Evening star., 1924-10-23
VILLAGERS MAY
!. SWING PRESIDENCY
Modest Folk of Fifth Mary
land District Calm in
Face of Congress Fight.
ROBERT T.. SMALL.

LA PLATA, Md, October 23-'The
attention of the entire country sud
denly has been focused upon this
Sprawling fifth congressional district
OF Maryland, with its plain country
FOLK, its sparsely settled villages and
ats unrich fields which yield living
almost as difficult TO wrest from the
ground as tradition has attributed to
New England
The voters Of the district sudden
sy have been told that the entire flu
ture of the United States may rest
an their hands; that they individually
may make or break a future preSi-
dent of the United States. All of this
is on the assumption and the fear of
the Republican leaders that the cleo
tion of the next President may be
thrown into the House of Representa-
ttves, in which event each State in the
Union would cast one vote according
10 the complexion of its conGression-
al delegation.
The Maryland delegation stood at
ate, three to three, until the recent
death of Representative Sydney L.
Mudd of this village, lifelong Re-
publican. If Democrat should by any
chance succeed him, Maryland's vote
IN the House would be Democratic. II
the Republican candidate is elected
Tor the short term November 4, the
tie would continue and Maryland
fould not vote.
National Leaders Intervene.
National leaders of both the old
parties have called upon their respec-
tive State organizations TO make
every effort to carry the election in
shis district, explaining that the po-
Sition of Maryland might be vital in
fhe event that Senator La Toilette
prevents either Mr.. Coolidge or Mr..
Davis from obtaining outright at the
POLLS a majority in the electoral col
lege.
> The countryfolk down here are
Taking the situation calmly, as Is
their manner. They live much Dy
themselves and, like some OF the
mountain people farther south, are
not particularly fond of too much
outside influence or intrusion. some
Of Uncle Sans revenue agents nave
discovered this to their discontinue
1t times in the recent past.
f. The congressional district comprises
what may be termed the inner penin-
sula of Maryland, lying between the
Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
The uneven coast line is never-end-
ing series of bays, inlets, with oc-
casional broad tidal rivers that reach
tlany miles inland. On the bay side
of the district lies Annapolis. the
State capital and home Of the splen-
did United States Naval Academy. on
the Potomac side lies Indian Head,
the famous naval proving grounds.
The district reaches up to the District
Of Columbia and includes some of the
capitals most populous suburbs. 1t
Eiso hooks into one corner of Balti-
more City in order to gain the neces-
barry population. Maryland is peculiar
IN this respect. Baltimore contains
more than half the population of the
entire commonwealth and four of the
six congressional districts have Bal
fimore as hub.
Villagers of Blue Blood.
: While the people down this way
are not as we'll to do as those In the
richer middle and northern counties
Sf the State, they have the bluest of
Maryland blood in their veins. They
are the descendants of the old line
tamilies-the Calverts and the Bowies,
she Mudds and the Mitchells. The
Sery names of the counties carry
with them the atmosphere OF the
early romance of the State. They
Gre Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles,
Howard, Prince Georges and St
sIarys. Tobacco plantations still
abound in the lower counties Of the
peninsula, there is some general
Farming and quite a good deal of
FISHING.
=. Politically speaking, the district is
pretty thoroughly saturated with Re
publicanism. 1t has been Republican
largely through the efforts of the
Audd family. Sydney Mudd, sr, was
IN Congress for many years. After
bis death in 1910 the district went
out of the family for two terms, at