History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc, Part 26

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344

USA > Maryland > Baltimore County > Baltimore City > History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc > Part 26

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The election returns in Baltimore gave Latrobe, over Warfield, 2,567 majority for Mayor. Harris had 21,853, and Carroll 36,959 votes for Governor. Wallis had 22,- 588 and Gwinn 36,835 votes for Attorney General.

1876.

The reform excitement of 1875 was car- ried into the Presidential election of 1876. Hays and Wheeler were the Republican candidates for President and Vice-Presi- dent, and Tilden and Hendricks their Dem- ocratic opponents. In the Second Con- gressional District, William Kimmel was the Democratic candidate for Congress, and William E. Goldsborough, Reform candi- date. In the Third, Thomas Swann was the Democratic candidate, and Dr. James H. Butler, the Republican.

On Friday evening, September 9th, a Re- publican mass meeting at Cross Street Mar- ket Hall, was broken up by Democratic rowdies. Mr. C. Irving Ditty, William M. Marine and Judge William G. Riley, of Virginia, were the advertised speakers. Mr. Ditty was delivering his speech when pis- tols were fired, and a rush made for the speakers' stand. Mr. Ditty was attacked and beaten with a billy. The meeting dis- persed in the wildest panic; hundreds jump- ing out the hall windows to the market

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house roof and escaping in that manner. Mr. Ditty, accompanied by Mr. Marine, and the two by a file of police, visited a neighboring apothecary shop, where Dit- ty's wounds were dressed.

On Monday evening, the Ioth of Oc- tober, Masonic Temple was filled to over- flowing with an "Indignation meeting." William J. Albert presided. On taking the chair, he said: "This outpouring of men of all trades shows that the great public heart has been touched, and that the out- rage of Friday night has evoked a deter- mined spirit on the part of the masses that augurs well for the future."

Mr. Ditty made the speech of the even- ing, in which he reviewed the circumstances attending the breaking up of the Cross street hall meeting. He showed in his speech how lawlessness went unpunished by the civil authorities of the city.

Mr. R. Stockett Mathews: "I am dis- appointed in the character of this meeting. It was reasonable to suppose that the out- rage we have met to condemn would arouse into activity and expression the indignation and patriotism of those who, for the last fifteen years, have been continually busied in manufacturing occasions for denouncing outrages elsewhere. We may be pardoned for supposing that one or two Democrats would have found their way here, and in the presence of this vast audience, have made a public confession of what they had admitted in their private acknowledg- ments."

Henry Clay Dallam (a Confederate and a Democrat) wrote in answer to an invitation to be present: "I accepted, two days ago, an invitation to address a Democratic meet- ing to-night. If I can fulfill that engage-

ment in time, I will be at your meeting, which is called, as you express it, 'in vin- dication of the right of free speech.'" Al- though late, Mr. Dallam was present, and condemned the outrage of which complaint was made.

The assault on Mr. Ditty resulted in two trials in the Criminal Court of Baltimore and a removal of the case finally to the Circuit Court of Baltimore county, where it was abandoned.

The campaign of this year was active and several mass meetings were held by both parties .. At the election for candidates to the City Council, October 25th, the Demo- cratic majority was 5,780.

At the Presidential election, Tuesday, November 7th, Tilden received 32,189 votes in Baltimore City and Hays 22,100 votes. Kimmel, Democrat, for Congress in the nine lower wards of Baltimore, received 14,257 votes, and Goldsborough, 8,562 votes. In the upper wards, Swann, Demo- crat, received 15,259 votes, and Butler, Re- publican, 12,728 votes.

1877.

Wednesday, September 5th, a mass meet- ing was held in the Maryland Institute, over which James Flynn presided. An ad- dress was read and adopted by the Re- formers assembled, who nominated Henry M. Warfield for Mayor.

Mr. Warfield: "Entering upon another campaign for the supremacy of the people over that element which has made the pur- ity of the ballot-box a by-word and a mockery, I am here to join with you in inaugurating an active co-operation to pro- duce that result, which will stimulate the zeal of all good citizens. The source of the

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ills which we rightly claim to exist, eman- ates from a ballot-box which has been con- trolled by the enemies of Constitutional lib- erty, and who, if permitted to continue their illegal and ruffianly possession, will hasten us on to irretrievable ruin. There is no sacrifice the good citizen should not gladly make to retrieve the errors of the past. We want no more political ruffianism dispensed at the ballot-box as in 1875. We claim a discriminating economy in the administra- tion of city affairs; the abolishment of sine- cures; the payment of money to the man who earns it, not to the ring-master who recommended him."

