The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-09-10
Friday, September 10, 1915
Lee Stands For Progress of
the State.

volved in the present contest for the
Democratic nomination for the Gov
ernorship except mere question of
personal preference as between Sen
ator Lee and Mr.. Harrington seems to
me to be entirely without foundation. "
said William L. Marbury in the Balti
more News recently.
And then, in very careful review
of the politics of Maryland, past and
present, Mr.. Marbury points out that
while Harrington represents the old
school of Democrats, whose main pur-
pose was to keep the Republicans out
of power, Blair Lee stands for the
present and future development of the
State and its resources and the better
ment of the people.
Always interested in. politics, he be-
came greatly interested in the admin
istration of the late Governor Crothers
as one who sought to make all the
people of the State benefciaries of
governmental activities through the
politics in Maryland centered largely
on who was to hold the offices. The
number, while unnecessarily large, rep
resented only a small part of the
State.
Discussing the present situation, Mr..
Marbury says:
"A candidate for Office ought to be
judged mainly by his record-by what
he has done in the past-rather than
by what he promises to do in the fu-
ture. And if a candidate makes
promises for the future, the value of
those promises will depend in large
degree upon whether his past record
shows that he has the disposition or the
ability to do the things of the character
which he promises to do.
Judged by these standards, it may
be easily seen that Senator Lees claim
to the support of the. Democrats of
this State and of this city, and es-
pecially of the Independent element of
the Democracy isvastly stronger than
that of Mr.. Farrington's.
For the last eight years Senator
Lee has been the acknowledged leader
OF the progressive movement of the
Democratic party in this State. use
the word progressive for lack of
better term.
Those who are now in control of the
State organization which is backing
Mr. HarFlngton's nomination are the
legitimate successors of those old
politicians, and they are still imbued
with the same spirit l don't mean
that they are bad men by any means.
NOT few of them are among my best
friends personally. But the State will
never move forward under their guild
ance.
For convenience of expression we
call them in these days 'stand-patters. ,
They might be designed the DO Moth.
ing Party
Some eight of 10 years ago certain
leaders arose among the Democrats of
the State who began to realize that the
Democratic Party of Maryland ought to
be something more than a mere agency
Tor keeping the Republican party out
OF poWer-that representing, as it did,
the majority of the intelligent voters
OF the State, it ought to show itself
capable of initiating and carrying
through programs of constructive leg
lslatIon, which would be a benefit to
the public, and which would improve
the political and material condition of
the people.
Among these leaders were Blair
Lee, Governor Edwin Warfeld, and
the late Austin L. Crothers. These
men soon found, however, that it would
be extremely difficult to accomplish
anything under the old convention
system of nominating candidates for
Office. Under that system the old
stand-pat element could so easily con-
troll party nominations and party
policies that nothing could be done
without their consent, and they would
not consent to any changes. There
fore the movemant in favor legalized
primaries and of direct primary was
initiated
Blair Lee was the pioneer in this
movement.
Montgomery county had always had
direct primary system, but the pri-
maries were not legalized-not pro-
tected by any law to secure fair count
of the ballots, and had been little more
than farce.
''Lee started fight to secure fair
primaries in that county, and after
long struggle won it. He then united
with Governor Crothers in the fight
for the enactment Of direct primary
law-legalized primary for the whole
State 1t was desperate fight, and
most of the gentlemen who are now
supporting Mr.. Harrington resisted
this movement to their very utmost
1t was carried through over their opl
position, but they have never become
reconcilsd to it.
AT the same time Lee and Crothers
devoted themselves to a study of the
material needs of the State Certain
things were recognized as requisite
some legislation regulating public SER
vice corporations. railroads. gas COM
panies, telephones, etc.--in order that
the rights of the public might be pro-
perly protected and the corporations
themselves at the same time protected
from the plugging to which they had
been exposed in the Legislature of the
State.
''These measures also they carried
through in spite of the stubborn op-
position of the old State organization
which is now supporting Mr. Harring-
ton.