Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-06-11
Especial Washington Letter

kW have been attending the clos
"A ing exercises of the Naval
- academy at Annapolis, which
gave me an unusually good oppor-
tunlty to learn the political conditions
in Maryland. There is little doubt
among well informed persons regard
less of race, sex or previous condition Of
political affiliation-that the Democrats
will sweep the state, electing a govern
or, state ticket and legislature which
will elect Democrat to succeed Sem
ator McComas, who was SO confident
that the Republicans would hold ssMy
Maryland that he relinquished a life
position on the bench to nab a United
States senatorship. The chances are
that he wishes he had not done 1t, for
he realizes that his senatorial career
is drawing to a close The next time
he is appointed to life position he
will probably have gumption enough
to keep it. His quarrel with Congress
man Mudd has been his undoing-a
petty quarrel about patronage. Mudd
appears to have the upper hand.
A surprising thing about Maryland
Republican politics is the recrudes-
cence of ex-senator Wellington. A
year ago everybody thought he was
dead as Julius Caesar, dead as a smelt,
deader than a doornail. Now he is
favorably mentioned for chairman of
the Republican state committee. Yer
lily, verify, politics makes strange bed
fellows The defeat of Congressman
Wachter for mayor of Baltimore has
ripped Maryland Republicans up the
back generally and irreparably. They
are gone fawnskins; they are done for;
they are ausgespielt.
The successor to Senator McComas
will probably be Hon. Isidor Rayner,
now Democratic attorney general of
Maryland, who defended Schley with
such eloquence. He is of Jewish ex-
traction and Of brilliant parts.
Maryland Republicans are becoming
objects of ridicule, as witness the fol
lowing from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ex-Governor Lowndes Of Maryland
would like to take the gubernatorial chair
again, but declares that he will not fight
for 1t. What Mr.. Lowndes needs is a
powerful friend like Senator Hanna to
pick him up and set him down in the
place, relieving him of the tedious details
of g. state convention. Perhaps Mr.
Lowndes, though, is too well known to
be successfully handled in that manner.
Postal Scandals.
All Washington is in great uproar
touching the astounding scandals in
the post Office department. OF course
a profound impression has been made
in the whole country, but here in Wash
ington, where nine-tenths of all the
people are either in the government
employ or live off those who are, any
sensation in the official circle has a
tremendous effect. Some lofty heads
have fallen and others rest very un-
easy upon the shoulders of their own
ers. Republicans are all a-quiver for
fear that the partial exposures will
whet the appetite of the public for
more and that this hullahaloo is but
the precursor Of a political revolution.
They shudder in terror when they
LullA thai tllC DltllC ClJ VI IaO1uelo ~
Hendricks, Lets see the booksw may
once more become the shibboleth of
great party. While much of corruption
and peculation has been shown up the
average citizen is prone to believe that
''the half hath not been told"
The voters are now beginning to re-
alize how much they missed by not
electing a Democratic house in 1902.
Had they done so we would have set
investigations on foot in all depart
ments of the government and would
have drawn forth enough evidence to
have sent the Republican. party to the
political morgue. 1t appears now that
this jobbing, peculating and plain steal
ing have been going on for years, which
emphasizes the necessity for thor
oughgoing investigation. OF course
Generals Payne, Wynne and Bristow
are playing politics in probing into the
conduct of dishonest Republicans, but
the common sense taxpayer will believe
that Democrats would have gone deep
er into the matter.
In Washington only pity is felt for
old Assistant Attorney General Tyner.
There is a good deal of sympathy for
Hon August w. Machen, superintend-
ent f. r. D., who was q most accom-
modating and capable official. Every
body will be glad if he can clear his
skirts. but nobody in Washington
mourns long for anybody. The Wash
ingtohian cry is always: lie roi est
mort! Vive lie roi"
RoyaIty's stage Play.
Our more or less esteemed contem-
porary, the Cleveland Leader, thus re-
marks upon certain performances Of
the king Of saxony:
There is nothing very novel about the
method adopted by the king of Saxony to
prove that he is popular with his subjects.
The issuing of a secret order to all gov
ernment employees to appear with their
wives, children or other relatives in gala
attire in the streets of Dresden to well
come the king home from his vacation
trip to the Riviera Snacks too much of
the methods of government in free and
republican America to be at all novel,
1t is in this way that some of the petty
rulers of the American people main
sain their popularity In nearly every
American municipality every man who
holds a job as the gift of the man who
rules the party in power is expected to
prove his loyalty to his chief upon all oc-
casions. Whenever the chief does any
thing every job holder is expected to
applaud, and when he is running for Of
fee the same job holders are expected to
swell the crowds at political meetings and
help to influence public sentiment in ev-
cry way possible That is how power is
got and held.
The king of SaxQny, who appears to be
really one of the most unpopular mon
archs in Europe, has simply initiated the
average American politician.
"Poor Toms A-cold."
As a specimen of human credulity
nothing more amusing has appeared in
print lately than the following edi-
torial from the Detroit Free Press.
When Platt yells '.Enough!' sensible
people will believe that his creature,
Governor Odell, has walloped him, and
not before. Benjamin Odell would
never have warmed the gubernatorial
chair had 1t not pleased Platt to per-
nit him so TO do. The Free Press says:
That "the old man. has been whipped
In another political fight means little, be-
cause he has been often whipped in the
past, but that one of his followers should
admit that the gray old boss is now but
name means much. Most of all, it means
that Thomas c. Piatt who has IlSad So