The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-09-12
Correspondence Baltimore County Unton.
MR.. TALBOT AND HIS TICKET.
TowsoN Mn September Q 1ol

TowsoN. MD. September 9, 1903.
Editors Of The Baltimore County Union:
In letter addressed to you few weeks ago l |
took occasion to express the deep sense of shame
and humiliation which l, as Democrat, felt at
the dishonorable use of that party's name as a
cloak to screen the political schemes. and as
mere instrument TO perpetuate the power of
perhaps the worst and most sinister hgure ever
known in Baltimore county politics. 1t was
then suggested that the only way to prevent a
repetition of the conditions which made the
pitiable sad exhibition of degraded submission
to the will of their boss by the members OF
to vote against the ticket named and so indicate
to the politician who ran that convention that,
while it was possible to debauch a few delegates,
il would be impossible to reap the fruit of their
shame by the votes of Baltimore county's citi
Zens.
Democrats to vote against ticket ostensibly
Democratic, now desire to submit 10 them the
reasons which influenced me and which, 1t seems
to me. should have some weight with them.
II was with much regret that determined to
oppose ticket named by convention even
nominally Democratic, for firmly believe in
the soundness and the truth of Democratic
principles, but felt that for the reasons which
i shall give could no longer retain my. self
Common decency forbids that should, for it
seems to me to be intolerable that the citizens
of such county as ours should, Dy their votes,
increase the power of man who stands in this
State for the lowest of practical politics. who
has succeeded in making this county known
throughout the State, not so much Tor It's nat
ural advantages, its population, its wealth and
its progressiveness, but as political unit the
citizens of which can always be so manipulated
by Mr. Talbot as to place in the public offices of
the county willing, anxious, timid puppets who
are expected to do what Mr.. Talbot tells them
to do. This gentleman, it is well known to our
citizens, is not in politics for his health; but
Just how low he has dragged the local govern
ment in making his living out of politics and
ia so MANY ans II seems to me rt
| be unreasonable to expect any self-respecting
voter to support ticket which was named by
! front of the Court House in Towson by Mr..
Jacob Elliott Of the 9TH district ,,t as being inter
West Western MARYLAND Railroad
Affairs in the county today are so Yep bad
and this can only be done by the elipination of
such elements as Talbot from the Democratic
party. The campaign which the boss" has
started to elect his ticket is not only on false
| and misleading issues, but to one at all familiar
with county affairs, absurd
The real issue is Talbottism or not, but the
"bossr shuns this and sicks his paper and his
"scrappers' on the tax rate and the figure jugg-
ling, while, the laws which are on the statute
in the community are openly disregarded to his
advantage and profit. While Mr.. Talbott's
"talkers'' are ''going for'' false issues, pool
? rooms, Slot machines, speakeasies and the Sun
day sale of LIQUOR is allowed to go on unchecked
The lawlessness in Baltimore county today
under the efficient regime of Mr., Talbot as po-
| litical boss is appalling. And it means some
| thing.
violations of the law when anyone with an in
quisitive turn of mind can, in six or seven
hours find and play" fifty gambling machines
in the county, and can on any Sunday in sum
mer discover enough liquor sold to drown the
whole county force. Yet this does not mean
that the Chief of Police or the County Com
missioners are to blame. The Chief is an hon
orable and upright man and, think, tries to do
his duty. And the Commissioners have done
what they could. 1t does mean, though, that
Talbot controlling the county patronage. the
lawbreakers understand that if they find favor
L s.. klra ,kxx-N lsnA will nnf
obey the orders of the Chief of Police or County
! Commissioners too literally. And so, strange to
say, all of these men befriend the boss" in his
| primary difficulties 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 becoming parties to the extor-
| ton of blood money from the unfortunates who
live by. law-breaking and voting the Talbot
| Ticket"
And now a word about that ticket. 1t was Sc
lected by Talbot as his own. 1t is made up of
Character char Of the men on the ticket believe It
is altogether estimable But when man has
earned Mr.. Talbott's confidence 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 insol-
vency courts, and many of them have served
the county time and again. In fact Mr.. Talbot
has tried some Of them SO often that the ticket
| is called "TalbOtt's Old Hunker Ticket" They
hare Seryed so often that the men on that ticket haze
in the aggregate Serged the county 35 gears and
hare collected from the county 0Uer $3.50 600 IN salaries
and fees The boss pays well
There is absolutely no reason why any Demo
crat should hesitate to vote against this ticket,
especially as the party organs are endeavoring
to impose upon the voters by falsehood and i'm
posture. The Democratic managers are claim
ing credit for economy in reducing the county
debt, which they say was accumulated by the
Republicans. Personally / believe the best
county government is Democratic govern
| ment, but can see no excuse for lying about
public records in order to elect ticket, even if
| it were good one. The Democrats have spent
as much, if not more, than the Republicans on
the county government in Baltimore county
and the only economy exercised has consisted
in raising the county tax rate high enough to
pay off the debt, e0htch taT rate has beer higher
9snb1ieGss than it ndeT Denaocyots a1dsAe
county debt UGS created 6y t09O tQC rate ana 2Dtped
out By a hiqh one. The Democrats have, for the
first time since their late accession to power
on the eve of an election, reduced the county
tax rate and Notwithstanding an increased basis
they have not even now brought it so low as the
Republicans had it.
There is no reason, therefore, why any Demo
crat should hesitate to vote against this ticket,
and to free the party in the county from its load
and once more to enfranchSe the party. For at
present it is dumb, and speaks only through
Talbot and representation can only come
| through him.
Therefore say. once and for all time, tear Off
rag Of "Talbottism" that has been wrapped
about u.s. and until we can belong to the Demo-
cratic party in Baltimore county without be-
longing at the same time to Mr.. Talbot let us
| endeavor to do all that clean, decent and honor
able citizens can do to purge our county of this,
its shame. Very truly,
T. SCOTT OFFUTT.