Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08
Preston of Baltimore Will Seek
Term in the Senate.
MAY LINE UP WITH LEE
Asserted That Mayor Will Have
Support of German.
GREAT FIGHT IN PARTY AHEAD
Political Alignments Likely to Be
Swept Aside in the Struggle and
New Order Created.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
| BALTIMORE, Md, December Z. 1912.
| There is certainly fight ahead within
the ranks Of the democratic party. And
! it's because of the two United States
scholarships that are hanging on the
| state plum tree. Before the fight Is over
it, is likely that all old political align
mentS will be swept aside and new or
der of things in Maryland politics re-
suit. There is going to be battle
royal for the two togas. The big jolt
of the week came when it was semi-of
iicially announced that Mayor Preston
would be a candidate against Senator
Smith for the long term. 1t had been an
open secret that there was little good
feeling politically between Preston and
Smith. but that the mayor would toss
his hat into the ring and fight the erst
while state leader came as shock to
! the followers of Smith and to many
| other state leaders.
Preston can control the twenty-eight
votes from Baltimore city and that gives
the mayor pretty good flying start for
the senatOrship. Just who the mayor
will line up with in the counties is not
known at this TIME, but those who claim
| to know assert that he will form an al
lance with those in western Maryland
who are unalterably opposed to Smith,
and that he will also swing into line
with the Lee element. both in the city
and state. The mayor has not broken
away from any old mornings as regards
the city organization, and he Will not,
but it is pretty safe to assert that he in
| tends to smash the Smith machine 1t
is said that Preston will have the support
| of former Senator German of Howard
county. who it is reported, has not been
on the best Of terms politically with Sen
/ n tnr Gil loC fIn
time of the democratic national conven-
ton German made a lively effort to get
the scalp of Representative Talbot as
national committeeman, and would have
accomplished the Baltimore county lead
er's downfall had not Smith taken
hand in the fight.
| German and Smith.
| German, it is said, has had a rod in
pickle for Smith ever since that time,
and will even up the score in the COM
ing senatorial primary. 1t must be re-
membered that German. when Smith was
a candidate several years ago, stood solid
| ly behind the eastern shOreman, and
worked hard to bring about Smiths cleo
ton by the legislature. In the guberna-
torial primary of last year Senator Smith
and the city organization backed German
to the limit. but the fact remains that
German would have been beaten for the
nomination had not the city of Baltimore
given him majority. AS it stood, Cor
man defeated Lee by only one vote in
the state convention. Honors then stood
even politically between Smith and Cor
mantle Howard countian having helped
| the Worcester man to seat in the Sem
ate and the Worcester cOuntian having
put every force at his command to work
to land the man from Howard in the
gubernatorial chair.
A Formidable Combination.
| With hats in the ring along with Pres
| ton will be former Attorney General Isaac
Lobe Strauss, w. CabeL Bruce. the orig
inal Wilson man of Maryland; Repre-
sentative ]. F. C. Talbot, State Senator
Blair Lee and two or three others. 1t is
said that Preston, who had the guberna-
| toria1 bee in his bonnet, has abandoned
that idea, and will throw his support to
| Representative j. Charles Linthicum, who
is anxious to hold down the<chair Of state
| at Annapolis. 1t Is also said that Lee Is
about to abandon the idea Of making an
other fight for the gOvernorship and will
support Lnthicum. There is no denying
| the fact that a combination between Lee.
Preston and Linthicum would be a mighty
strong one, and it is asserted that the
| "old guard in the state would be search
ing for cyclone cellars before the battle
was over. Preston can control the city
organization and. Linthicum could bring
| the Kelly wing into line, which would
make the new combine invincible in the
city of Baltimore, and bring together
Kelly and MahOn, the two big guns of the
city machine. Lee is considered stronger
| in the state than Senator Smith and could
deliver the goods in the counties in suf-
ficient strength to win with the majority
that a Preston-Linthicum combination
could put across in Baltimore city.
The conditions in Maryland are. in
| deed. propitious for a death grapple
within the democratic party for new
| order of things and party control. The
| republican party is hOpelessly split in
twain, and even the most optimistic of
| the party managers do not pretend that
| the republicans as party will cut any
| figure in the coming state election And
| the impending fight within the democratic
| democrat Of prominence is walking about
| with chip on his shoulder and ready
| to start something in political way at
| the drop of the hat There can no longer
be any doubt that the new democracy"
| that wing Of the party dominated by
the Lee element-is going out after the
scalp of the "old guard leaders from
Senator Smith down to the little county
| leaders, and it is assured that there
will be no quarter asked and no quarter
| given by the progressive democracy. The
| adherents Of Lee realize that the old
| party organization is tottering and that
assume control of political affairs. not
only in the state OF Maryland but in the
city Of Baltimore as well.
Changes in Leadership.
That Mahon has practically passed
OUT as a leader IL evident from the
fact that he no longer controls a num-
Der Of the little fellows who were hench-
men for Free Rasin and who went
into the Mahon camp when the latter
succeededsto the leadership on the demise
of Rasin. The real leader Of the Balti-
more democracy today is Mayor Pres
ton, and he will continue to dominate
local politics for years to come He is
an aggressive fighter and plays the game
according to HOyle-that is, square.
| His strength with the party was dem
| onstrated last July, when he held the
Maryland delegation solidly in line for
Champ Clark for President almost to the
last ditch and even at that point there
were those in the delegation who went
down with the Missouri delegation to de-
feat still voting for the Speaker.
1t is generally conceded that Lee will
have the inside track at Washington
| when Wilson becomes President, and that
is having a great deal of weight with
the politicians. big and small, who are
Hopping over to the ranks of the Mont
gomery leader To one familiar with con-
ditions in Maryland 1t is evident that
Lee is certain to become the big leader
of the democratic party in this state. and