Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30

OLD RING IN CONTROL
Ex-senator Germans Friends Will
Get the Plums
MARYLAND MUGWUMPS ARE SORE
Slate for the Organization of the
Next Legislature.
SOME SCHEMES IN VIEW
MARYLAND MUGWUMPS ARE SORE
SOME SCHEMES IN VIEW


1
Gratis controlling both branches and one
| week later Governor-elect John Walter
| Smith will be inaugurated and the friends
! of ex-senator Arthur p. German will re-
sumo control of public affairs in this state
| after an exile of four years from the man.
| agement. Already preparations are being
| made to properly celebrate the occasion
| All the adherents of the old ring are get
| ting themselves in proper trim to resume
| business at the old stand, in the same old
| way they learned during a generation
| of undisputed and almost unchallenged
| sway at the capital.
The democratic leaders have already COM
| pleted their program for the session. and
| while there may be some trifing objection
to it, there is no doubt whatever that the
| plan prepared by the friends of Mr. Cor
| man will be obediently carried out The
| majority are all, with very few excep-
| tions. well-disciplined adherents of the old
| machine, and know their business too well
| 10 KICK against the inevitable. Like WE'LL
| drilled soldiers, they will fall into line and
| vote through the slate made out. and each
! one Will take whatever crumbs may fall to
| his share.
| Wilkinson for Speaker.
Mr.. Lloyd Wilkinson of Worcester county
| secretary of the state committee will be
chosen speaker. and Mr.. John Hubner of
| Baltimore county will be made president OF
| the senate. Mr.. Wilkinson is, however. get
| ting no more honor than he deserves for
| he Is by all odds the best qualified member
| for the place. He has been three times a
| member. and during the last session was
| the leader of his party on the floor His
| management of the minority was so shrewd
ana skillful that he practically thWarted
| the republicans in their efforts to carry out
| their party policy. and kept them in a state
OF fractional strife and confusion through
out the entire session. 1t was Mr.. Wikin-
| sons able manipulation that prevented the
| republican majority from electing Mr.
| Ashley M. Gould speaker and forced the
| choice of Mr.. Schaefer on the house At
| all tunes he was able so tie the reDubli-
| cans up that they could do nothing with
| out his consent. The prospective speaker
| Is an able parliamentarian, and while he
| Is stanch German democrat, his personal
integrity has never been called in question.
Mr.. Hubner Has Had Experience.
Mr.. Hubner has been a member of the
senate before, and also served several
| terms in the house. of which latter body
| he was speaker during the session of 1890
Ex-Mayor Ferdinand C. Latrobe. who is
a member of the house from Baltimore
city, is candidate for speaker. but as he
| Is opposed by Senator Germans friends IL
VIII be impossible for him to attain the
| honor.
| Mr.. Murray Vandiver. chairman of the
state committee, will be chosen state treas
urer without opposition. Mr.. Vandiver
Ike Mr.. Wilkinson during all the years
when his party was in the minority. worked
increasingly to keep the organization in
| tact and in good working order and it was
| largely due TO his ability and industry that
the victory of last month became possible.
Like Mr.. Wilkinson, he is stanch Cor
man man. and has at all times been ready
| to work for the interest of his chief
The minor positions to be given out will
, all go to the adherents of Mr. German
1here are large number of these hut tba
names have generally been selected and
| the followers of the ex-senator who are
extremely hungry from their enforced alb
sence from the public crib since the repub-
licans gained control are delighted at the
prospect of once more getting a chance to
subsist at the expense of the taxpayers.
Regard Offices as Their Right.
They look upon the offices as their right,
and even now many of them fail TO under
stand how the people could have been so
blind to all sense of duty as to deprive
them of this right, even for the compare
lively short period of four years But they
| are ready to forgive and forget, provided
OF course they are not disturbed again too
soon.
In taking care of his own friends Mr..
German is only following his old rule. and
his strict observance of this rule in the
past has added greatly to his strength in
Maryland and elsewhere among his admir-
ers. Mr.. German has all his life believed
| 'iidt the ShOulG be used to reward
the Victcrs in political fight. He and his
followers consider that they carried the
last election, and no matter how much
grumbling there may be among the anti
Gormanites, who aided them in the recent
campaign, they intend to take the offices
as their reward for their work.
Chasrin of the Mugwumps
An amusing feature of the present po-
litical condition is the chagrin of the mug
wumps and anti-Gorman democrats These
people insisted at all times during the cam
paign that Mr.. German and the old ring
had retired after their defeat in 1885, and
that the party was entirely different from
what it had been in the old days Now
that the election has been carried by their
aid, they are awaking to the true state of
affairs. They find themselves ignored and
the odd crowd once more in full swing
Mr.. German, who never came near Balti-
more during the campaign, is a frequent
visitor, and his control over everything po-
litical is realized and recognized to be as
absolute ever.
The cid style of star chamber confer
ences, with Mr.. German in the chair, are
held from time to time, and the mugwumps
and anti-GormaniteS are coolly ignored.
They were popular at headquarters before
the election, and no men were more fiat
tered and cajoled than those who were
known for their hostility to Mr.. German
but now they are never asked what they
may think and in all the plans for future
party matters they are ignored, as they
always Were prior to 1895.
Show Their Disgust.
They are amazed, and in some instances
are already showing their disgust and cha
grin at The way they were fooled by their
old-time foes. They find that they have re-
stored the old ring to power and have very
little to show why they should have done
SO. After years of democratic control, they
aided In putting the republicans in mower
and after that party had performed all it
promised had done all the independents
asked, they ungraciously and ungratefully
helped to turn them out. They thought the
old ring was dead and that they had killed
it, but they find that 1t is as lively and
active as ever, and that they have aided in
returning it to power and thus TO undo
what it took them many long years to ac-
complish. The ring has started its work
just where 1T left off when turned out four
years ago.. and the members are following
their old courses just as If nothing had
happened to deprive them of power. Their
first objects of attack will be the Offices
and when they get them they will be ready
for more serious as well as more profitable
hr,S Tha