Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-08-19
- MR0NG PRRaCRIPTlON

YESTERDAY s developments III lG-
cal political circles tip not offer
much encouragement 10 those
who had hoped for better things
in party management Whatever
may have been the motives and
intentions iii the promoters Of the
conferences that led up 10 the for
nation of slate III Democratic
canalAlatcs who received their
rather veiled endorsement the
voters are not apt To be fayorably
impressed by the lowering 81
standards which rastiitcd when
the conference resolved itself into
nothing more than an eleventh
hour attempt ut lactional ticket
making.
Moreover, they are not apt te
forget that one III the evils which
some of these same confcrees
have been protesting against for
d long time is the attempted die
tation 10 the voters Of any fixed
slate. The spirit Of primary cleo
iions IS that all candidates for
nomination shall have All open
chance md stand Of fall according
to their merits or dement's. as de-
Sermued ily the voters them
selves. Therefore, when confer
cnees arc called III the name III the
party BY any faction, be it or-
ganization "anti-organization,
or by whatsoever name, and party
harmony and efficiency are sacri-
feed for factional ends. the whole
good purposes Of 4 conference are
srbverfed, and the voters are left
with nothing bit the same old
prescription. with only a change
Of doctors to administer it, II
may BE deemed desirable to have
this change, but We hardly think
that that gets at the root of the
evil.
What is needed i'll the body
polite Isl change III the prcscripz
ton itself the substitution Of q
wholesome primary made ticket
for i doctered ticket, especially at
such a beiated hour,
This does not necessarily
mean that the personnel of the
latter ticket is deficient III the
present instance On the con-
trary, there arc men on il who on
their own merits will make a
strong appeal to right minded yot-
ers and will fare accordingly, at
tie same time. there are other
worthy candidates in the field.
who are entitled to make their
fight in All open primary without
any form Of fagoritism or discrim-
ination against them.
We do not lose sight of the fact
that well-tilned and well-meant
conferences working toward party
harmony and efficiency often
serve as helpful guide to tic
rank and file who are looking for
the right kind Of standard bear
iers. but there Is such an utter
lack III consistency in the present
exhibition Of factional jocleying.
that population af the whole SER
les of performances is made like
II
Moreover. when we come To the
set OF resolutions promulgated BY
yesterday conference. the high.
sounding phrases do not carry
conviction with them, because Of
this very lack 81 consistency
There IS hardly candidate in the
whole field who would not sub
scribe to substantially what is
pledged IN these resolutions, as
Stunning that all the evils alleged
are real, No issue can be made
of that, for no antagonism can be
conceived on that score. Many of
the candidates. at least, who have
r1ot been favored with any con-
ference endorsement, are ufs-
doshgedig Just as heartily in IA
vorn she geneg tiles and speci-
flcations held ON 60 the voters as
are those who have been endors-
ed. Are they to be put in the
false light Of being against the
reforms that every good citi-
zen will, of course, subscribe to-
There are perhaps some specihca-
lions IN the resolutions about
which there Is ground for honest
difference Of opinion and some
imputations that are false, Are
not the several candidates fu.iy
entitled 10 announce their uNn
platform on these points and LET
THE voters decide without having
the unjust and undernoeratic
handicap q : pre- ccucersed and