Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-07-23
Against Carpetbag Rule.

Mr.. Editor AS a lifelong Democrat
and resident of Montgomery county have
always taken a deep interest in those
things which make for the welfare of my
party and the county of my birth. Being
so interested my attention has been at
tracted to the effort now being made by
Mr. NewcOmb to obtain the Democratic
nomination for State Senator. note in
Mr.. Newcomb's reply to Mr.. Hilton he says,
II became a candidate for the Office of
State Senator in obedience to the desire of
hundreds of Democrats all over the county"
The truth is and everybody knows it. that
there were comparatively few Democrats
in this county who knew such a man as
| Mr.. Newcomb existed until he had become
| candidate: and that nobody wanted him
| to be candidate until it was discovered
that no one else would run against Mr.. Lee.
| The Hon. Spencer C. Jones, Chas. G. Grit
fifth. j. Dawson Williams and other good
Democrats were urged to run against Mr..
Lee, and it was only after they had de-
clined those opposed to him reluctantly
turned to Mr.. Newcomb
| l am always for improvement. but | am
not green enough to be caught by the
promises of reform made by a stranger
about whom | know nothing. and about
whom the rest of the people of Montgom-
cry county know as little as do. Mr..
| NeWcOmb is lawyer who makes his liV
| ing by working about the departments in
Washington for railroad and other corpora
tons. | for one am not going to vote for
any corporation lawyer to 60 to the legisla
ture to represent me. The reason why the
people are being imposed upon by the cor
poratiOns and trusts is that they fill the
National and State Legislatures with just
such corporation lawyers as Mr.. Newcomb.
and then complain that they have no one
to represent them.
Mr.. Newcomb in his letter says he has
been a consistent Democrat, but he pur-
pOsely Omits to state how long. He also
says he has always voted for the Demo-
cratic candidates, but again he purpOsely
| refrains from stating how often he has
voted. Now, Mr.. Newcomb, why don't you
be candid. You need not think the peo-
pie of Montgomery county are going to
be fooled into believing you have always
been Democrat The truth is you were
a simon pure Republican during all of the
years you held job under the government.
and that it was only after you went out of
Office you became Democrat. Why don't
you admit, what you have not denied that
when you were a summer boarder at Mr..
| Staley's, at Boyds, you were Republican,
and as Republican you were then trying
to get into Montgomery county politics.
| And just here it seems to me that if you
are as smart lawyer as your friends claim
you are, you ought to have known that you
| could not get a voting residence here by
simply coming out into the county and
| boarding for a couple of summers. Some
people may approve of that sort of thing.
but emphatically don't. Why beat about
| the bush Why not tell the whole truth
Why not say to the Democrats of Mont
eomery county, while was holding an Office
under the government was a Republican
because it suited my private interests to
be a Republican that when ceased to
hold an office took up the business of act
| ing as lawyer for corporations before the
departments in Washington; moved into
Montgomery county to get into politics;
turned Democrat because the majority in
| this county is Democratic, and concluded to
run for the Senate so that if elected could
protect corporations from the unreasonable
demands of this agricultural people.
have no doubt that if elected Mr.. New
comb will promptly proceed to have the pres
ent members of the School Board turned out
Of Office and three men Of his selection put
| in their places. | for one do not want to take
the chances with board so selected. They
might be good men, and again they might
| II.
man. and want something more than fine
promises from such a source.
Mr.. Newcomb charges that there have
been "extravagant and wasteful methods
of conducting county business" During
the three and a-half years Mr.. Lee has
| been Senator there have been seven COM
missioners, Messrs. Charles Griffith. Hileary
Bogley, Jacob Allnutt Joseph White Chas
| Williams. Humphrey Cissel and Oliver H..
P. Clark and if. during the period under
consideration. the money of the county has
been wastefully and extravagantly ex-
pended, these are the gentlemen RESPONSE
BILE therefor and not Mr.. Lee. All of them
have been lifelong Democrats and resi-
dents of Montgomery county, and | think,
Mr.. Newcomb, if you can substantiate your
! charges against them you should at least
sDecifically state the facts upon which you
base them. While | do not believe your
charles are true let us assume they are
| and that the County Commissioners have
been incompetent, will you please tell me
WHY this fact should operate against Mr..
Lee and in your favor? have taken the
mains TO examine my tax bills and find they
have been substantially reduced since Mr.
lee became Senator II any taxpayer de-
sres to verify this statement, ask him to
| compare his tax bills from 1902 to 1905
| with those since 1903.
Are not Mr.. NewcOmbs aspirations too
high for q beginner in politics in Montgom-
cry county? The honor of being elected to the
State Senate has heretofore been reserved
for those who have rendered long and con-
snicuous services to the Democratic party.
Those who are acquainted with the gentle
men who have served in the Senate from
this county know what they did for the
party before ever aspiring to the Office
| One of the weightiest arguments used In
| favor of Mr.. Lee four years ago was that
| he was entitled to be rewarded Tor the
ereat services he had rendered the party
BY taking the nomination for Congress in
1896 and spending thousands OF dollars Tor
the benefit Of the Democratic ticket in tins
Confessional district in the hope that TINS
Grand old State would be carried by
Mr.. Bryan, when he Qee) had not the
slightest chance Of his own election The
children want to begin where their parents
leave off" Mr.. Newcomb, after voting four
times, wants to begin his political career
in an office which, if bestowed upon Mont
| 6omery's oldest citizens, is considered ny
them the highest honor within the Gift OF
the people of the county.
In conclusion, Mr. Editor, appeal to my
fellow-Democrats to vote for Mr.. Lee He
is one of our people. He has always been
| a Democrat. He has been an able, ener-
getic. honest, courageous and efficient Sen
| atOr and an honor to our county. Ills OPP
ponent is an untried stranger, a recent con-
vert to the principles Of Democracy, VINO
has no claims whatever upon you. l state
il mildly when say am surprised at
some of the people who have allowed their
prejudces to sway them to his support
You may be sure that If you elect Mr.. New
comb you will encourage others like him to
interfere in your politics. Let us say once
for all that we are fully competent to run our
own affairs. and by our votes show our re-,
sentiment at this effort to place our beloved
county under carpetbag rule.
DEMOCRAT.