Evening star., 1898-01-26
WINNING THE FIGHT
Scenes at Annapolis When McOomas
Was Elected.
BREAK. OF The ELEVEN
The Rush to Get in Out of the
Cold and Wet.
HAT LEA DERS SAY

Special From a STAFF Correspondent.
| ANNAPOLIS, Nd, January 26.-The
smoke Of battle has cleared away from the
| memorable conflict yesterday, in which
Louis E. McComas was elected to repre-
sent Maryland in the United States SEN
ate. The memory of the conflict, however,
will remain for many days to come.
In several respects the session of the as
sembly at which he was elected was an ex-
tracrdinary one Politicians of both parties
who attended Annapolis are glad that it is
over. The strain, while it lasted. was a
great one. The members of the general as
sembly who participated in 1t show the ef-
fects plainly. 1t is not the men who tried
| to defeat Mr.. McComas alone who are feel
| ing badly, nor those who thought that Mr..
German should have been returned to the
| Senate, and who fought for him to the
| last. Even the stanch McComas adher-
| ents show the signs of the meeting. They
were certain all along. they declare, that
| their man would be elected, but they do
| finished. The fight was a hot one from the
| first call of time" and now it is finished,
| the combatants have sheathed their swords
ard acknowledge fealty to the newly elect.
fact, however. There were four warriors
from the home of the defeated candidate
who neglected the opportunity at last to
touch the sword hilt and ally themselves
the man on whom they had centered their
hopes. They are only four, however, out
OF total of sixty-seven. Probably some
OF them at present regret that they failed
to put themselves on record as voting for
the best interests of the party
Yesterdays session of the general assem-
bly, was interesting from many stand
points. 1t was spectacular. exciting and
M In
were present had an air of expecta tion
about them which plainly showed that
they were anticipating something to hap
PEN They did not know what. 1t seemed
as II every one was looking for a sensation
TO be sprung. 1t was known of course
that Delegate Funkhouser of Washington
county would prefer charges of bribery
Whlch mad been talked of the night pre-
Hous. Ih1s was thought to be merely the
beginning of series of sensations OF
what they would consist none seemed to
XII ow, but that they would be sprung
none doubted in the least.
The men who had fought so brayely for
McComas from the first, however, seemed
perfectly confident and satisfied. Delegate
Ashley M. Gould Of Montgomery county
had placid expression on his counten-
ance. Senator Wilkinson, 1.-The tall syca-
more of st. Mary's," did not appear to be as
nervous as he had the night before and
everything seemed to be lovely so far as
he was concerned. The world seemed to
l,
from his general appearance, and Senator
George Dorsey Day, the untamed chieftain
OF Talbot county with the white sombrero,
fairly beamed with satisfaction and de-
light. Senator Wescott of Kent who the
night before had failed to go into the eau
Gus, seemed to have lest his worried ex-
preston as to what to do and appeared de-
cided. 1t was the truant Baltimore dele
cation who appeared worried. All, how
ever, showed loss of sleep and lack of rest.
Watching the Finish.
At least a couple of hours before the
general assembly was to meet in Joint ses-
sion to elect the senator the lobby of the
house was filled with wild-eyed politicians
and general spectators. who had come
to see the finish. 1t was known that tho
finish would be at yesterdays session.
The circle about the state house was filled
with pedestrians and the entrances were
choked with people. In the lobby were
Representatives Mudd, Barber and McDon-
aid Representative Mudd was confident
tfat McComaS would be elected. Mr..
Mcdonald seemed to be worried over
troubles of his own, and engaged in
conversation with many of the dele
gates sa,. He s had oo,n, favored the original
wandered about as If it was none
OF his funeral. and in such a case it was
hardly worth his while to act as a mourn
er. The democratic politicians were also
mingling i'll the throng.
Gen. Allen Rutherford, clerk of the court
OF appeals. was seen with the others. He
wandered about the lobby and about the
floor Of the house alone, peering through
his spectacles, as If he did not know
whether he was welcome not. 1t was
noticeable that he held converse with but
few persons. and was apparently non-per-
soma grata with a majority of the dele
gates for some reason. They did not ap-
pear to be seeking his counsel or advice,
and left him to his own devices. He was
one of the few county men who had sup
ported Shaw and the boilers.
Both the lobby Of the house and the
floor of the chamber itself were filled with
delegates and spectators. 1t seemed to be
a matter. In order to get entrance to- the
house during the election, simply to be
inside when the session began. In con-
sequence, the place was filled with people,
at least an hour before the time set. They
lined the wall. blocked the aisles. occupied
the chairs and desks Of the members and
shut out the light from the windows. There
were three or four ladies in the room when
the joint session began. Altogether there
must have been several hundred people in
the chamber when the speaker ordered the
sergeant-at-arms to clear the house. so that
the session could begin. This was merely
matter of form. however. as all who
closed In Difference to the fact that the
house was In session smoking was stopped
After the usual routine Mr.. Funkhouser
OF Washington arose and stated the nature
d
general idea of impatience at this. The
matter was postponed and a committee
appointed 10 escort the senate members
In the chamber across the lobby This was
the one in which General George Washing
ton resigned his commission as commander
in-chief of the American army. The SEN
ate members arrived and were given seats
amid general buzz of expectancy.
Baltimore Boilers Uneasy.
Only two Of the Baltimore delegation who
stayed out of the caucus the night before
and who intended to fight to the last were
present until a short time before the hour
for the session to begin The Baltimore
delegation occupies a position to the right
of the speaker, in the corner of the cham
ber The duo wore worried expressions and
craned their necks frequently toward the
entrances. They conversed with each other
and expressed wonderment as to where the
others could be. They seemed to think
they were keeping away purposly. - hile
they expressed themselves as being graft
fed when the tardy ones made their appear
ance finally, only few minutes before the
time for the balloting to begin, they still
wore uneasy looks and counseled one an.
other to remain steadfast for Shaw These
were Delegates Baldwin, Jacob, Quasi
| DelacOur and Short They ,zyaro hoo ~ Pra