The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-07-03
A Great Political Curiosity.

ticket is now in the field. The convention of
moral issue that directly affects the people
and all the people as distinguished from the
politicians. Both ticket and platform are
now in the hands of the public for scrutiny
and discussion. Your editorial on the subject
last week raises question touching the
ticket and platform that all good citizens and
sef'respecting Democrats ought to have
answered and that in short order The very
circumstance that II question can be raised
as to the meaning of the resolutions. throws
IN existent conditions, suspicion on both
ticket and platform that amounts to a con-
domination. To put it very mildly. both are
extremely disappointing to the best moral
sense OF the county and the party. Had the
personnel of the ticket been above reproach
upon the race track gambling question, the
resolutions might in the Judgment of charity
nave been allowed to pass as a bunging
expression of right intention. But the
established facts chat candidates spoken Of
for the Legislature pronouncedly and known
anti-race-track-g gambling men like Mackey
ana Coudon were turned down, and that the
dominant portion of the ticket selected is not
50 conspicuous for its opposition to and
freedom-personal and prof9ssionaI-from
any and all connection with race track
gambling and its attendant interests, us to be
guarantee that its election will secure de-
liverance from this evil, but very conspicuous
Tor Just the reverse, render preposterous any
such charitable Judgment The platform in
this ease must be judged 10y the legislative
candidates standing upon tia platform. be
it remembered, which was constructed to suit
the candidates, not the candidates selected to
represent the platform. Had these resolutions
been written 10y Il bunger. unskiled in the
art OF expression and composition, we might
have read between the lines and given him
the benefit of his lack Of skill and incXperi-
ence. But it is an open secret that these
resolutions were drawn by a gentleman Of
culture, whose literary and legal training has
made him an expert in the feIicitOus use and
construction of words. 1t would be an insult
to that gentleman's Intelligence to suppose
that he says more or less than he intended to
say They were not uttered otf-hand in a
passing conversation or in the heat of debate,
but deliberately written. Indeed they ind-
cate the most studied care in their prcpara-
ton. L imagine that if the original draft
could be seem erasures, changes and inter-
lineations would show the very particular
care bestowed upon them. They, therefore,
say just precisely what their candidate author
meant to say. What he meant to say, is what
will bind him in case he is sent to the legisla
ture. Now what do they say? That's the
question that interests Us all. The preamble
states and describes the mischief for which
the remedy is needed 1t reads: "Whereas.
the multiplication Of outlaw race tracks i'll
this county under the provisions Of existing
law during the past two years has intro
duced into this community for several
months in the year race track gambling with
its attendant results and sound public policy
requires that this should be prohibited by
the law What is the fair meaning OF that
language? Stripped of its verbiage it asserts
that sound public policy requires, not that
race gambling, out the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
year race track gambling Gan entirely differ.
ent thing) should be prohibited by the law
it has grown that is objected to. Gambling,
the three-foot and seventy-flve pound young
ster is all right according to these resolu-
tions), but grown to six feet and two hundred
pounds he must be attended to. Gambling
on one or two tracks-the Fair Grounds and
Barksdale, for instance-for thirty or sixty
days in the year would meet every require
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obviously implied in them.
II this be not the meaning, why this visit to
the circumlocution Office? This roundabout,
windy periphrasis2 Surely, it were an easy
task to put in plain simple, unequivocal
words, that race track gambling with its
attendant evils is permitted by law in our
county, and that sound policy requiI IS that
it be prohibited by law under any form within
the limits of Cecil county. But this was not
intended Could Il man with one hand
demolish at a blow what he has busily and
zealously been helping for months to con-
struct2 Could a man be expected to kill for
an evil what he does not believe to be an evil?
Could lawyer be expected to abandon his
client by whom he is retained to defend him
anu Seek IL TelulutT Ill we shape OF political
preferment from the other side? Not gamb-
ling but gdmbijng in certain measure and
proportion is contemplated by those resolu-
| tions of the Democratic convention. If they
mean anything else-if they mean to be an
honest, straightforward pledge to make an
honest effort to rid the county of the gamb-
ling curse root and branch at all places and
all times-the construction that the party
leaders would like the people to put upon
them and to believe that they (the leaders,
put upon them--if that be the meaning, then
we should start Immediately a museum Of
curiosities, and put in the first case as chief
curiosity this Legislative ticket and the race
track resolutions labeled-The Great Cross.
Eyed Political Freak-where they would
stand unrivalled unless by what might be the
second wonder-the convention that was
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