratic organiza-
tion cannot hope for further life without
your aid and countenanoo. am PIE
pared for that. l have been misunder-
stood by you SO long and SO unreasonably
that little more or less will count for
nothing. AS matter of fact, | am salts
fed that the people of Maryland have
become disgusted with the two years of
Republican administration, which you
did so much to make possible and that
they ore in the humor to make all end
of the experiment.
sit is not only what has been done, 1t Is
also the extravaganza and the corrup-
tion which are awaiting them in the
event of d perpetuation of Republican
rule. They feel that every substantial
interest in the state Is jeopardized and
they are determine with or without your
aid, to restore to power the Democratic
party, which has never hitherto betrayed
them and in whose hands they will feel
their honor and their interests to be Sc
cure As to this / have not the shadow
of doubt. But they want, also, a resto-
ration of the former harmony of the par