Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17
PARTY IS TORN UP
Maryland Democrats Disagree
Over Disfranchisement.
LEADERS ARE UNDECIDED
Uncertain Whether to Make Amend
ment an Issue.
SMITH OUT AGAINST RAYNER
German May Be Pushed in the Eff
fort to Defeat the Baltimore
Senator's Reelection.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

smooth on the surface in the democratic
ranks, there is fierce internecne fight
ra sing in this city. The leaders of the
two wings are Sonny Mahon and for
mer Gov. Frank Brown. The latter has
all the better of the fight thus far, be-
cause he has the ear of the mayor and
can rely upon the administration inf1u-
ence in any fight which he may determine
Ito wage upon the Mahon machine. Brown
is said to be brooding over the dent which
the organization councilmen put In his
salary ana Mayor Mahool does not feel
ipver-kiaaiy toward the regulars, because
the effort made to place him in a false
light in connection with the Warren
Mills reservoir deal, which is now the
subject OF a councilmanic investigations
The STATE crowd is busy with plans to
carry the Acknowledgement amendment
and. Incidentally, to elect a legislature
which will disappoint Senator Rayner.
when he comes before that body for re-
election. Rayner is slated for defeat, be-
cause the state boss, Senator John Walter
Smith. has not forgotten that it was
! Rayner who defeated him for the Senate
five years ago. There never has been
any great amount of good blood between
Rayner and Smith. and the wise ones are
PIE dctin: that the eastern shore senator
will ST. - it that the Baltimore senator
will have many stumbling block in his
way when he comes up for reelection.
| Senator Smith, it is stated upon excel
lent authority, favors State Senator Ar
thur p. German as colleague in the
United States Senate, and his friends adj
nit that he Will do all within his power
| to further the political fortunes of the
son of the late democratic chieftain. The
friends Of young German are very anxious
| that he declare himself a candidate, but
| young Go man is keeping mum on the
| subject: He has not indicated whether
no will nnYa i'm
absence of any expression from him his
| friends in this city are at loss what
course to L".rsue-to hold off until he
makes known his choice, to get behind
| some other candidate To align them
selves with Senator Rayner
| Less than year ago the senatorial
candidacy of Young German was looked
upon as 2 sure thing. and although he
may yet declare himself there is not any
general belief that he will enter the fight.
Yong German has not lost any of his
prominence or popularity among the Or
sanization leaders, but his failure TO tell
| his friend, what to do is taken to indi-
cate a disirt lination on his part to make
! the fight.
! In any event. Senator Smith holds the
key to the situation. If he feels that Sen
ator R@yEer should be opposed ne will
trot Out young German or some other ring
politician of equal prominence If he de-
cdes that it will still further endanger
the amendments to oppose Rayner the
opposed.
/ Representative j. F. c. Talbot. who
was a candidate in 1907, has not yet de-
cided whether he will again make the
race for ihe upper house.
| Scared Over Amendment.
The state leaders of the democracy are
more than worried over the disfran
| chisement amendment, and some of them
are actually in favor of dropping it as
a paramount issue in the fall campaign.
| The amendment will, of course, be sub
mitted to the people, and it Is already
on record as a party measure, but there
| is question among the leaders whether
| it will pay to jeopardiZe the entire state
ticket for the purpose of passing the
amendment. This view is held especially
| b. the city leaders, but the county boss
es as rule are red-hot advocates of
/ the amendment as the paramount issue.
| The county politicians want 1t in order
| to strengthen the local organizations,
and the voters want it because the negro
is more Objectionable in the counties
| than in the city, especially where whisky
can be obtained and where the police
| force is not adequate to preserve order.
&. The ring bosses have not forgotten that
Baltimore city was responsible for the
amendment being showed under when it
was before the people In 1905, and 1t is
in this city that the bosses fear and
| anticipate trouble next fall They fear
| that il will be difficult task to con-
| vince the foreign-bOrn voters that the
| amendment is a good thing for them.
and they don't want to take any more
| chances than necessary of losing this
vote, a large part of which is ordinarily
| democratic. Most of the county poll
| ticians are ready to risk everything for
the amendment and let the party stand
| or fall with it as the case may be; but
not with the city gang and few
h. rll< hoy Ern 1ndt
and experience enough to know that the
city vote is necessary to make the state
safely democratic.
Many Democrats Lukewarm.
The bosses also know that there
men in the party whose influence is worth
having who are either opposed TO the
amendment or, at best, will be only luke
warm in their support of it. Those men
were conspicuous by their absence at
the harmony dinner last week, and
their lack of cooperation in the amend
ment idea was the principal reason for
their absence. although polite notes of
regret may have been sent. Some OF
the leaders think it would be well for
the state convention when 1t meets to
} take a stand that the amendment is sub
mitted as a democratic measure, but
leave it with the voters TO accept or re-
jet il within their judgment. and to
pass no criticism upon the man that does
reject 1t. This will be- regarded
case of learning something by expert
ence. The fight over the amendment
grew so hot in 1905 that number of
democrats who opposed it went SO far
in their disapproval as to vote the re-
publican ticket. The democratic bosses
do not want repetition of such action
this year They would like to elect their
ticket and pass the amendment, too, and
if too many chances are to be taken,
then. say some of the wise ones let the
amendment slide for the negro buga-
boo can always be relied upon as a
good issue The democrats have won
in many former campaigns by the negro
domination cry, and some of the
opinion that the passage of the amend
ment would kill their most effective bat
tie cry. j. Nj. ID.
Realty Company Elects Officers.
7 The annual meeting Of the stockholders
of the American Realty Company the