Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-09-13
ATTORNEY ]. ". OWENS
SAYS MONEY WAS USED
Writes Letter to Sun Concerning
Recent Primary Fight.
MARKED BALLOTS A FlzzLE
Holds That Feature Of New Primary
Election Law, is Vicious Piece Of
Legislation.

james w. OWGNSs OF tN4S NAhA
To the Editor Of The Sun-Sir:
Your Issue of today publishes the
following "Dr. George Wells. the
veteran leader of the organization in
Anne Arundel county, routed his
enemies and put through his ticket
iusc apodt the time they believed they
had him beaten. This, too, in spite
of the fact that Blair Lee went into
his comfy and espoused he eause OF
the opposition. OF all the old-time
organization leaders none seems to
have the hold on bis people that DR..
Wells has.
wish to reply to that by saying
that the fight which DR.. Wells won
was like the victory of Alexander,
when one of his generals approached
him and said; "Sire, we have won
great victory" Alexauder's reply
was A few more victories like
this and we are uudone. The Sun
has vigorously fought in this State
for the progressive ideas of Woodrow
Wilson and William j Bryan. ] was
one of the active campaigners for
the progressives in this county and
say without fear of successful con-
tradiction that the victory was won
by the use OF money and by the ANTI
Saloon League, backed up by letter
of Anderson in which he wrote TO a
number of persons stating that the
progressives were in favor of State
wide local option bill. This letter
was furnished to the fifty-four bar
rooms in Curtis Bay AMI the thirty
FIVE barrooms in Annapolis, to say
nothing OF the twenty-five speak
easies on Rock creek and Stony creek.
am one of that kind of Democrats
who believe that bad Democrat is
better than good Republican, aud ]
will support the ticket nominated,
but the dissatisfaction is so wide
spread that If there be an indepen-
dent ticket the nominees of the
"ring" will 60 down to inglorious
defeat.
Mr.. B. R. Anderson, candidate for
Senator, made a clean-cut, gentle
manly fight, and it is creditable TO
the progressives that they criticised
the public acts of tbs public officers
without indulging in personalities.
where as, on the other hand, the or.
ganization in several instances have
been guilty OF personal abuse and
vituperaticn.
Speaking of the money used in the
campaign, have it from one of the
most reliable gentlemen in Anne
Arundel county that as much as S25
was offered in the second precinct of
the Third district for single vote.
know that in one district a ring"
officeholder and politician viciously
abused clerk in the polling room
because he would not agree to count
certain ticket.
The men who are drawing salaries
were all in the ring" and / will
name them: George Wells, SO, goo
a year; o. B. Docket, $4,000 a year !;
George I. Beasley, 5000 a year /;
Frank S. Revell, 81 500 a year; John
E. Potee, $1,000; Isaac NutwelI,
sic, 600; Nicholas H Green, Safe
Attorney, attorney to the Annapolis
Water Company, 81, 100 year; Ridg-
ely P. Melvin, attorney to the County
Commissioners and City Counselor
of Annapolis, $1,000 a year; George
7. Melvin, president Of the Annapolis
Water Company, and the deputies ia
all of the public offices receiving sal
aries were assessed, and tue SO sa-
looms and the % speak-easies were ali
said to have contributed which / can
not prove, but from the way they
cast their votes should imagine that
they had contributed. The State
machine also contributed
The First ward of Annapolis is con-
sidered DIR. Wells stronghold On
Monday DR. Wells himself personal
" on the spot had the following lieu
tenants: Martin Brady, deputy clerk
of the court; James F. Strange,
Mayor of the city of Annapolis; Ser
geant Holiday. of the police force,
John Jacobs, policeman Thomas
Fades and Louis Martin at the polls
working for him. Louis Martin was
recognized" on Monday night at a
meeting of the City Council by
appointing him janitor of the Mu-
nieipal Building Sin the line OF
economy as stated by the Council, ;"
when heretofore the work has been
done at very small cost by hired
labor, the clerk of the City Council
being always on the job.
Mr.. Anderson, candidate for Sena-
tor, won the county outside Of An
napolis, Curtis Bay and Brooklyn,
where the liquor interests defeated
him.
This fight is the beginning Of the
end, and two years from nov the
Anne Arundel county ring will take
back seats. 1t is remarkable fact
that Mr.. Bruner r. Anderson, who
was defeated by about 400 votes, re-
ceived more than two-thirds of the
number of votes which Woodrow
Wilson received in this county.
The provision CT the Primary Elec-
ton law that man can carry mark
ed ballot into the polling room and use
it and return the ticket given him by
the judges is the most vicious piece
of legislation ever enacted by the
State Of Maryland A number of
men with marked ticket for each
side would go into the polling room
and receive ticket, probably paid
by both sides, and would have a
marked ticket given him BY both
sides He would return and hand the
ticket which he received in the poll
ing room to one side and would be
paid for his vote there and then would