The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-10-30


Editors of the Union-News: The publication
of Mr.. Weis' letter in your issue of last week and
his announcement that he applied to the Balti-
more Sun to correct an item of news published
in its issue of October Z, rejecting on him as a
candidate for County Commissioner and extoll-
ing the administration of Henry P. Mann, one of
the incumbents of the County Commissioners
office at this time, and the action of the paper in
declining to publish it are we'll calculated to ex-
cite surprise and Indignation in minds not ia
miliar withthe condition of affairs in this county.
Much surprise has been expressed that the Sun
should lend its aid in such a cause by the publi-
cation of such unfair articles.
When the substance is extracted from the
articles and the truth concerning the merits and
dement's of the two candidates discussed by the
Sun considered, we find Mr.. Weis has not been
identified with the saloon business for Is years,
and when he conducted it l always heard his
place spoken of as conducted in the most re-
spectacle manner and one that attracted the
business men of his locality as a suitable place
to take their meals. He served the county as
Commissioner four years and gave an accepta-
BILE administration at rate of tax very much
less than is at present charged. When the arti-
Gle referred to states that Mr. Weis' candidacy
is being urged by the saloonkeepers because his
opponent Mann is too active in the enforcement
of the laws for the maintenance of peace and
order, it is evident that there was no effort made
to get at the real conditions existing in that
locality which are as follows: The proprietors
of all saloons favoring Mann's denomination and
contributing satisfactorily to the campaign fund
are permitted to run their business seven days
in each week and as many hours of each day as
they please without disturbance, but the police
watch all those daring not to support Mann and
his measures, to discipline them and prevent
them doing business in strictly legitimate way.
Is not Mann in this campaign being supported
by Charles Schlaffer, whom the people rejected
as candidate for County Commissioner in 1895 !;
John NJ Lowrey, Joseph Goeller Charles Balls
and many others in the immediate neighb lrhood
where he (Mann) lives and do they not, such of
these as are saloonkeepers. conduct their liquor
business with a tptal disregard for the laws?
/ know of one instance where a saloonkeeper
opposed the candidates supported by Mann, who
had policemen stationed on the porch of his sa-
loon TO enforce the Sunday law, while another
salOonkeeper who favored his candidates. stu
ated not over 200 yards from the first mentioned
place, was permitted to run his place wide open.
/ mean Pfeiffer and Tremper, on the Belair
road, near Putty Hill.
know of another instance where four police
men men were employed to keep one gambling place
where gambling on large scale was conducted
that could be plainly heard on the street in
front of the house. l mean Kirby and Pollock.
Kirby was in the Thirteenth district and Pollock
was in, the immediate neighborhood of where
Mann lives.
Now, as to Mann's business methods employed
in the office of the people, 1 charge him with
paying one man $125 month of the taxpayers
money for rendering no service worthy of mem
ton. and who for the past six months has given
all his time to performing the duties of secre-
tary to campaign committees. l also charge
him with being the cause of employing and pay
ing with the taxpayers money men for no other
than political purposes whose combined salaries
amount to over 5000 a month also, with I'M
fairly discriminating in favor of districts for
apparently political purposes in distributing the
road funds of the county, to the great detriment
of the remainder of the county; with favorit-
ism of assessments to such an extent that the
tax rate paid by those fairly assessed has be-
come exceedingly burdensome, and that with
the same management as applied heretofore by
him in the management of affairs the rate must
increase.
Being familiar with the affairs of the county
and particularly with every detail of the Com
missiOners' office, feel fully warranted in ad-
vising a change of Commissioners because no
board influenced as the present one is by Boss
dictation can manage the affairs of the county
with any regard for the taxpayers interests.
wish to assure my friends that am as firmly
Democratic in my convictions as at any time in
my life and will go as far for the promotion of
Democratic principles as any man in the county,
but when every principle of Democracy is
ignored and Talbottism at an expense of $4,000
or more annually to the taxpayers of the county
takes its place. feel fully justified in voting
any ticket tending 70 eradicate the plague.
Oct. 30-1t1 GEORGE W. YELLOTT.