The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-11-11

for tn Republican ticket. That
majority WAS only G8, but it was the
opening wedge which enabled the
50 III IrartY, III the ctiupa I@tI OF 1896,
to vol the surprising majority OF
.J,:'G1 votes. to all iutent, ana pur-
poses, adding the district to those
which might justly be claimed for
tue Republicans encefor ward.
However, the county remained true
to her old love and with phenomenal
exceptions selected her own officials
from the ranks of the Democracy, and
on TUESDAY last, with the same gen
tlem"n az IA candidate for reelection,
refused to do MIN honor and not only
reversed the majority OF IFS votes
which he had received i'll 1896, but
added majority Of 30 for his oppneut
making 21S in all, and refusing TO be
commanded, caj0lsd or entreated,
stepped back into the well worn path
which she i,nd trodHen safely Tor
mauy years, AMI embracing her old
love showed that her preference
would still ally her with the Demo
cracy.
The election Of Tuesday last was OF
surprising nature in its Importance
and far reaching effects. 1t was in fact
evolutionary. 1t determined aud
shaped The course of the next election
and that course, well defined at this
early period, can only be changed or
tn warted by the actions OF the party
leaders themselves. The unpre-
cedented (nearly 100000 majority
which Mary land for the first time
since 1867 gave Mr. Mckinley was
nearly obiiterated, and the good ola
commonwealth, true To her earlier
teachings, true to the traditions Of the
past and more than all. true TO herself,
indicated in no uncertain manner
| what her course would be in the
future.
In 1896 Baltimore city gave the Re-
publican ticket 1920 M jOrity over
all opposition. On Tuesday tie ccu.-
birei vote of the city other shan Re
publican, amounted TO 4.212 more
| than the vote OF that party, while the
Democratic party alone had piuraii-
| ty over the Republicans of 800. This
| statement of facts taking the SIM
| almanac as our authority is proof If
itself that when the abnormal excite
ment W hich gave the State to Mckin-
| ley exhausted itself, and men began
again to use their reason, politics
| sought its natural level, and Mary
| lands vote became again one OF the
| integral parts of the Democratic col
umn.
The lack of enthusiasm and excite
ment which ordinarily chAracterizos
| What may be termed. a one man ticket,
| and which was unusually SO at thir
| time, no doubt had great Influence
| upon the success or defeat OF the
ticket. The voter in a town or city
cannot be paralIeled with the one Ol
the rural district. In the city, it may
he, and generally is, the work Of few
minutes, rarely reaching or exceeding
an hour, for the average citizen tc
cast his ballot. With the country
man it is very essentially different
The polling place, instead Of bein1
close at hand, looms up III the dis
Gapce, for the greater mass of voters
perhaps several miles away and ear
n0g he reached except by TIE ex
penditure of labor and time, the latter
being at the present season by far tn
most valuable. The rapid approach
of the close of the season during which
out door work can be done, renders il
= .sary for the farmer to use al
available means TO prepare Tor The
winter. Corn must be huShed and
stored so as to be easily reached anG
used and other duties conspire to pre-
vent the loss of even half day of val
liable time, it being rather the rule
than the exception that that amount
OF time will be consumed in casting d
vote. In Hartford county alone, til;
ballots east on Tuesday fell about
1000 short of the registered vote, and
that had considerable bearing upon
the result. Had the entire Z 800 votes
been used, there is but little doubt
that the Democratic candidate would
have been triumphantly elected. And
this might we'll apply TO several of the
other rural districts. We do nc t
imagine that the claim OF Senat T
| Wellington, made on Wednes lay. that
the State is safely Republican apart
from the city, is borne out by the
| facts III the case.
To sum up, with two Congressman
safely elected and third so close as
TO afford Chairman Vandiver suiTi-
cient encouragement 70 contest the
election; with the tremendous major
ity which Mr.. Mckinley received
melting away into thin air and the
| way made open and clear for success
| il 1890, the Democrats Of the County
and State may yell afford to be salts
| fed with the result.