Evening star., 1909-04-18
DEMOCRATS HIT A SNAG
Unable to Sidetrack the Issue as
They Had Hoped.
REPUBLICANS WIN RECRUITS
All Present Signs Favor Victory at
the Polls-Public Utilities Com
mission Governors Hobby.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

SItCldi correspondence VI Inc StdT.
BALTIMORE, Md, April II. 1909.
The paramount issue in the fall cam
paign in Maryland will be the disfran-
chisement amendment. The victory in
the fight will, unless all signs fail. be
with the republicans and Independent
democrats. The democratic leaders, even
at this early date, realize that the fight
over the amendment will be a desperate
one, with the chances against them. From
an authoritative source The Star cor
respondent is able to state that the demo-
cratic ring leaders today stand ready to
reegate the amendment issue to the rear,
but they find themselves up against a
snag. And the snag is that the republic
can leaders and those who have the best
interests of the republican party at heart
are in favor of keeping the amendment
issue in the foreground. The best ele-
ment in the democratic party stands solid
against the amendment, for the simple
reason that 1t does not care to turn
over to the present organization absolute
control of the state and it's destinies.
From source very close to former
learned that the predecessor Of the
present chief executive of Maryland will
declare against the amendment. Mr..
Warfeld has been approached by agents
OF the Ting anu SOUNDED as 10 the
stand he will take on the amendment in
the campaign, but to all these 'fellers
Mr.. Warfield has given a non-committal
answer. And 1t can be stated on the
best of authority that the former gov
ernor will pursue this policy until the
proper time, when he will make known
his position in no uncertain terms
Lawyers Against Amendment.
During the week there was organized
in thi scity the Lawyers Anti-Anend-
ment League. the object of which asso-
citation is to fight the Acknowledgement
amendment While this organization was
brought into existence by prominent re-
publican lawyers. 1t has found many
recruits from among democratic attor-
neys. The most prominent of these is
Edgar H. Cans, who has seen service in
side and who has likewise been found
on the other side of the fence when he
thought the democratic party was in the
wrong. Mr.. Cans holds that in cham
pioning an amendment intended to de-
privc a large portion of the citizenship
of Maryland of it's rights of suffrage the
democratic party is wrong, and for this
reason he will be found fighting against
the Straus plan this fall.
Not since the announcement by Car
dinal Gibbons that he was opposed to
the suffrage amendment have the repub-
lican leaders been SO pleased with the
turn of affairs. City Councilman Bin
Swanger, who was the leader in the or
to The Star correspondent today that
the position taken openly by Mr. Cans
was simply that taken by other prominent
democratic lawyers in this city. and that
he expected other public announcements
from them in the near future.
One of the leading lights in the Law
yers' Anti-Amendment League is Morris
L. Soper, assistant United States district
attorney. and one of the most forceful
stump speakers in the republican party.
New Primary Law.
The new primary election law, which
is to apply to all the counties, has no
provision requiring nominations in all
the counties to be made on the same day.
On the other hand. it specifically states
that primaries within the counties shall
be determined by the respective local
state central committees on such days
as they may choose. provided all the
primaries are held on some day previous
to the second Monday in September.
County primaries on different days have
very little significance as far as county
offices are concerned. but. in the case of
contests for state offices they will, of
course, have some bearing. 1t gives the
friends of any man having the organiZa-
ton backing chance to concentrate their
strength in particular counties when the
tide has turned against them In others.
This condition applies to all offices in
which more than one county is interested
and especially to the nominations of gov
ernor, attorney general, controller and
clerk of the court of appeals, in which
the whole state is interested.
The chairman of the democratic state
central committee, Murray Vandiver. has
asked Attorney General Straus for an
opinion on this point, and the latter
WILL it is understood. tell him that pri-
maries in all the counties on the same
day are not required under the law.
Hanna Names Committee.
At the meeting of the republican state
central committee last week, Chairman
John B. Hanna was authorized to ap-