The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-03-10
CRUCIAL DAYS FOR
MARYLAND DEMOCRATS
The Redemption Of the Party Pledges
Pressing.

:
ture, for the legislative session is grow
ing shorter and the Democratic party
pledges are pressing for redemption.
Bills fulfilling these pledges, which are
embodied in the party platform, have
been introduced into the General AS
sembly. Not one of them has been en-
acted into law. Because Democratic
leaders who are members of the legisla-
ture and other Democratic leaders who
are not members are divided on some of
these promises, on the range which the
promises should take and in what garb
they shall finally appear, there is every
prospect that, if redeemed at all, they
will be only semblances of their origin
ally intended forms.
There has not been a real lineup be-
tween Governor Crothers, who is urg-
ing strict redemption of party prom
ises, and the leaders who are striving
to devise liberal redemptions which will
ease their party consciences and pro-
vide platitudes for future use on the
stump.
/ The time is not distant when there
must be a showdown and when the
strength of the two forces will be
actually known. That time may come
next week, when the primary election
law will offer the crucial test. 1t is
/ approved by the Governor, who not only
believes in its wisdom, but also as a
/ party pledge, Its enactment having
been promised by the party in 1907.
/ Two years ago the Governor tried to
! have the pledge redeemed in its entirety
but failed, though not entirely. But
for his insistent demands probably no
primary election law would have been
passed.
Democrats opposing a mandatory and
state wide primary now say that they
are absolved from amending the present
law so as to make it conform to the
platform of 1907 because the platform
of 1903. when is the last platform, i'm
poses no such duty. They also say that
an effort was made to insert the manda-
tory primary plank in the platform last
year and failed by decisive vote at the
meeting of the Committee on Resolu-
tons, the report of that committee be-
ing subsequently ratified by the conven-
ton. Members opposing the manda-
tory primary declare that they will not
go into a caucus and there pledge them
selves to vote for the bill Mr. Mar
riott made an effort to have a caucus
called to consider the bill and to secure
party vote on it, but his effort was
futile. The bill will have the support
of Is Democratic members of the House
because they are pledged to it, that
pledge having been given at meeting
of candidates after their nomination
and after the state convention had failed
to declare for it, The defeat of the
Statewide Local Option Bill last week
on which party lines were not drawn,
Election Bill, because it will leave many
members free to follow their own judg-
ment. They see in the fight for the
local option bill an attempt on the part
of the city Democrats to force the bill
on them, claiming that the city people
could not trust the people to vote salts
factorilY on the liquor question, and vet
these same city Democrats say to the
county people that they ought to follow
their example and trust the people in
making the nomination, all of which is
a bunch of inconsistencies.
The Primary Election Bill and other
bills, involved directly or indirectly in
the platform promises of the Demo
Gratis demonstrate the Importance
which in these days is attached to party
platforms. Gone out of fashion is the
old declaration that platforms are
good things to get in on, but bad things
to stand on. And yet it is a question
if too much Importance is not attached
to platform promises when the forma-
ton of those promises is considered.
They are generally the products of the
brain or ambition of one man, or GER
tainly of few men, or of newspaper
agitation, which is one-sided and not
lasting. These promises are not al
ways fully and dispassionately consider
ed, and when later viewed from all
points they are found to lack public de-
mand, are ill-advised and harmful to
public interests. But if they are or
may be twisted into platform promises
they are sacredly regarded by most
members of a General Assembly, who
were successful in the campaigns in
which these pledges were issues, and
they hold rigidly by them. In the pres
ent General Assembly are men of the
best motives, who will vote for the Pri-
mary Election Bill, not because they