Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-06-09

From the Baltimore Evening Sun.

From the Baltimore Evening Sun.
1t is good sign when man like Blair
Lee enters a primary campaign. He may
or may not be successful in getting the
Gubernatorial nomination. Other men may
come forward with yet greater appeal to
the voters-the primary is still long dis
lance off-but his entrance will give tone
to the contest With Lee in the fight no
boss or machine will dare set up any very
bad type of citizen to oppose him. And if
by chance such a man should be proposed
Lee will beat him.
Blair Lee and the men associated with
him. in Montgomery county came into
power there under circumstances which
made them actively interested in the fair
elections issue. The faction opposing them,
in the last days of its regime, was sus-
pected of being responsible for SNAKE"
introduced into bill put through the Leg
islature at Annapolis. And so the oppos-
ing faction went down to defeat. That
campaign had two important effects upon
Blair Lees career-it sent him to the State
Senate and it gave him vital interest in
the two subjects of primary elections and
snakes" Out of that interest has grown
the present direct primary law for the
whole State of Maryland, which is Lees
creation, wholly and absolutely, and. good
or bad, monument to him. And out of
1t grew another thing of great value to the
State of Maryland
In the various Legislatures in which he
has served Lee has been the Watchdog of
the Senate. That body in recent years
has been composed chiefly of two classes
Of men those identified with the ruling
machine, and, therefore, content to see its
pet projects put through in any way or by
any means. and those either too indOlent
or inexperienced to detect the "snakiness"
of any particular measure or parliamentary
action. Lee was neither. Always party
man, always an organization man. he
nevertheless had no sympathy with shady
methods of any sort, and he was always
alert to detect them. Did the reading clerk
slur over bill in the reading of it, Lee was
on his feet instantly asking a rereading.
Was there any suspicion of the sanctity of
a roll call, Lee had it verified. Did MEM
Der make some innOcent-appearing motion
that yet did not quite explain itself. Lee
wanted to know, and did know; things had
to be explained to him until he understood
them If the printed bills were slow in
making their appearance. he got after the
printer A goodly portion of his time this
last session was spent at the side of the
reading clerk watching the bills that went
through. Anyone who has had experience
with the Maryland Legislature knows what
a man of this type is worth. Yet Blair
Lee did all of his watchdogging so open
handedly and with such frank smile on
his face that none of his political opponents
could object in the slightest.
A man of culture and refinement, of
engaging manners and ingratiating address,
he 10 poooihlx tho haot liLad man in Maru
land politics today. Usually he is to be
found on the right side of political ques-
tons. and yet his mind has some queer
quirks and turns in it that in the opinion
Of some men, disqualify him for such an
office as that of Governor. His intense
opposition to the majority of the Good
Roads Commission is given as one illustra-
ton of this. With his mind filled with
the idea that the cheap-built roads of his
own county were the only justifiable kind
to build, he became incapable, apparently,
of appreciating the arguments Of those
who differed from him. Similarly. he was
so enamOred of the workings of the Mont
gomery county primary election law that
he saw no force whatever in the objections
of those who were afriad of the envelope
system. And he rushed blithely into the
first, second and third choice provision Of
his election law fearless Of the complica-
tons that it might cause. But perhaps he
was right in that and his critics wrong.
Experience will show In his political
career thus far, however. the good he has
done far outweiehs the bad. Everyone
will concede that.
A big-hearted, gentle, lovable man. A
conscientious and alert public servant. The
primary campaign may or may not pro-
duce a candidate better fitted in most re-
spects for the Governorship. but in any
event the fight will be a cleaner and better
one because Blair Lee is in il.