The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-08-09
BALTIMORE LETTER.

Maryland presidential primaries held a
conference on Tusday and discussed
plans for the management of the Mary
land campaign The real leaders of the
party and the organization were conSpic-
uous by their absence. Many of them
were not invited to the conference and
thus it amounted to nothing, except talk.
The confcrecS soon realized that they
could not make any Roadway or accom-
pllsh anything until they had heard from
| the party leaders and therefore adjourn
ed, although they appointed Chairman
Murray Nandiver. of the State Central
| Committee, and Congressman !. F. c.
| Talbot, who called the conference, to
confer with the leaders and ascertain
their views regarding the conduct of the
campaign. This conference of men, many
of whom have been actively Interested in
politics, shows that nothing can be done
| in this campaign until the leaders of the
party take hold and they will take hold
when the proper time comes. Every
| Democratic organization leader in Mary
land is Loyalty behind the ticket and will
make the fight of their political lives for
| it and therefore see no use for such con-
ferenCes at present. Governor Wilson
has not yet been formally notified of his
nomination and his campaign can not be
started until after he makes his speech OF
acceptance and sounds the keynote. HIS
campaign managers do not want to start
| his fight for several weeks 1t was an
nounced in The Telegram some weeks
ago that the campaign in Maryland would
begin about September I. There will be
meeting OF the State Central Commit.
tee the legally constituted body to man
age the fight, to which scores of promi-
nent Democrats will be invited and the
campaign plans will be formulated. Har
mony will reign supreme at this meeting
and, when the fight does begin, it will be
one of the liyeliest that the people have
seen for years.
The Democratic party workers will pay
much attention to the Congressional
fights in Maryland this year and they will
use every endeavor to elect a solid dele
CATION to the next House of Representa-
tiveS. Seldom have the prospects for
sweeping victory been brighter or better
and the workers will take advantage Of
the present political situation from every
viewpoint. Naturally the fight for the
presidency will overshadow the congress
sional contests and the chief duty of the
workers will be to keep the names of the
Congressional candidates constantly be-
fore the voters, so that they will become
as familiar with them as they are with the
names of the presidential candidates. In
order to put into effect its platform adopt
ed i'll the Baltimore convention the Dem
ocrats must control Congress, especially
the House OF Representatives, in which
most of the platform measures should un-
questlonably be introduced. A Demo-
cratic president and a Republican House
of Representative would be out of har-
mony and not much good could be &C
complshed for the people or the cOun-
try. From present indications, the Dem
! ocrats have some chance OF controlling
| the next United States Senate by very
small majority, but even il the party does
not. it is generally believed that all merl-
| toriouS measures, backed by public SEN
timent, which would have the support of
| a DemoCretiC president and Democratic
House, would pass the Senate, especially
in view Of the able and brilliant represent
atives that the party already has in the Sen
ate and theWldc division among the Repub-
icau Senators. With this condition ex-
sting, Maryland Democrats want the
state to be in the foremost. They will
make most desperate fight to have the
stale represented by only Democrats in
Congress. AT present out OF the states
eight members of Congress seven are
| Democrats thus only one more seat must
be won to accomplish this, but it means
much work to win everything in sight.
BY not making any nomination in the
First district the Republicans concede
the re election OF Congressman J. Harry
Covington. This district was formerly
| one OF the most debatable in the state. 1t
was in recent wears carried as often by
Republicans as 1t was by Democrats.
Mr. CovinSton will be reelected for his
third term and he has made most dis
tinguiShed record as a member of the
| House.
The friends of Congressman I. F. c.
| Talbot contend that he will be re elected
this year by an unusually large majority.
His Republican opponent is Mr.. Laban
Sparks, of Baltimore county, who for
number of wears has been actively identi-
fed with Republican organization poll
tics. The district is normally Demo
cratic by large majority.
! From a Democratic point OF view. con
dtions are better in the Third or East
Baltimore district, than they have been
for many years. Congressman George
Kong is the Democratic nominee and
his Republican opponent is State Senator
| Albert NJ SproeSser. Back OF Mr. KONG
! is a united Democratic party, while the
Republican party is split into many lac
| tons, which cannot be united in this
| campaign.
The most decisive victory in the stale
will, from present Indications be won by
Congressman J. ChaS. Linthicum in the
| Fourth district. The record that Mr..
! Linthicum has made during his one term
as member of Congress is without par
allel in recent years. Although a new
| m mber Mr. Linthicum at the last extra
session forged to the front as a leader,
and he is one of the best known mem,
berS of Congress.
The Fifth district. which embraces all
thu counties OF Southern Maryland and
several Wards in South Baltimore, has
! been represented by a Republican since
| 1896, the 6rst year the late Sydney E.
| Mudd run. Time and time again the
| Democrats have made vigorous efforts to
! reclaim this district. On one occasion
| they came within a few hundred votes of
! putting their candidate across, but I'M
usually they were defeated by decisive
maiorities The district is now repre-
sented by Congressman Thomas Parran,
one of the Shrewdest and most astute pol
| iticians in the Republican party. The
| Democratic nominee is Mr.. Frank o.
! Smith, of Calvert county.
The Sixth district has for nanv wears