The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-06-19

primaries Feeling deeply grateful to the friends
who offered to support me in my candidacy, it
seems to me proper, under the circumstances, to
state to them, and to the public which has GER
tain interest in such matters, why withdraw.
/ entered the Democratic primaries, trusting
that at last the members of the Democratic party
in this county would be permitted to have
and l have withdrawn from them because /
learned that these primaries would be a mere
farce and sham, in which no real expression of
the will of the Democratic voters was expected
or would be tolerated, and also because [ saw
that there was absolutely no hope of success for
any candidate who was not decorated with the
brand of the talbot Ring" unless he was will
ing to flight the devil with fire" and resort to
the same low and degraded methods of political
have been adopted by this Talbot Ring in its
political contests.
When it was first announced that the primaries
would be held under the Crawford County plan.
quite number of respectable citizens OF this
county announced their intentions of becoming
candidates for the several offices in the Demo
cratic primaries. As many of these men were
extremely we'll qualified to discharge the duties
of the offices to which they aspired with honor
and credit to themselves and the county, /
hoped they would have been permitted to make
their contests in a friendly spirit, as Democrats
among Democrats.
| soon learned, however. that the Democrats
generally were to have no real part in the cleo
ton, but that Mr.. Talbot and the select coterie
of gentlemen in waiting" who execute his
ed the candidates and, believe, announced
their names for publication. When discovered
that Mr.. Talbot was in the saddle, in active con-
troll of the primaries, at once resigned all hopes
of fair or clean election, for knew Mr.. Tai
bolt, his record and his methods, and knew of
no change for the better.
felt that Mr.. Talbot was responsible for the
actions of his lieutenant in having this county
exempted from that provision of the primary
election law, designed to give sembance of de-
cency to primary elections. to wit: The provi-
sion for the appointment of Judges and Clerks
of election. Elsewhere they are appointed by
the Supervisors of Election here they are ap-
pointed by the State Central Committee. which
committee Mr.. Talbot is. And when saw Mr..
Talbot taking charge of the primaries then
knew why this county was thus excepted from
the general law, for felt that he knew better
than anyone in the county what valuable
privilege it is to have your own special Judges
and Clerks of election.
knew that this same Mr.. Talbot. who is now
on, or rather who now is, the State Central Com
mittee which appoints the Judges and Clerks
for the primary which he is running, is the same
Mr.. Talbot who, with the assistance of certain
Judges and Clerks, had the ballot-b0x in the I'd
precinct of the 18th district stuffed" in order
to defeat me when was candidate In 1887, and
afterwards boosted of it.
knew that he was the same Mr.. Talbot who,
when charged with voting hired repeaters in the
primaries in the 9th and 14th districts of this
county also with the assistance of certain
friendly officials, neither resented nor denied
the charge, but rather regarded it as a well
ness.
And knowing, too. that Mr.. Talbot regarded
trickery and the corruption of voters not at all
as a crime, but in such small affairs as primaries
as practical necessity and recognized rule of
the game, and feeling that he could command