The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-12-06
.REC0LLECTIONS OF
A HARD FIGHT
A "Reminiscences of the Campaign of
1874.
HOT TIME IN OLD TOWN.
The Contest Between neSsrs. Walsh
and LOwndes Long to be Remem-
bered-Its Intense Bitterness
Long in Subsiding.

The subsistence of partisan feel
ing and political enthusiasm at the
present day is so marked as to in
Vite contrast between the cam
paign for Congress in 1874, and the
campaign for the same office in
1906. In 1874 the candidates were
Hon. William Walsh, Democrat,
and Hon. Lloyd Lowndes, Repub-
lican, and the contest was the most
bitter ever waged in Allegany
county. Mr.. Lowndes had been
elected i'll the presidential year of
1872 by nearly two thousand ma
jority, and yet from the beginning
the Democrats felt confident of a
victory. This confidence was more
unaccountable from the fact that in
1873, only a year previous, the
party had been split into two fac
tons so bitterly hostile as to re-
suit in the nomination of two full
county tickets. In 1874, however,
the party was as compacta an organ
ization as ever entered into a cam
paign. 1t fairly famed with en-
thusiasm and aggressiveness, and
from the day of the nomination of
| Mr.. Walsh the fires Of the old
Democracy blazed in every section
OF the country with the fervor nev-
er witnessed since, unless it was
two years later in the Tilden cam
paign Of 1876.
The Republicans were thorough
ly organized and full of enthusi-
asm also, \ peculiar feature of
the campaign was the number of
prominent men on both sides who
quickly assumed all active part and
devoted their time to the details of
the campaign work During the
last month of the campaign march
ing clubs filled the streets every
night and speechmaking was taken
up by many old citizens who had
never before thought of attempt
ing any such role. The surviving
descendants of Messrs. +. NJ. Gram
Itch, ST., Hanson Wilson, An
drew Gender, H. H. Hobrock,
Daniel Blocher, and others whose
names cannot be recalled, were
among the orators on the Demo-
cratic side in that campaign.
In the meantime most intense
ly bitter feeling was being engen-
dered and a political riot was
among the possibilities at any
time. One night in the latter part
of the campaign two marching
clubs, one of Democrats and the
other OF Republicans, both carry
ing offensive transparencies and
making night hideous with their
howls of defiance, came in COLI
sion on Baltimore street and
small sized riot was the result.
Luckily no firearms were used and
the more level headed leaders
finally restored order and quiet
after several men had been badly
battered, and two others slightly
cut with knives.
The next night the Democrats
attacked a colored band that was
leading a Republican procession,
routed the players and demolished
nearly all their instruments. This
also occurred on Baltimore street.
Fights and scraps were the order
of the night, and the marching
clubs became a menace. A few
days before the election Mayor
VIM. +. Withers, acting under ad
vice, swore in thirty extra police
men, at the same time iSSrinp q
proclamation calling upon the peo-
pie to preserve the peace and alb
stain from any riotous demonstra-
tons. The proclamation had some
effect on the public mind.
Election day dawned bright and
clear and long before the polls
opened the streets around the poll
ing places were blocked with PEG.
81, -.