The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-07-16
Bruce Out Of The Race

VI uOO Out VI IUV UVoO
The last probability of opposition
by tie '.old guard" to Blair Lee,
for the short term Senatorship, van
ished Monday, when William Cabell
Bruce made it plain that he would
not enter the fight. 1t had been
found impossible to unite the yari-
Gus elements of opposition to Lee
and without full unity all Lees
enemies recognized that the fight
was hopeless.
Mr.. Bruce would not talk for
publication, but it is known that
his failure to enter the race is due
to the same reasons for the failure
of Congressman Talbot, Mayor
Preston and the others mentioned.
He found after a canvass of the
field that he could not get all the
anti-Lee forces and was unwilling
to run unless he had behind him
'solid phalanx.
1t is possible, of course, that
someone may enter after all. There
is still considerable talk of Con-
gresham David J. Lewis. But it
is the barest sort of possibility. In
fact, a general movement TO the
Lee band wagon is looked for. Sen.
John Walter Smith has been adj
vised by his closest and best friends
on the Eastern Shore that they
will stand with Lee, and the Sena-
tor in turn has notified .'the all
lies' that he will not join in a
fight. Without Smith no one is
likely to even try to start new
anti-Lee movement
With his mind free as to his
own fight, Lee probably will give
greater attention than ever to the
State Senatorship fight in his own
county and to the other county
contests in which he is interested.
His prestige for these fights is
stronger now than it was before the
last efforts to line up a candidate
against him. The Intellectually of
the old machine has been demon
strated and Lee is on the crest of
the wave. That large element in
politics known as "highsiders" will
begin Immediately to ponder the
advisability of getting with the
winner. That is the way of hu-
man nature, and the 'thumanest"
human nature in the world is found
among political workers.
That Lee is determined to. wrest
control of the party organization
from the old machine is well
known. That was the principal
reason they tried so hard to get a
candidate against him. The Sena-
torship itself is not particularly
important and it is generally be-
lieved in political circles that had
Lee been willing to give the "old
guard" and particularly the city
people, certain desired assurances
of regard, there would have been
no serious effort to beat him. His
failure to do. that convinced the
cold guard" that he meant trouble.
And now that opposition to him
has failed it is taken for granted he
will redouble his efforts to line
up the progressives for a pitched
battle for the party organization.
In this fight it is certain he will
have the support of a number OF
county leaders who are close friends
of Senator Smith. These men will
not be in the fight because of Lee.
They will be in it because they
are young and ambitious and re-
sponsive to the spirit of the times
and feel that new order is at
hand in the party organization.
Aside from higher motives, which
many of them have, it is the part
of political wisdom for them, they
say. They have personal grips on
their counties which they can hold
so long as they do not go against
the tide. When they have gone
against the tide in the past two or
three years it has been because of
the pressure of the reactionary or
ganization. They want freedom
from that pressure and they believe
that progressive party organiza-
ton would not attempt a dictatorial
attitude.