Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-30
WAG|Nc A HOT FIGHT
Political Struggle in Sixth
Maryland District.
FOUR DAYS ERE PRIMARIES
Seeking the Republican Nomination
to Congress.
ALLEGANY THE BATTLE-GROUND
Col. Pearre Must Win That County.
Warner Apparently Ahead
in Montgomery.
FOUR DAYS ERE PRIMARIES
ALLEGANY THE BATTLE-GROUND

of Maryland is at fever heat. Only four
days remain before the primaries. and
each candidate for the congressional nomi-
nation Is mailing supreme efforts to get
in some master strokes during the time
remaining.
Representative George A. Pearre, who
is a candidate for denomination. has lock-
ed horns at Cumberland in a struggle with
Lloyd Lowndes for the control of Allegany,
their home county. Brainard II. Warner
is campaigning day and night in Mont
gomery county. Alexander 3. Hasner in
Hagerstown Is striving to gain control Of
Washington county. Thomas Dawson OF
Rockville and several other receptive can
didates have withdrawn from active par
ticipation in the fight, and each bases
his hopes upon coming in as a dark horse
at the nominating convention, which Will
be held at Hagerstown April Is. The re-
publican politicians in the remaining coun-
ties Of the district Garrett and Frederick,
are closely watching the different contests.
but will send uninstructed delegations TO
the HagerStOWn convention.
Allegany the battle-ground.
Allegany is the real battle-ground coun-
ty and the contest in Montgomery ranks
next in Importance Friends Of Col. Pearre
claim that if he carries Allegany. his
home county, his denomination is assured:
and they admit that if he loses 1t he
will be defeated in the district.
His rival for the nomination is Lloyd
Lowndes. son of the former republican
governor of Maryland. MIR. Lowndes Is a
wealthy young business man of Cumber-
land. vice president Of the Second Ma
tional Bank. and practical and en-
thusiastic farmer. Two years ago he en-
tered politics as candidate for the con-
gressional nomination against Col. Pearre.
but was defeated after a lively contest.
Last summer he again crossed swords
with Pearre in a contest for the county
leadership and in the primaries held la.
July he surprised the entire state by de-
feating the representative and by gaining
complete control Of the county organiza-
ton.
In the contest for the congressional
nomination two years ago Col Pearre had
control Of the county organization ana
Mr.. Lowndes was beginner at the poi1ti-
cal game. In the present contest
Mr.. Lowndes has the county organization
as we'll the prestige Of having de-
feated the representative at the last coun-
ty primaries. In each of the previous con-
tests Mr.. Lowndes had the support Of eX-
factor in the politics of Allegany county,
and who has for years been bitterly OPP
posed to Mr.. Pearre. A few weeks ago.
however, Pearre and Wellington came to
an understanding and have now Joined
forces against Lowndes. The representa-
tive's friends argue that this will assure
the defeat Of Lowndes, but the opposite
faction claims that Wellington will be
unable to bring over the great majority
of his friends to the Pearre camp, and
that the representative by forming an alli-
anSe with the ex-senator, his former
arch-enemy. has alienated many OF his
followers who will now go over to
Lowndes. Which of these arguments is
on root ho cd nr11 h1, ho
counting Of the ballots next Saturday.
Alignment Of Voters.
Col. Pearre has the support Of the fed
eral officeholders. and as far as can be
ascertained is stronger with the laboring
men. Mr.. Lowndes is stronger with the
farmers and the business men of Cumber-
land. although he has been careful not
to antagonize the labor vote, which Is
strong in the county as well as in the
entire upper part Of the congressional dis
trict. The Cumberland News. the larg-
est republican paper in the district, is for
Lowndes and the front page of every is
sue contains an attack upon Col. Pearre.
The other small daily and weekly papers
throughout the district are more or less
neutral
The primaries in Allegany are held I'M
der the Crawford county system, by
which the vote is cast for each candidate
direct. In the four other counties the
vote is cast for delegates to the county
convention. which in turn selects dele
gates to the district nominating conven-
ton. In Garrett. Frederick and perha ps
Washington county there will be but one
ticket, and the delegates will go unin-
structed TO the county conventions. Be-
fore these meet the results in Allegany
will be known. and the county conven-
lions will probably instruct their delegates
to the nominating convention.
There will be two tickets in Montgom-
cry county, one for Pearre and one for
Warner. In the nominating convention
Alegany. Washington and Frederick will
have six Votes each. Montgomery will
have five and Garrett two. The county
conventions will decide whether these
votes will be cast as unit or not. There
are twenty six votes. and fourteen are
necessary for the nomination.
Pearre Expresses Confidence.
Col. Pearre. expresses confidence in his
denomination. He is now serving his
fifth term in Congress and each time he
has been reelected by a substanti ma
jority. although in every case he was re-
nominated after a lively contest in the
primaries The sixth district is safely
republican. the usual majority being
about 4,0W votes. 1t is generally con-
ceded that the nomination for Congress
by the republican party Is equivalent to
an election. Montgomery is the only
one OF lHe i've COuIltloS WHICH goes demo-
cratic even in state election.
Representative Pearre was formerly on
the District committee. but when Mr.
Cannon became Speaker and adopted
the policy of placing men from more
distant states upon that committee Mr..
Pearre was assigned to the important
committee the judiciary. In making
up the committees Of the .Sixtteth Con-
gress the Speaker removed Mr. Pearre
from the committee on judiciary and
placed him upon the committee on cleo
tons and the subcommittee on
weights and measures.
Why Mr.. Pearre was removed from the
judiciary committee has caused a great
deal of comment among his constituents,
and the different reasons assigned are be-
ing used both by his friends and his op-
pOnents as campaign material. Mr.
Pearre some time ago wrote to a promi-
nent member of the Anti-Saloon League
of Montgomery county and in subsequent
interviews he has frequently declared that
Speaker Cannon removed him from this
committee because of his support of the
Lttlefield bill. a prohibition measure.
~ declaring that he did not even know
what Mr.. Pearre's attitude on this bill
was.
His opponents claim that Mr. Pearre
brought out the story about the Little
field bill i'm order to win the support of
the Ant-Saloon League, which is especial
~ strong in Montgomery county. For the
same reasons, they say, he has repeatedly
accused Mr.. Lowndes of using whisky and
money at the primaries
Mr.. LOwndes Is quite wealthy and the
Pearre faction claims that he intends to
make very liberal use of his money
hi c mt Iprr- To-,