The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-07-30
In Defense of Senator Lee For As
piring to the Governorship.

The following letter appeared in The
Baltimore Sun recently
In announcing his candidacy on Feb.
ruary IL, 1915, Senator Lee gave out an
interview which was published in the
Baltimore News of that date. The re-
porter asked him the following question
"What is your object, Senator, in
quitting the Senate? Are the duties
not congenial to you? They are, he
replied, Every congenial. and if my
personal wishes were to control | would
stay in the Senate; but for weeks
Democrats throughout the State, whose
sincere interest in the welfare of the
State and party cannot be doubted, and
! for whose opinions have the highest
regard. have been urging me to be a
candidate for the Gubernatorial nOmi-
| nation, and many reasons have been
advanced which have caused me to
reach the conclusion that my personal
convenience should control my action
in this matter"
Senator Lee, backed by Governor
Crothers and minority in the Legis-
lature, and opposed by Senator John
Walter Smith and those now supporting
Mr.. Harrington, with the aid OF pow
erful public sentiment, forced through
the Legislature much of the progressive
legislation which in the last few years
has changed Maryland from a reaction
airy to progressive State.
Four years ago Senator Lee was
recognized on every hand as the logical
candidate for Governor, in order that
there might be a progressive admins
tration. Unfortunately the death of
that great progressive Democrat, Sena-
tor Rayner, made vacancy in the
the United States Senate at a time
when the action of some of our Sena
tors became alarming, and the people
did not want reactionary or some one
who was not in sympathy with Presi-
dent Wilson's progressive ideas elected
to his vacancy, Senator Lee was advised
by President Wilson's friends to be-
come a candidate to fill out the unex-
pired term of Senator Rayner. He
finally yielded to their wishes and was
elected by the largest vote ever given
a Democrat in the State Lee helped
to pass all the progressive legislation
in Congress promised by the Demo
cratic rlatforpo of Ra1tipooro
Having performed his mission, he
has been convinced that the same
reasons exist for his running for Cover
nor now that existed in 1911, when he
lost the nomination by one vote. Under
these circumstances he is not only right
but is performing public duty to
again ask for the nomination of Cover
nor. We have had other good men in
Western Maryland who, if they had
possessed the courage of Senator Lee
might have reached the goal of their
ambition-that old "Rebel" Spencer
Jones, so long the Democratic leader |
in Montgomery county; "Buck" Schley.
from Washington county, who did the |
politicians bidding so many years on
promises; Hamill, from Garrett; |
Ferdinand Williams and DeWarrin H,
Reynolds, from Allegany. and from
our own county, Joseph D. Baker, if |
he had made a deal, and last but not
least our loved leader from Frederick
Louis Victor Baughman, who
lost out on promises. | have often
heard it said by some of the politicians
what a friend Senator Smith lad been
to General Baughman; it should be put
the other way, that Louis Victor Baugh-
man sacrificed all to satisfy John Walter
Smiths political ambitions and died
and broken-h hearted politi-
cally. What blessing it is that we
have such type of citizenship as ex-
emplifed in Senator Blair Lee, who is
ready and willing to fight upon the
merit involved, instead of standing back
and waiting on promises and deals.
WILLIAM ]. GROVE.
Lime Kiln, Md, July 20