The Washington times., 1911-09-04
'GORMAN FOLLOWERS
|. SHOW NERVOUSNESS
ON PRIMARY RESULT
Alleged Corrupt Methods
Proving Embarrassing
to the Party.
LEE PLACED IN A
PECULIAR POSITION
Factions Divided as to Whether
He Should Declare
Himself.

| BALTIMORE, Sept. I-Panic has
seized the man-Mahon-Smith ma
chine wing Of Democracy as, result
Of the revelations which are now hourly
becoming more conclusive, as to the
corrupt methods that were employed in
| Germans behalf in the primary cleo
/ ton Of last week
And the German people are hardly In
a more embarrassing position than that
OF Senator Blair Lee and his supporters.
Senator Lee is being urged. on one
hand, to come out with clear note Of
party regularity, in favor OF German, to
make the nomination unanimous, and to
| declare his intention to support tie
ticket with all zeal.
On the other side, many supporters
protest that II he places his party regu-
| larity superior to the enforcement Of
the criminal penalties for violating the
primary election act they will have
done with him.
/ pie who demand regularity at any
price, are urging Mr.. Lee to give out
statement accepting the situation.
and to do 1t before the day of the
convention. The other element in;
chance of a real investigation of the
conditions in the primary.
Today 1t was stated that Senator Lee
will issue statement to the public,
and that this will declare his accept
| ance Of the result and his purpose
| to support the ticket and urge his
friends to support it.
Concessions By Gormanites.
Report is that the German people,
in consideration Of this, are willing to
let the Lee faction write a progress
stve platform. This Is more an ap-
parent than a real concession II the
Lee people held aloof, the German
forces would outdo themselves in pro-
gressive laundering in the index.
They know that they cannot possibly
hope to carry the election unless they
keep the progressives in line, and they
cession to- this end.
One of the most alarming features os
the situation, as politicians view II, is
the resurrection of the liquor issue. The
tributing a big share Of the German
money. In the last days of the prt-
mary fight they took the lid on and
threw the whole influence to German.
The revelations from some western
None of the politicians want a whisky
question projected into State politics.
1t Is one OF the most difficult questiors
animosities that continue a long time.
That the primary election law was
violated In many counties, that votes
were freely bought for German, that
voters weue provided with ballots
marked In advance, contrary to law;
that the count was thoroughly dishon-
est and gave the German people I'M
mense advantages, that hundreds OF
tcounted for Gorman-an these things
are being testified to oy more and more
people with every passing hour.
Corruption Is Developing.
In short, a very saturnalia of corryp-
ton seems to be developing. Some OF
its features have been positively ludl-
crous.
In one precinct in Baltimore, Tom"
McNulty, anti-machine candidate for
sheriff, did not get credit in the count
for a single vote. Hughes, his opponent,
was credited with the entire poll. Nc
Nulty seized the opportunity. He start
cinct, and at last accounts had found
twenty-one voters who declared they
voted for him, and would swear to it
| 1t was a frightfully clumsy piece OF
business that the machine leaders per-
mitted. Just one vote for McNulty
would have prevented sucn an exposure;
every voter who voted for McNulty
might then have thought he was the
Nuity might have contented himself
without a canvass. But to count not q
single vote for him was TOO strong. and
| the statements that have been published
cincf III who positively say they did vote
for him have made the scandal fairly
In this same precinct. Lee was cred
tied in the count with four votes. ,s ane
dentally, the assurance that a much
larger number voted for Lee
The complexities and antiquities OF
the new primary law. never 6etore en- EN-,
certain what can be done about II
There Is no possibility of getting the
ballot boxes opened by court order, and
vention. Indeed, there is serious uncer.
tainty whether any power exists under
the law to break the seals and enter
the boxes at all.
Situation Is Very Cloudy.
Altogether, the situation is such that
apparently there Is little chance to get
the atmosphere cleared. Lees friends
say he does not want a nomination Sc
cured by barring some tainted dele
CATION on the ground of fraud. The
Dorchester delegation, for instance,
in exceedingly bad odor because OF tnt
detailed and specific charges that nave
been made Of vote-buying and corruP
ton.
Germans home county Of Howard,
also, is brought into bad repute Dy
startling statements by long list o.
reliable people who say they were
given. when they entered the polling
places, not blank ballots to be mark
ed. but ballots already marked tof
German and the German ticket. Tnis
condition violates the law.
Republican prosecuting officers IL
some counties are keen on the traii
cf these charges. II the Democrati
don't clean their own house, air, ano
ventilate the whole premises peIors
tha close of the convention on Thurs
day, the Republicans will do business
and benefit by the revelaations Tnh
Is the situation that gives the Gormaf
people, so much concern.
rvst T-.o1-n