The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-11-15
Crothers Led the Ticket.

Now that the excitement following the
election has subsided, it is possible to gain
clearer view of the actual result and what
it means The Democratic victory is clean,
sweeping and decisive. The people spoke
in no uncertain terms, and for four years
every branch of the public service in city
and State will be controlled by Democrats.
The Democratic candidates and the Demo-
cratic platform have received the emphatic
Endorsement of big majority of the white
people of the State, and with three-ffths
majority in each branch Of the Legislature
it will be possible for them to carry out to
the letter every promise made in the CAM
paign. a4,
This is the first time in II years that
the Democrats have had every office Of i'm
portance in the city and State For IL
years the Republicans have been in con-
troll Of the Office Of the Clerk of the Su-
perior Court, with nearly 100 positions;
for six years they have had the Clerk of
Circuit Court No. :, for six years they
have had the Clerk of the Court of Ap-
peals and for four years the Sheriff S office
in the city has been held by a Republican.
As result of the election the Democrats
are in stronger position than they have
been for years. The people have trusted
the party and the general feeling is that
the party can do no better than take the
advice OF and follow along the lines indi-
Gated by Ex-Gov. John Walter Smith.
In effect, he urges the party to remember
that its power comes from the people, and
that unless it proves worthy of its trust
the people can and will take away the
power at the next election. Every promise
made on the hustings as well as in the
platform, he asserts, should be faithfully
fulfilled. Such advice as this coming from
man like Colonel Smith is comforting to
those Democrats who do not belong to
the office ce-seeking class, but whose sole de-
sire is to see their party so conduct itself as
to continue to merit the support of the
intelligent white people of the State.
Those who have analysed the returns
and compared the conditions carefully are
inclined to believe that the victory for
Judge Crothers and the whole Democratic
ticket Is as great in proportion as that of
either Governor Warfeld in 1903 or of
ex- Governor Smith in 1899, notwthstand-
ing the fact that Judge Crothers got about
1000 less majority than either Smith or
Warfeld
DIR. Joshua W. Herring, the candidate
for Comptroller was elected by more than
II, 600 plurality, while Judge Crothers'
plurality in the State was about s, 1000.
This would seem to indicate that Judge
Crothers ran largely behind his ticket, yet
the figures show the reverse Of this to be
true and that Judge Crothers really led his
ticket in the State. His total vote was
1O2, 167, while that of DIR. Herring was
100, $40, Of Mr.. Straus 81, 296 and of
Mr.. Magruder 81, 090. Thus it will be
seen Judge Crothers ran 1,627 votes
ahead of DIR. Herring, the next highest
man on the ticket Yet his plurality in
the State is 8, l5S and that of DIR. Her.
ing IA, 502.
For instance, in the city Mr.. Crothers'
plurality was 4, 163 and that Of DIR. Her
ing, the highest State candidate, was
1859 Yet Judge Crothers received al
together in the city 40, ia votes and DIR.
Herring 46, 25S. So that, in fact, while
DIR, Herring got nearly 1900 more plu-
rality in the city than Judge Crothers, he
received only 4S4 votes that were not cast
for Judge Crothers.
The real reason of the discrepancy in
the plurality is perfectly well known to the
Republican managers, as well as to the
Democrats. 1t is because Mr.. Gather
ran away ahead Of his ticket in the city
and in many of the counties, particularly
in Southern Maryland and on the Eastern
Shore. The reason why he ran ahead was
because the negro voters by hundreds in
the city and in all parts of the State voted
for him alone.
This is shown by the vote, Mr.. Gather
got in the State 81, 600, Mr.. Baker &c.
03S, Mr.. Urner SO, 034 and Mr.. Parran
82,933.
In Southern Maryland, where Mr.
Mudd reigned supreme, they were in
structed that unless they were absolutely
snre of being able to mark the whole bal
lot correctly to mark for Gather, and for
no one else. In the city it is asserted by
Democratic and Republican judges alike
that the negroes in nearly all the wards
averaged less than half minute in the
booths. This meant that they had marked
for the head Of the ticket, and for no one
else, being afraid to mark for the other
Republican candidates because of the dan
ger of mistakes. In the city this negro
vote ran Mr.. Gather ahead of Mr. Baker,
the Republican candidate for Comptroller,
about 9,000 votes, which is just about
the difference between the plurality here
of Judge Crothers and Dr. Herring. 1t
was the ballot which the negroes could not
vote that ran Mr. Gather ahead of his
colleagues on the Republican ticket, and
neither Democratic nor Independent votes
were cast for him.
In Southern Maryland the instructions
to the negro to vote only for Gather were
openly given and openly admitted after the
election, and such policy was pursued by
all the Republican leaders in the counties
where the Wilson ballot law is in force.
As result Mr.. Gather ran ahead of the
other State candidates all over the State
as well as in the city.
The vote in the city shows that Judge
Crothers received only 484 votes less than
DIR. Herring, while he got 1,607 more
than Mr., Straus and ,539 more than Mr..
Magruder, the two other Democratic State
candidates. In the State he led his ticket
by 1000.
Democrats generally are convinced that
had Judge Crothers been able to take part
in the campaign his majority would have
been from 5000 to 5, 900 greater. His
illness deprived him of the opportunity of