The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-10-11
DEMOCRATS
TO Win SEAT
IN MARYLAND
State is Displeased with Sena-
tor France Course of Ac-
tion-Point to His Incon-
slstencles.
INCUMBENT ECCENTRIC
ny MARK SULLIVAN

by MARK SULLIVAN
BALTIMORE, Md, Oct 11-Mary-
land is one state in which the Demo
Gratis are fairly sure to gain senator
at the expense of the Republicans
The sitting Republican senator is
Joseph l. France, and the signs are
that Maryland is about through with
him.
IL France were as consistently radi-
cal as LaFollette or as consistently in
dependent as Borah, Maryland might
take some pride in him. If he were
as consistently conservative as Lodge,
the Republican party in his state
would pretty surely be proud of him,
and try TO keep MIN in the senate for
Maryland is essentially a conservative
community. But France, in his var
ious votes and speeches in the senate,
has been all over the lot to an extent
that has given his constituents and
the country an impression of miscel-
laaeous cccentricity that don't get
anywhere.
Disappointed in France
Many persons who, at the beginning
Of frances career, looked to him hope
fully as one OF those highly valuable
persons who can be relied on to speak
up for unpopular causes, have been
disappointed to find a strain of mere
Willingness to play up inconsistency
to widely differing groups of voters.
AS radical France fought for the
recognition Of Russia and as a good
orthodox protectiOnist he voted for
the tariff, AS a states rights man he
is a wet" but as friend of the ne,
gro he favored tho Dyer bill, giving
the federal government power to SUP
plant the local courts in cases of
lynching crimes. AS one who faVors
our staying out of Europe and out OF
the rest of the world he was against
the Democratic League of Nations, and
against the Four-Pow6T treaty. But
as one who favors letting Europe come
to us, he. was one of the only two
senators who voted against the re
striction of immigration
Does Odd Things.
A recent item in the Baltimore pa
Eers which gave the people of his
state an added impression to the effect
that although he is in the midst of
his campaign for reelection, he is
going to John Hopkins university
when it opens this month to take up
the study of the Russian language
and bolshevism. as related to the theo-
ries of Marx and Fourier. All this sort
of thing has bored Maryland more
than little. The Baltimore Sun ex-
pressed what is probably the general
sentiment of the state when it COM
pares Borah and France in these
words:
"Borah has not hesitated the chal-
lenge the politicians of his part, but
his challenges have not suggested an
erratic and eccentric mentality. Civ
ing Senator France full credit for sin
cerity and courage on the questions
which have brought him into spectac-
ular prominence, and conceding his
student-like point of view. the unbi-
ased observer cannot help feeling that
his Judgment and balance are singu-
larly unreliable. He represents not
only policies but curious ecCentricities
which the Republican party in Mary
land has never stood for before and
which the Democratic voters of Mary
land cannot indorse.'
Highly Educated
Franco, through certain family con
neotions, has access to money to in
dulge in what his opponents would de
scribe as a spectacular dabbllng IN al
fairs which the thoughtful hold, are
a little beyond his natural reach. He
is highly educated man, has studied al
three American Universities and al
one in Germany, his critics sometimes
say he has had rather too much edu
cation in too short a time. They say
lie suffers from undigested informa
tion. and that il would be kindness
to retire him for while and give hin
q chance to get his rather chaotic
collection of remote facts and strange
theories into more systematic order.
The net of ii is that while France
has sufficient control of the Repub
Ecan party machinery to get his re
nomination great blocks of Repubh
cans will vote for his Democratic op
moment the bulk of the Republican
marty in Maryland consists of larg
number of negroes in the eastern en'
of the state. and considerable bod,
of conservative farmers and bushes
men in the west and north near th
PENNSYLVANIA line. These latter vii
desert France quite generally they ar
puzzled by his eccentric inconslstenc
and a large number alarmed by HI
occasional alterations into extrem
radicalism. The negro Republican
France will be able to hold. The
never desert the Republican part
ANYHOW, and France. with all his eI
ceptricities has been eanny enough
placate them.
Democrats Favored
The people of Maryland have bt
come self-conscious about the repl
tation their senator has made for d.
ing queer things. They have ais
come to share the country wide feelin
that the senate needs eleyating an
stabilizing intellectually. II is in III
spirit of this feeling that the DEM
Gratis have given their senatorial non
ination to one of the states two {
three most distinguished lawyers an
scholars, and it is because of tn
feeling that the Democrats in all pro
ability. will gain one senator at th
expense of the Republicans in Mar,
land in November.
The'man whom the Democrats hay
put UP is William Cabell Bruce, LAY
yer, who. in his profession and in b
W community, has something of the san
position that Elihu Root has in Ne
York, or George Wharton Pepper
Pennsylvania In addition to being