Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-08
Senatorial Primary Bill En-
cages Legislators at
Annapolis.
MARYLAND QUESTION
STILL AN OPEN FIGHT
Democratic Platform Pledge Causes
Shifting of Political Alignments
for Offices.
Special Correspondence of Tic star.

Nd. March 4. l}l I.
me oyster. which occupied the spot
! lght IN the early part of the wee :.
! stepped aside until next Tuesday. and
gave the United States sena torial primary
| piiis the stage. The mass vote advocates
| lee! a bit more encouraged than they did
week ago, and there are those among
them who assert that the fight against the
county-lnit system is not lost 1t is still
an open fight and there are possibilities
that the city crowd may make deals and
put the mass vote bill over. The pledge
IN the democratic platform provides for
the mass vote in the primaries for the
nomination of United States senators.
,ust as nominees for Congress are chosen.
mere IS possibility that the city del
esauon and the republicans may form a
combination with sufficient number of
county men in the legis' ature TO put the
OH over. The entire republican deIega-
tion, with the exception of Senator Ma
thias OF Frederick county, is in favor
OF and will vote for the mass bill. 1t is
stated that Senator Hammond of Howard
county. IS in favor of the bill The city
leaders. however are not solid. The
keiiy wing III the party are tied UP with
the state leader. and while the. Kelly
delegation in the legislature may vote
against the county unit bill il is limited
that there will be enough vote against
the mass bill to square Kelly. If it
comes to pinch. the Kelly men may
hop and thus split the vote of the city
delegation on senatorship. 1t is not
thought. though. that this will come to
pass, as it would result in a breach within
the organization that could not be healed
III years.
Preston Eye on Senatorship
1t is generally understood that Mayor
Preston will try senatorial conclusions
should the mass vote become law The
| mayor would have the solid support of
the Acknowledged wings Of the city
organization, but he would feel the de-
lection of the Kelly wing. Among close
followers of the situation in this city
INC opinion is expressed that Kelly could
defeat the Acknowledged wing in a pri-
mary fight. Preston has been training
with the two wings against Kelly. who
has received little or no recognition at
the hands OF the city administration This
attitude on the part of the MAYOR has
been due to the fact that Kelly is a
Lfnthicum supporter.
ton for the gubernatorial chair and a
, like ambition is being cherished by the
mayor The play. therefore, hassbeen to
weaken the Kelly wing by withholding
Wy JUS AIOiI TIE Nelly nenChmen, but
this has utterly failed. and Kelly is
stronger with his followers than ever
Kelly and the county leaders are evident
~ playing the game to put Preston out
OF the senatorship and sovernorship
fights. forcing him TO make a fight for a
denomination. which they concede he can
secure. Here however. is the bump
Certain elements within the city ma
chine feel that strong independent dem
ocrat could defeat Preston in the general
election: They are hoping for this, be-
cause they want the mayor lifted out of
state and city politics. They regard Pres
ton as the stormy petrol Of the party, and
they realize that he is brainy resource
full and a fighter at the drop of the hat
| Hence they want to put the "kibosh" on
| him.
| Not Anxious for Second Term.
| Preston, they say, is not at all anxious
TO land a second term. His administra-'
ton has been stormy one. but he has
subject of attack and vilification since
the hour he took the oath of office, and
his close friends assert that he yearns for
the end Of his term. 1t is known that at
one time he seriously contemplated re-
signing the office, and it took strenuous
argument on the part of his friends to
dissuade him from taking the step that
would have retired him to private life.
He has. despite all handicaps made prob
ably the greatest mayor that Baltimore
has ever had. and has accomplished more
in the way of public improvement than all
of his predecessors together for the past
! twenty years. 1t seems likely, neverthe-
less. that he may share the fate of others.
who, after starting communities on the
way to greater things have been driven
from the city.
&c
state politics and future nominations
Representative Linthicum was in the city
during the past week, and when an effort