The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-10-17
Correspondence BeItiD1ore County Un:0n.
MR.. TALBOT AND HIS TICKRT.
The Following Letter From Mr.. Offutt, Hereto
fore Published in 'The Union" and Widely
Read, is Republished by Request.
ToweoN Mn oen+

express the deep sense of shame and
humiliation which I, as a Democrat,
felt at the dishonorable use of that
party's name as cloak to screen the
political schemes, and as mere in
rument to perpetuate the power of
perhaps the worst and most sinister
figure ever known in Baltimore coun-
ty politics. 1t was then suggested
that the only way to prevent repe-
tition of the conditions which made
the pitiable, sad exhibition of de-
graded submission to the will of their
Democrat1c Tso'caffeu1 ronvrnrr0u
was to vote against the ticket named
and so indicate to the politician who
ran that convention that, while it was
possible to debauch few delegates,
it would be impossible to reap the
fruit of their shame by the votes of
Baltimore county's citizens.
Inasmuch as 1 then as Democrat
advised Democrats to vote against
ticket ostensibly Democratic, 1 now
desire to submit to them the reasons
which influenced me and which, it
seems to me, should have some weight
with them.
1t was with much regret that I de-
termined to oppose ticket named by
convention even nominally Demo
cratic, for I firmly believe in the
soundness and the truth of Democratic
principles, but I felt that for the rea-
sons which shall give 1 could no
longer retain my self-respect and sup
port Mr.. Talbott's county ticket.
Common decency forbids that
should, for it seems to me to be in
tolerable that the citizens of such a
county as ours should, by their votes,
increase the power of man who
stands in this State for the lowest of
practical politics" " who has succeed
ed in making this county known
throughout the State, not so much
for its natural advantages, its pop
ulation, its wealth and its pro-
gressiveness, but as a political unit
the citizens of which can always be so
manipulated by Mr.. Talbot as to
place in the public offices of the coun-
ty willing, anxious, timid puppets who
are expected to do what Mr.. Talbot
tells them to do. This gentleman, it
is we'll known to Our citizens, is not
in politics for his health but just
how low he has dragged the govern
ment in making his living" out of
politics and perpetuating his power is,
unfortunately, not known to many.
1t seems to me moreover to be TN
reasonable to expect any self-respect-
ing voter to support a ticket which
was named by afld STANDS ror man
who was publicly branded in front of
the Court House in Towson by Mr..
Jacob Elliott, of the 5th district, as
being interested in the debauching of
juror in one of the Western Mary
land Railroad cases.
Affairs in the county today are so
very bad that common decency bids
us improve them, and this can only
be done by the elimination of such
elements as Talbot from the Demo
cratic party. The campaign which
the "boss" has started to elect his
ticket is not only on false and mis-
leading issues, but to one at all famil
lar with county affairs, absurd.
The real issue is Talbottism or not,
but the "boss'' shuns this and sicks
his paper and his "scrappers" on the
tax rate and the figure juggling,
while the laws which are on the stat
ute books for the preservation of order
and morality in the community are
openly disregarded to his advantage
and profit. While Mr.. Talbott's
takers" are "going for" false is
sues, pool rooms, slot machines,
speakeasies and the Sunday sale of
liquor is allowed to go on unchecked.
The lawlessness in Baltimore coun-
ty today under the efficient regime of
Mr.. Talbot as political boss is ap-
palling. And it means something.
1t is, with all Difference to the Of
fcials of the county, rot to say
they cannot discover violations of the
law when anyone with an inquisitive
turn of mind can, in six or seven
hours, find and "play" fifty gamb-
ling machines in the county, and can
on any Sunday in summer discover
enough liquor sold to drown the
whole county force. Yet this does
not mean that the Chief of Police or
the County Commissioners are to
blame. The Chief is an honorable
and upright man and, I think, tries
to do his duty. And the Commits
sioners have done what they could.
1t does mean, though, that Talbot,
controlling the county patronage, the
lawbreakers understand that if they
find favor in Mr.. Talbott's eyes, the
county police will not obey the orders
of the Chief of Police or County Com
missioners too literally. And so,
strange to say, all of these men be-
friend the "boss" in his primary diff
fculties and so the police are all
stricken blind when they see friend
Of the "boss."
Common decency should prevent
the voters of this county from becom-
ing parties to the extortion of blood
money from the unfortunates who live
by law-breaking and voting the "Tal-
bott Ticket"
And now word about that ticket.
1t was selected by Talbot as his own.
1t is made up OF men whom he can
trust. As to the personal character
of the men on the ticket I believe it
is altogether estimable. But when
a man has earned Mr.. Talbott's con-
hdence in politics he is too much
tainted with suspicion to deserve a
Democratic vote. Most of those on
it are men of experience in public and
private life. One or two of them
have been through the insolvency
courts, and many of them have serv-
ed the county time and again. In
FL NJ 1Na1hoff hoe tried come Of