The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-11-03
Address of the Democratic State
Central Committee to the
People of Maryland.

| the beginning has dcepened into we'll
assured confidence Of triumph as the con-
test draws to a close.
The popular manifestations of approval
of the work of our Convention in all sec
tions of the State have left nothing to be
| desired
| Our candidates have been received
everywhere with an enthusiasm never sur
passed Their acknowledged high char
acter and thoroughly established quaiifl-
cations, their experience in public affairs,
their familiarity with the needs and re-
sources of the State and their recognized
intellectual vigor, supplemented by the
| inspiring circumstances under which they
| were nominated have given to the cam
paign spirit and force seldom witnessed.
Our organization both in the City of
Baltimore and in the counties is complete.
The wsrk of registration has been con-
Quoted with thoroughness and care. Fac
tional differences in our ranks have dis
appeared.
Our local tickets are made up every
where of men of character and intelligence,
and one of the most gratifying features of
the campaign is the heartiness and good
feeling with which the friends Of the de-
feated candidates for nomination ale sup
porting the ticket. Indeed, greater har
mony and earnestness have never been
seen, and we feel that from the reports
that come to US, from one end of the State
to the other, of the spirit and enthusiasm
of the Democracy and the cordial union
of all elements of the party, we can say to
you with emphasis that the day of our
political deliveranoe is near at hand.
Results have abundantly proved the
wisdom, sagacity and patriotism of our
Convention in deciding to conduct this
campaign upon State issues alone.
The introduction into our Platform, as
tests of party allegiance, of questions of
national administration and policy was
believed by the Convention to be as I'M
necessary as it was unwise. 1t was felt
that in this momentous struggle for good
State government IN Democratic hands
upon correct and sound business princi-
piles, we were entitled to have and as
suredly would receive the support of the
great majority of the intelligent white
men of the State, and that no obstacles
should be put i'll the way of those who,
from interest, inclination, former associa-
tions, State pride or any other reason,
might be disposed to help US in re-acquir-
ing our lost po.itica! supremacy in Mary
land. 1t was known that our people are
divided at this time on the question of
imperialism and the policy of foreign con-
quest and "forcible annexation" once so
vigorously deprecated and denounced by
President Mckinley as policy too shock
ing to be thought Of" and which, in his
special message to Congress of April 18th,
1898, he solemnly declared would 'by our
Code of Morality be criminal aggression"
1t was not easy to perceive what influ-
ence could be exerted by the State govern
ment of Maryland or the local government
of her counties upon the question of the
war now being waged by President Nc
Kinley against the Filipinos, and accord
ingly it was by all of US thought most i'm
polite and by some of US even unpatriotic
to attempt to array the Democratic party
of the State against his administration
upon subject whose decision could not
be affected in any degree by the result of
our contest.
fr<> hat h,,c ,,oL n
declaration We might lay ourselves and
our party open to the charge, (Which would
assuredly have been vehemently madc)
that in opposing the prosecution of the
war whilst it was actually going on, we
would be virtually and substantially Civ
ing aid and comfort to the enemy and that
thus We might drive to the side of the Re-
publicans many voters who otherwise
would be glad to side with us.
1t did not occur to our Convention that
the Republicans would be smitten with a
faulty SO extraordinary as to lead them to
complain Of US and attack US because with
patriotic forbearance we did not denounce
the President and his policy and thus seek
to embarrass and weaken his adminstra-
ton.
Nor did we imagine that our adversaries
in their desperation and alarm over the
apathy oftheir party in this State would
seek to avert their impending disaster by
importing into our midst imprisoned
spell-binders from other States to tell us
of our political depravity; to pirate of their
monopoly of "civic honesty" virtue and
morality and to urge our people to desert
US because, while we did not commend
the Presidents constantly changing policy,
we had carefully refrained from assault.
ing it.
Indeed, nothing that has occurred dur
ing the campaign has helped our cause so
much as these gratuitous insults beaped
by imported strangers upon our honor,
integrity and patriotism. If we do not
resent them with the warmth which they
naturally arouse, it is because we feel that
they have had no effect but to consolidate
our own ranks more compactly and to
bring to our support multitudes who
might otherwise have been Indifferent or
even hostile to us.
Marylanders are proverbially hospitable
We receive and entertain strangers gladly
and give them of our best, but it is sore
trial to our patience and forbearance to
keep silent when gentlemen from abroad,
who do not know our situation, come here
and assume, in the loftiness of their
superior virtue, to instruct us as to our
duty, lecture US upon our "immoraities"
and "indecency' and rebuke US for our
lack of patriotism arr public spirit
If we had denounced President McKin-
ley's war and called on our people to mark
their emphatic disapproyal of it, we could
understand the propriety of repellng our
attack and of depicting the beauties of the
benevolent assimilation" of the Filipinos
in all the glowing rhetoric of Secretary
Davis, Senator Thurston and Governor
Roosevelt, but as we had purposely alb.