Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-01-08
LEWIS COMES OUT FOR LEE.
Congressman Gives Reasons for Sup
porting Montgomery County Senator
for Federal Body.

Congressman David J. Lewis IN
an interview gives his reasons Tor
supporting State Senator Blair Lee,
OF Montgomery county. for the seat
in the United States Senate made va
cant BY the death of lsidor Rayner.
Mr.. Lewis quotes from the utter
ances of President-elect Wilson con-
cerning the kind of men needed IN
the work before the party and de-
clares that Senator Lee fits every re-
auirement. AS a further demonstra-
ton. Mr.. Lewis reviews Senator
Lees work at Annapolis.
''At the coming Democratic Sena-
torial primary a successor 10 the late
Senator Rayner is to be selected py
the Democrats of Maryland, Mr..
Lewis says.
..In common with other Demo-
Gratis | am. of course, very much in
terested. and think the choice should
be apt and fitting TO the national sit
nation Of the party. President-elect
Wilson has himself indicated IN no
uncertain way the type of Democrat
he desires in the Senate.
Note what he said to the people
Of New Jersey in support of Hughes
for the Uuited States Senate: DO
not elect me captain unless you are
going to give me a team, and sgain
4 am not a candidate for a
pedestal ! am not a candidate to
be set up in lonely dignity to suffer
the intolerable disappointment OF
being left alone unable to do the
great things which the American
people will expect of me if they
honor me with their suffrage. If yod
cannot back me up do not put me up
all by myelf and then desert me. If
YOU believe in me, make il possible
for me to do something"
But for Senator Lees presence
in the State Senats and his uncom-
promising advocacy of direct legalized
primaries, in season, and out of sea-
son, Mr.. Lewis says, I'VE would at
this critical juncture have no State
wide primary system. He intro
duced and passed the bills which gave
us, besides many other important
features:
ST. AC IOunkg
plan, under which, by reason of its
division into legislative districts, a
progressive fight was for the first
time made practicable in Baltimore
city.
second--The vital recount provi-
sion.
''Third- The second choice provi-
sion.
Fourth--The plan for placing the
penalty for vote-buying on the vote
buyer alone, which puts the buyer at
the mercy Of the man who sells his
vote.
Senator Lee, from the beginning
Of his legislative career, set his face
against lobby control at Annapolis.
He initiated the movement for the
printing of local bills, where the
lobby often got in its fine work with.
out the knowledge of the public Oh
even of the members themselves.
Though not the author of the
measure, be stood at the forefront OF
the fight for a Public Utilities bill,
and il was his cool head and fearless
course at a critical juncture which
forced its passage. This largely re.
moved from the Legislature matters
of corporate regulation and struck a
body blow at the lobby.
BY his own bill, in the session OF
1912, he put teeth in the Utilities law
by compelling the assignment of
peoples counsel to defend the
public interests and to give to the
consumers the use of the commits
sion's experts and facilities.
The full publicity intended for
these Investigations of rates and SER
vice could not be had without Lee s
amendment. 1t made possible gas
investigation. which will enable the
commission to make the law effec-
tive.
1.-The ramifcations of the lobby led
into the very organization of the
Legislature itself.