Evening star., 1926-09-12
R|TCH|E ASSURED
OF DENOMINATION
IN TUESDAY VOTING
WeIIer-HiIl Senate Contest
Holds Stage Center in
Maryland This Week.
SENATOR HOLDING EDGE,
IN OBSERVERS OPINION
Has Support of Business, Drys and
Many VETS. But Grudges
May Injure Chances.
RY &. GOULD LINCOLN.
staff COYrespOudent of The Star

staff Correspondent of The star
BALTIMORE. September ll.-Gov.
Albert G. Ritchie, despite the opp"S''
ton of William Mines Maloy. the
third term boogaboo and the drys, Will
be renominated by the Democrats of
Maryland as a result of the primaries
to be held Tuesday. If election In
November follows. as tho Democrats
predict, then Gov. Ritchie will con
tinue as q Presidential possibility In
1928 on the Democratic side or the
fence. Should the Republicans defeat
him in the general election, however
his boom is likely to fade with con
siderable rapidly.
Senator .. t. Weller. Republican.
candidate for denomination on form
is expected to take the measure "f
Representative John Philip Hill. the
worlds WetteSt Congressman. Much
depends, however. on the beer and
whisky sentiment. If there Is q tidal
wave of wet sentiment-as there was
in neighboring Pennsylvania when
Representative William $. Ware lasj
Spring trimmed Senator Pepper for
the Republican senatorial nominal ton.
Mr.. Hill may win yet. His adherent@
and Mr.. Hill himself loudly proclaim
that he will be nominated. To dO -
he must carry practically all of Bait,
more City and get a fair share of -,
county vote.
Senate Row Holds Stage.
The Republican senatorial row H..
been the headliner in the Marylau,.
campaign. Beer and grudges havs
been Mr.. Hills chief assets in his a.
tack upon Senator Weller. And if II,
wins it will he due to these tv'
factors.
Not that Senator Weller is dry
Indeed, none of the candidates fuT
nomination to the major offices are
dryS. As kentuCk>
colonel once said of whiskey. wei
in Maryland exist only
In varying degrees of excellence"
1t is not that the drys love Wellei'
that they are going to vote for him
but because they love Hill less. They
regard Hill as the most famboyant %
the vets in the House of Representa-
tives today. as more Objectionable,
wet even than Representative Jim
my" Gallivan of Massachusetts H.
has become To the drys as a red na.,
to a bull
Democrats Are Hopeful.
The Democrats. who look lonGinci.
and hopefully toward the Senate sea
now held by Senator Weller, fOl
tunately for them. have no conttsl
for the senatorial nomination within
their party. Millard T.. TydinEs. Rep
from the second Con
gressional district is unopposed fui
the nomination. lie is hero of til,
World War. which he entered as u
private and left as Lieutenant
colonel He is as wet. really. as Mr
Hill, though he has not been so We
ciferous about il.
The campaign for the Republican
nomination has been one
of the weirdest in political history.
Senator Weller has not made a sin
gle public address. He was attended
no great political gatherings. All
during the campaign, Mr.. Hill has
hurled verbal bombs in the direction
of his enemy He has charged the
Senator with carrying water on one
shoulder and whisky on the other.
with abusing the franking privilege
a Senator by sending out
material to the voters, with
absenting himself from the Senate
when important questions have been
up for consideration and vote.
TO all of these attacks. Senator
Weller has maintained silence a.
deep and inscrutable as that which
brOOdS over the North Pole. The
single exception to this course was
counter attack made upon Hill by
some of Wellers friends. who dis
covered that Mr.. Hill also had been
free with the use of his frank in dis
tributine campaign material But
Weller himself made no statement
Even President Coolidge. who has n
reputation for thinking before ho
speaks. might sit AT the feet of Sen,
tor Weller and take lessons in silence
Silence Has Its Effect.
This silent treatment accorded Nj
Hill by the senior Senator from
has not been without some.
effect. II is difficult To hit a man
who never seems TO be
there to hit. On the other hand. the
Hill campaign has jaZZed up the con
test and Hills friends believe that II
has been really effective.
It is possible in some measure To-
say where the strength of the TIVE
for the senatorial nomina
tion will lie. Take Senator Weller
first. He has behind him many Of the
conservative Republican business
men. lie has much of the Orga niZatiou
in Baltimore City and In the counties
though not all of it. ParadoxicalIy.
he has both wet and dry support He
has been declared satisfactory" by
the National Association Opposed 10
the Prohibition Amendment, which is
similar to the Endorsement given Mr.
Hill by that association While the
A nti- Saloon League has not formally
indOrsed Senator Weller, George "
Crabbe. the State superintendent of
the Anti-SalOOn League. has said he
has done nothing To cOunteract
sentiment for Weller among members
of the dry league. In faCt. il is we'll
that such sentiment for
Weller is being informally encouraged
because Of the drys hatred for Hill
Has Tait's Support.
Senator Weller has also the support
ofo Galen l.. TAFT. internal revenue
collector and chairman of the Republi-
can State committee. And, not un-
naturally, the Senator may expect to
receive the support Of a considerable
number Of the Federal Office holders
in the State.