Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-02-14

was the attitude and view Of il taken by
practically every Southern Democratic
Senator. 1t was a protection bill Free
lumber or free anything else was virtually
an impossibility
a. Lumber is one of the biggest pro-
ducts Of the South. and my vote against
the McCumber amendment was vote in
the interests of justice TO the South Other
Southern Senators, whose Democracy has
never been questioned, took the same view
and voted with me. If we made a mis-
take, il was an honest mistake.
Anyone who chooses to think that |
voted on this schedule because ! am en-
gagged in the lumber business is welcome
to think so. As a matter of fact, the bulk
Of my company's product is sold at neutral
markets and in Europe. where We meet
the competition of the world on equal terms
Had wanted TO play the demaeogue.
the hypOcrite or the coward. could have
voted for the Davis amendment to the
Payne-Aldrich bill, which meant nothing,
and the Johnston amendment, which was
joke, and could then have blown my own
trumpet. shouting that was pure-souled
patriot, who had voted for free lumber
Notwithstanding the fact that was in the
lumber business. 1t would have been very
easy to have done that
| stood by my convictions and did what
thought right No matter if | am mis-
understood by some people. and have been,
and will be. denounced by the demaeoeue,
can stand that 1t is not going hurt me
in the end, and even if it did. would be
compelled by sense of public duty under
the same circumstances TO do the same
thing over again in the same way. 1t is
worth it every time.
Now the one other favorite charge that
is being used against me by my opponents
is my two votes against the expulsion Of
Senator Lorimer.
am very willing to meet this charge,
as these are two votes of which | am in
no way ashamed. have not in all my life
had five minutes conversation with Sena-
tor Lorimer. have no relations with him
socially. politically or financially. was
one Senator who studied the case for and
against him and listened to all the areu- |
ments on both sides. | studied the evil
dence. There was no real evidence, in my
judgment, against Senator Lorimer that
directly connected him personally with |
bribery Or wrong.
was told prior to both votes that to do
so would be to sign my political death |
| was begged, for the sake of |
ny political future, by friends whose 10y
atty | have never doubted to vote the
other way. When declined to do that |
vas besought to remain away from the |
senate on the day of the vote, to dodge |
he final test, to get sick" or take a trip. |
N fact, all the pressure that was brought |
o bear on me during the whole of the |
1orimer fight was brought to turn me
against Lorimer. | never had a human |
'eine ask me to vote for him.
did vote for him twice, and for no other |
eason than that believed him to be in
locent. could not do otherwise. don't |
apologize for my Lorimer votes. | am
proud of them. Lorimer was not tried in |
he Senate he was lynched; and to any
man who doubts it all have
% say is read all the evidence.
Those are the two charges upon which |
ny opponents most often ring the changes
The balance of their attack on me can be |
up in the epithet "reactionary."
Just what is "reactionary" and what is
a progressive" is right difficult to say. |
am inclined to the view that under certain
progressive" is what you
call yourself when you are after Office. and
a 'reactionary" what you call the man
who has the job you want have not in
the past classified myself as either, and
am pretty certain that what my opponents
call me, or what call myself in a cam
paien. will not alter the real situation in
the least
am in complete accord with President
elect Wilson in the progressive policies he
has enunciated both before and since the
election and. as ! have before stated,
whether | am reelected or not | propose
to do all in my power to uphold the hands
of the President and aid him in carrying
out his policies and in the redemption of
the party platform pledges, no matter what
the outcome Of this fight. will be in the
Senate until March 4, 1915, to do this.
have, in the State Offices which filed,
stood for the upbuildine of the State.
Before the end Of the campaign | hope
to have frequent opportunities to address
the Democratic voters of Maryland on be-
half Of myself and my record, and in the
interests of Democratic success at the
coming election.