Smyrna times., 1901-09-04
POLITICAL FIGHT WAKING
WARM OVER IN MARYLAND
SEAT IN THE FEDERAL SENATE WILL BE
OCCASION FOR LIVELY CONTEST.
Conditions Decidedly Unsettled as to Whether
or Not the State Will Allow Itself to Pass
Into Bondage and German Rule.

Conditions Decidedly Unsettled as to Whether
or Not the State Will Allow Itself to Pass
Into Bondage and German Rule.
OF the States In which seat in the
Federal Senate is the chief prize to be
fought for at the approaching election
Maryland promises to be the scene of
the closest and liveliest party contest.
Political conditions in that border COM
monwealth have been decidedly unset
tied for several years past, and the
struggle this fall will largely deter
mine whether or not the State is to
pass once more into bondage to mar
rowing Democratic policies and to ma
chine ridden Democratic rule. Should
the Democratic managers carry the
next Legislature no actual loss would
result to the voting power of the pres
ent Republican majority in the upper
branch of Congress-: for a representa-
tive Democratic leader like Mr.. Cor
man would in that case be chosen to
replace the Hon. George L. Yelling
ton, the eccentric nondescript in poll
tics, whose term expires in March 4,
1908. But the election of a Democratic
Legislature now would go far toward
insuring a second Democratic victory
two years hence, when Senator Nc
Comas's first term ends, and his defeat
would, of course, extinguish the Re-
publican supremacy maintained in
Maryland, with one or two reverses,
since 1895.
A review of the political situation in
Baltimore and in the various Mary
land counties, just published in the
Baltimore american, sustains the con-
clusion that, though the fight for the
control of the Legislature will be a
desperate one, it yet offers substan-
tial promise of final Republican sue
cess. The next Legislature will con-
sist of twenty-slx Senators and ninety
five Delegates. In the Senate the
Democratic majority has distinct ad-
vantage, for of the thirteen members
who hold over from the election of 1899
ten are Democrats and only three are
Republicans. To carry the Senate the
Republican managers will therefore
have to elect eleven Senators, and this
is more than they can reasonably ex-
pect to do. They are almost certain to
get the four Senators to be chosen
from Allegheny, Garrett, Charles and
st. Mary's counties, and have a better
-sIazaaS- tA~AA Tho d Democrats IN perhaps
four more cOunties-Prince Georges
Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot. Har-
ford and Montgomery counties and one
Senate district in Baltimore are con-
sidered fairly in doubt; so that the
prospective Republican strength in the
Senate is confidently figured as at least
eleven out of twenty-six.
The House of Delegates is the BODY
IN which the political complexion of
the next joint assembly will be really
decided. Of its ninety-fve members
thirty-two will be elected from the
normally Republican counties of Gar
rett, Allegheny, Washington, Fred
erick, Charles, st. Mary's, Calvert and
Somerset, and from the lid Legisla-
tive District of Baltimore. Twenty
four Delegates are to be chosen from
normally Democratic counties like
Baltimore, Howard, Cecil, Carroll.
Queen Anne's, Wicomico and Worces-
ter. OF the other thirty-nine twenty
seven come from counties fairly debat-
able and twelve from the Ist and Id
Legislative districts of Baltimore CITY.
the vote in which will probably show
which party shall organize the House
of Delegates and elect the next United
States Senator. Party strength has
huctuated sharply in the last three
Maryland Legislatures. In 1895 the
Republican majority on Joint ballot
was forty-seven; in 1897 it fell to. sew
enteen. In 1899 the Democratic ma
lority on joint ballot was forty-three.
A repetition of the fight of 1897 is now
looked for by the Republican mana
gers, and. their efforts to send a gen.
uine Republican Senator to Washing
ton to replace their unfortunate selec-
ton of six years ago will be watched
with anxious interest by the whole
country.-NeaO York Tribune.
500 Reward, 500.