The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-10-23

r 20, 1897.
House will never be forgotten by those who
had occasion to visit Annapolis during the
session. He was comp plete and absolute mas
ter of the situation He had bills passed
to suit his own convenience. and his desk
was receptacle for dozens of measures
that never got beyond it, because their
sponsors declined to acquiesce with the
wishes of the Speaker. or were unwilling
to consult with him. No matter how
necessary or important, or even how trivial
the enactment into laws of certain bills
might be, they never got beyond their
second reading if they did not meet with
the approval of the presiding autoerat.
The vast appointing power of the Speaker
was gold mine in his hands, and never
did a politician gather strength more quickly
than did Mudd, who scared up in three
short months from the level of a disgrnntled
wire -puller out of employment 10 the dis
trict leader who was able to deprive Con
gresham Coffin of a deserved denomination
Perhaps the most dramatic incident in
Mudd' S Annapolis career was when he at
tempted to stampede the Assembly, during
the Senatorial deadlock, for Wellington.
He had divided his vote during the first
few days between James G. Mulliken, of
Talbot, and Charles r. Westcott, of Kent,
who Jagged behind in the race, and his sud
den desertion of these gentlemen for the
present junior Senator created tremend
Gus sensation, and an amount of inquiry
Chat has never been answered) as to just
why he did take Wellington up In fact,
speculation as to this received fresh ill :
petus few months ago, when Mr.. Brain
ard H. Warner, the well-known Washing
ton capitalist, during Wellington quarrel
with the President over young Warner $
appointment to German Consulship, de
clared that he (Warner) had been the
means of Wellington election as Senator,
as Sydney Mudd could testify. 1t was
remembered that Mr.. Warner paid mys-
terious visit to Annapolis in the evening
before Mudd made his memorable stand for
Wellington, and this assertion caused some
uncharitable persons to suspect that Mr..
Mudd' s support might have been gained
through other considerations than his sud
den conclusion that Wellington election
was the best solution of the difficulty In
fact, Mudd's frequent private assertions
that Wellington would be compelled to
support him for the Senate at the next
election, in accordance with an "agree-
ment, strengthens the suspicion that the
Speaker $ instrumentality in Wellington S
election is none too fragrant.
The adjournment Of the General As
sembly found Mudd amply prepared to
meet the trying, not to say expensive,
exigencies of campaign for the Republi-
can Congressional nomination in the fifth
district So heathful had he found the
climate at Annapolis that he lowered head
and shoulders above all other members of
his party-both white and black-in his
section of the State, and his nomination be-
came foregone conclusion Once pro-
claimed as his party nominee, he busted
himself in the collection of campaign
fund, and his henchmen were afforded an
opportunity to attest their loyalty by fire.
quent contributions. 1t was about this
time that the scandalous misappropriation
of the public money by Mudd employees
at the tobacco warehouses began, and at
the recent investigation check made out
to Mudd' own order on the Treasury of
the State was discovered. Mudd's de-
mands upon the funds at the disposal of the
Republican State Committee were positive
ly enormous, and his frequent visits at the
headquarters developed into veritable
''hold-ups
His election to Congress was, Of course,
an immense stride in the direction of the
Senatorship, toward which he has been
steadily moving ever since he assumed the
Speaker gavel at Annapolis, and the man
is leaving no stone unturned to attain this
end His manipulation of the county Re
publican conventions in Southern Maryland
will give him support at the outset
should the Republicans carry the State
and he can be depended on to present all
the allurements employed by unscrupulous
politicians in building up a vote. In the
meantime, he is wise enough to keep his
mouth closed as to the Senatorship, and is
simply working in the interests of his
party. One OF the most ludlcrous feat
ures of recent Republican political history
is the bestowal of honors upon Mudd fol
the part he is alleged to have played III
checking the bossism of Wellington Ac-
cording to recent reports, Mudd fairly
reeked with political integrity while at
Ocean City, and valiantly came to the aid
of the people because of his inherent
love of right and justice and his native de
testation of political tyranny! As matter
of fact, Mudd was not only not the fore
most figure among the anti Wellington
forces, but, on the contrary, he privately
offered to back Wellington and Stone III
their efforts to suppress Malster if the Sen
ator would place certain offices at his dis
posal Upon Wellington refusal, Mudd
Jumped to the other side, and is now
brazenly accepting fulsome praises for his
great "REFORM' victory.
In word, should the Republicans con
troll the next General Assembly on the joint
ballot, the most aggressive Senatorial can
didate will be Mudd, and the good govern
ment devotees disposed to vote the Repub
! Gcan ticket should do well to hesitate. fol
the success of that party is not unlikely t.
result in the selection of Sydney + Nude
as Senator-and that, unquestionably,
would constitute the most grotesqut
achievement ever brought about by tht
.sarmy of reform With Mudd repre-
senting Maryland in the Senate, the citi
zens of the State would have cause to blush
and might well hang their heads in shame
Try, Try Again.