The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-10-04
The Political Outlook.

As day after day passes by, the outlook
for Democratic success in the city and State
seems brighter, and accurate political OBJ
servers predict an old time Democratic ma
jority in Maryland.
The opponents of the Democratic ticket,
especially those who are using all their
power to defeat Judge Crothers, have
secured the State to secure Democrat Of
prominence or influence who will say that
he will support Mr. Gather, the Republl-
can nominee. But they heye failed.
Neaely two months have passed since the
nominations were made, and not Demo
crat of prominence has been found who is
willing to let the public know that he in
tends to vote for Gather. As Roger W.
Gull, who for years has been one of the
ablest of the Independents, said recently:
There is no earthly reason why any Demo
crat should vote against hisparty this year.
The candidates are all able men. and all
are fitted in every way for the positions to
which they aspire, and they are in all re-
spects the equals of their competitors. >
The truth is the Republicans have only
elected one Governor in forty years, Gin
1880 and at that time the Democratic
party was torn up by tactional fights, and
every newspaper in Baltimore openly sup
ported the Republican candidate. At the
present time with united party, with no
factienal troubles, with the Baltimore Sun
actively supporting the ticket, there can
be no doubt whatever as to the result.
All the boasting and blowing the Gather
organs are indulging in, is really nothing
but bluffing, they do not mean it to be
taken seriously, and everybody should un
derstand that they are not sincere. They
are hedging already, and seeking holes
through which to crawl when the newt
able defeat comes on November 9Th.
The Republicans do not expect to win
The men who have their grip on the ma
chine do not want to win. 1t would up
set their plans and calculations should
Gather be elected. They want the ma
chine to remain in their control so that
they can divide up the Federal offices
among themselves and their henchmen.
They also want. to get the General As
sembly so that they may secure seat in
the United State Senate for jackson or
Mudd to aid them in carrying out their
plans. But to elect an obstreperous,
cranky, impracticable theorist like George
Gather for Governor would upset all their
schemes and throw their machine out of gear
Democrats throughout the State can rest
easy so far as the Governorship is concern
ed. Their best allies are the Republican
bosses, but these same people are anxious
to get the General Assembly, and it is in
regard to the legislative tickets that the
Democrats will have to use their greatest
efforts. The Republican work will be
largely directed to capturing the House
and Senate. The Governorship is a
secondary consideration. What do such
men as those at present in control of the
Republican party care for Mugwump
Governor? They would get nothing out
of him. What they want is the Legisla-
ture. In fact they look upon Gather as
nothing more than renegade Democrat,
who has never been really converted to the
true inwardness of Republicanism, and is
not more than half grounded in the radical
faith, as they see it. He has been all
sorts Of crank in times past. He was
rampant Democrat of the extremist type in
early life. Later he became Socialist
and Nationalist, and was at one time a
Bellamyite and edited and published
crank paper, called the Nationalist, in
Baltimore, which advocated all kinds of
crazy notions regarding public affairs.
Finally he Joined the Republican party,
giving as the ostensible reason for so do
ing, the fact he had become protectionist
and could not swallow the tariff reform |
ideas of Mr.. Cleveland and the Demo. |
cratic party. In recent years he has be-
come an advocate of the municipal owner
ship Of all public and semi-public utilities,
and as such he is looked upon with dis
trust and fear by all conservative business
men.
Mr.. Gathers record has been aratic.
He has been nominally Democrat or Re-
publican and has been allied with both