The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-10-30
VIEWS OF TIDOR RAYNER.
The Ex-Congressman, Who Went
Of from the Democracy in 1895
and 1896, in Line Again.
HE GIVES SOME IDEA OF RE-
PUBLICAN REFORM.

Among the hundreds and thousands of
Democrats who went off from the. party
on the reform issue in 1895 and the fnan-
cial issue in 1896, and who are now in
the Democratic column, is Ex-Congress
man Isidor Rayner, of Baltimore. By
request of number of merchants he wrote
out his views, which were published Oc-
tober p. Below is short extract from
his letter
s'Look at the Republican City Council
What has it been2 A political combine,
with no pride or interest whatever in the
progress or the welfare of this city. The
record of that body, to state it mildly is
reeking with public suspicion and distrust.
Look at the revolutionary proceeding that
they formulated as soon as they came into
power, overthrowing the charter Of the
city and depriving its chief executive off
Ger of the principal function that was es
sential to proper administration of his
office And for what purpose was this
done TO benefit the public or to pro
mote the ends of good government ? Not
at ALL 1t was done simply because the
Mayor refused to ratify the musterroll Of
city appointments that the combine had
selected and determined upon If the
Democratic party had ever undertaken such
a high handed proceeding as this, it would
have been swept out of power at the hands
of an outraged and indignant people.
Look at the last Legislature. In the
halcyon days of Democratic ring rule the
lobby was never greeted with such warm
and genuine hospitality 1t used to be
the custom for the lobby to convene in
dimly lighted chambers and to send for
members of the Legislature under the
cover of darkness. This is all changed
now. At the last session the lobby did
not send for the Legislature; the Legisla-
ture sent for the lobby. Legislation was
marketed in the corridors with as much
publicity as attends an ordinary auction
sale, and there was no effort made to con-
ceal transactions that our statesman were
almost ashamed to confide to each other in
the Utmost recesses of their secret councils.
There were some exceptions to this rule.
The Speaker of the House for instance,
was man who never INDUCED in or toler
ated any practice of this sort Toward
him suspicion shafts never winged their
flight He was as pure as the icicle that
hangs from DIANA temple, and as guile
less and as innocent as a sucking lamb.
When he changed his vote to Wellington
for the United States Senate it was the
highest patriotic motive that inspired him,
and not the siren voice of Warner, of
Washington; and when in the convention
at Ocean City, in company with that i'm
maculate statesman of childlike simplicity
of character, Dr. Tuck, of Annapolis, he
abandoned his friend Wellington to the
irony of fate, it was no sordid considera-
ton that influenced him; it was lofty
purpose to serve the cause Of reform.
Just think of Mudd and reform, and when
you are done thinking about Mudd and
reform, then think about Dr. Tuck and
reform. This serene old gentleman is the
type and the emblem of immaculate poll
tics He has, to my knowledge, for Il
quarter of century, stood as a high priest
at the altar of reform and in the midst of
thirty-f hundred Anne Arundel county
negroes watched its rising incense as the
vestal virgins watched the affairs of the
Roman temple And when you have fin
ished with the reformers that the Repub-
lican party has sent us from the agricultu-
raj districts, glance over the spotless list
that they have promoted to the front in
our own midst Look at the great re-
former, Benjamin Hiss, the trustworthy
lieutenant and faithful steward of Colonel
Supplee, and then look at Samuel g.
Davis, who, as reformer, standing upon
lofty pedestal, bias always occupied a
high and isolated position in this commu-
nifty, and then last, but not least, forget
not the great Field Marshal of Reform,
Benjamin Andrews. From his earliest
days his policy has always been reform,
and, my friends, his reform has always
been policy.