Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-01-26
THE WEEK IN POLITICS.
FACTIONS ARE POUND IN THE
DEMOCRATIC FORCES.
The House Is Not Filled With
TalkeTs-A Rush of
Office Seekers.
GOVERNOR WAKEFIELD WILL
MAKE FEW CHANGES.


down to worA and this week has seen
the pouring in of flood of bills
which almost broke the record. a
large proportion of these measures
were local to Baltimore city, many of
the bills providing necessary changes
in the law as consequence of ths
great fire of two years ago and the
vast system Of municipal Improvement
undertaken since that time.
The Honse has demonstrated by this
weeks sessions that it is not composed
of takers, but rather the reverse. No
speeches Of any length have been
made, and the work has been allowed
to 90 on without what is usually known
as legislative gas. The Senate on the
other hand has several members who
talk great deal. Some of them talk
on every matter that comes up, wheth-
er it is important or not, and they
seem to think il is their duty to have
something TO say on every bill, order
or motion, even of the most trivial
character. As a result the sessions of
the upper house are long drawn out,
and Oratory -good, bad and indifferent,
may be heard there at almost any
time when the body is gathered to-
gether for " ork.
The State House has been crowded
with office seekers ell the week, and
while aslarge proportion of these now
here have been seeking re-appoint.
ment TO places they now hold, many
have been here looking out to see if
by any chance the Governor might
change his mind and change the per-
sonnel of his appointees among the
important offices to be filed by him.
There will probably be very few
changes, however, and most of those
who are now drawing salaris from the
State Treasury will continue TO DO so
for the next two years.
The several factions into which the
Democratic party throughout the State
is unfortunately divided are beginning
to manifest themelves here, though
in a quiet and unobtrusive way up to
the present time. There is the Cor
man faction, or the so-called regu-
lars, who are in practical control of
affairs by means of the fact that both
presiding officers are claimed as ad-
herents of the senior Senator, although
President Seth might rather be classed
as a non.factional man, and will prob
ably demonstrate before the end of the
session that he wears no collar, and
holds independent views on many of
the subjects which will come up for
consideration. Among the prominent
members of the German faction may
be classed Senators Brewington, Cor
man, Jr., and Biddison. Speaker Ben
son, the delegates from Baltimore
county, Carroll, Hartford, Somerset,
Talbot, Howard and Dorchester coun-
ties. The faction allied with Cover
nor Warfield is led by Senators Lee
and Linthicum, in the Senate, and
by Delegates Hill and Ray in the
House.
The remnants of the faction allied
with Ex-Governor Smith and who
may be counted upon to act with the
Warfield faction are led by Senators
Moore and Goldsborough in the Sen.
ate and by Delegates from Worcester
county in Ithe House. The Crescent
Club or reform element has no repre-
sentative in the Senate, but in the
House it will be ably represented by
Delegates Lehmeyer, Murphy and
Bouchet. 1t will be remembered that
the present primary election law is
the result of twenty years active agi-
tation by the Crescent Club, and it
was through the workings of that law
that Messrs. Murphy, Lehmeyer, Bou-
chet and Linthicum won their nomi-
nations over the. opposition Of the reg
ular faction in Baltimore last fall.
There are other members who follow
| the lead of certain prominent men in
politics, but the above are the fac
| tional leanings of nearly all the DEM
ocratic members. Later in the session
| the indications are that all the differ
/ ent coteries will be lined up, as Cor
man and anti German, or as other po-
litical prophets put it, as Warfield and
anti. Warfield, with q final outcome
which will puzzle the most astute and
far. seeing observers of events. Ex-
Governor Brown could probably exert
much influence here. especially IN the
/ Senate if be should desire to do so,
but he has kept out of the business
from the very start an will no doubt
continue to do so. He says he is op.
posed to factions in politics and VIII
have nothing whatever to do with fac-
tional fights. The Democratic leaders,
at least some of them, are preparing
to keep down as much as they possibly
can any manifestation of this factional
spirit. but few doubt that it will
break ont in some form or other before
the end of the session. Governor war
field himself has expressed strong de-
sire that no faotional troubles may
mar the harmony of the session and
will probably exert his influence
among his friends to keep the peace.