Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-23
RACE FOR SENATE
AGAIN IN MIDDLE
MARYLAND Democrats Wait on
Mayor Preston to An
nOunCe Plans.
BALTIMORE EXECUTIVE
NAY SEEK LONG TERM
Depends, It Is Said, on Strength De-
veloped by Senator John
Waiter Smith.
Special Correspondence OF The Star.

BALTIMORE. Md. March -. 1913.
once again the senatorial situation is
inuddled. For some reason unknown to
the political wiseacres. Mayor Preston
IS again casting eyes al the long term
IN opposition to Smith, although the
tentative ticket of the organiza ton
Smith and Preston against the fields
still on the program. The mayor has
had one emissary in western MARYLAND
during the past two weeks, and today
he DISPATCHED another confidential
friend to the eastern shore to feel
OUT sentiment there And as result
all kinds of rumors"are afioat regarding
the mayors Intentions
On the one hand. it is asserted that
Preston fears the strength of Lee and
is endeavoring to form an alliance with
the montgomery man, as it is said that
Preston believes Lee would prove a
stronger running mate than would
smith. On the other hand, there are
those who assert that the mayor at the
proper time will come out for the short
term and cast his fortunes with those
OF Smith. The Smith people are plainly
annoyed by the tactics of the mavor
ana some of them assert that the senior
senator would be glad to run as a free
lance, and does not welcome an alliance
with Preston.
The friends of the mayor are divided
into two camps-one holding that he
should make the fight for the long
term, while the others claim that such
move could only result in defeat for
the Baltimore executive One thing is
certainty, and that is that if the
mayor enters the long-term contest the
city organization will be rent
in twain The Kelly faction-and
it's d powerful one, controlling as it
does West Baltimore-wil1 stand solid
for Smith, and under no consideration
could Kelly be induced to desert the
Worcester man. This position of the
Kelly wing of the party has been made
plain to the friends of the mayor, and
ing to induce the mayor to give up the
idea of entering the long-term fight
Ready to Enter Race.
W. Cabell Bruce. the original Wilson
man in this state, and who had a confer
ence with the President in Washington
last Wednesday. announced today that
he Will be q candidate for the short
term senatorship in the event that Pres
ton does not enter this end of the fight.
Bruce also said that if Preston goes
after the short term he will keep out
of the fight for either toga. This declar-
alton. made upon the heels of the con-
ference in Washington. is taken to indi-
cate that Bruce is satisfied that the
President viii not take a hand in the
short term fight. Bruce also stated that
his talk with the President regarding
the senatorial primary has been salts
factory. and this has aroused the rank
and file of the Lee men throughout the
state. They predict that neutral at
titude on the part of the President will
react heavily against Marbury, as they
regard Lee and his personal following
as the bulwark of strength on which
the progressive long-term candidate will
base his fight
Whether the President would keep his
hands off in contest between Preston
and Lee is not known. but the general
impression here is that the powers at
Washington would take up the cudgels
for Lee. Such move on the part of
the President. the politicians say. would
insure the victory for the mayor, for
many OF the organization men who look
with favor upon the Montgomery man
now would desert to the organiza ton
standard bearer upon the slightest hint
of a helping hand from Washington.
The friends of Lee assert openly that
Preston knows that Lee can beat him
in the short-term fight and they at the
same time assert that the Montgomery
candidate will enter into no alliance with
Preston or any other candidate for the
long serm.