Mr. Robert D. Morison: "If it was right Mr. Warfield should be supported in 1875, what has happened in the meantime to make it wrong that he should not be sup- ported now? Has the ring abdicated its sceptre in a fit of virtue and lain down tosin- less dreams? Have the recent primary elec- tions been conducted decently and fairly? Has ballot-box stuffing become a thing of the past? Have pudding tickets ceased to be used? Have roughs and rowdies ceased to knock down and bully where they cannot win by other means?"

Thursday, September 6th, the Working- men's Convention met at Rain's Hall and nominated Joseph Thompson, familiarly known as the "Blacksmith of Old Town," for Mayor. The candidate said, in accept- ing the nomination: "This is a spontane- ous uprising of the working people, and I cannot help but feel that it was the hand of the Almighty power that made my name so warm in the hearts of such a large num- ber of the people of this city.

"Like a weed I was thrown on the tide of popularity where the wave of your kindness

took me up and landed me on an elevated spot in the sunshine of your favor.

"The delegates were consistent in adher- ing to the doctrine that the office is to seek the man and not the man the office. They made the workshop the peer of any man's office.

"A man is not born to conditions in this country. Here are no titles-dukes, bar- onets or kings. Men, however, rise to con- ditions and in that rise there might be chances of fraud. There's the rub. When we assist an honest man to rise we are some- times mistaken and take impudence for in- telligence, ignorance for modesty, and merit falls behind, spurned to the ground, while presumptuous ignorance takes its place. We may, however, always read a man's character. 'A pigmy is a pigmy still though perched on Alps, and pyramids are pyramids in vales. A man's character remains the same whether you find him in the halls of legislation or breaking stone on the turnpike.'

"I would rather, before heaven, be an honest blacksmith than a dishonest Mayor."

October 10th, 1877, at a Democratic meeting in support of the regular ticket, held at Masonic Temple, S. Teackle Wallis made a speech in which he said: "Two years ago I was read out of the Democratic party. I was told the doors were forever barred against me and no matter how long the lamp held out to burn, so vile a sinner could not return. I knew the day would be sure to come, no matter what would be the differences of opinion, when the great heart of the Democratic party would be just to any man who had no other object than its purification.

"It is a mistake and a misfortune for Mr.

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Warfield to be placed where he is. In the nomination of George P. Kane, no reform nomination was necessary.

"As to the Workingman's candidate for Mayor, I cannot say that my father ever worked with his father, and therefore, if I called him Joe, it would be taking a great liberty. He is a clever man, and a man of good education. He makes a good use of words-furnished-I think, some times, from someone else. The principles of the new party are communistic. Their men justify the burning of depots and other property. Men who do this and tell you they are not communist, tell you, you are fools."

Thursday, October 12th, Mr. Thompson hit back. He said: "Mr. Wallis will not call me Joe and I will return the compliment by refraining from the liberty of calling him Teackle. It is not necessary for me to say that he tickled the Reform party in 1875 and that now he tickles the Democratic party.

"I wish you all to understand that behind the checkered shirts beat hearts; under the workman's cap there is intelligence, and under his hardy hand is skill."

At the municipal election held October 24, 1877, George P. Kane, Democratic can- didate for Mayor, received 33,098 votes; Thompson, Workingman's candidate, 17,- 389 votes, and Warfield, Reform, received 535 votes.

At the election held Tuesday, November 6, Keating, Democratic candidate for Comptroller, received 28,087, and Porter, Republican, received 6,396 votes.

1878.

During the fall campaign of 1878, in the Third Congressional District, Wm. Kimmel

was nominated for Congress by the Demo- crats, and Joseph Thompson by the Tem- perance party.

In the Fourth Congressional District, Robt. M. McLane was nominated by the Democrats for Congress, and Col. John C. Holland was nominated by the Republi- cans. In a speech made by Mr. Holland on Monday evening, October 7, he said: "Mr. McLane had given a gloomy account of the finances of the country; let us com- pare, then, the Democratic ring rule in Bal- timore City. Taxes in this city have gone up until they have become a permanent mortgage on property. They have piled up the debt at the rate of a million a year and they want to fund a million of the float- ing debt and bonds in Baltimore. In the meantime the Government of the United States has been reducing its debt millions of dollars annually."

At a Democratic meeting on Wednesday, October 9th, Mr. Kimmel said: "The ex- istence of the spirit of Democracy was trac- able in ancient Grecian history down through the monarchies of the Old World.

"In 1866 the Democracy entered a sol- emn protest against the expenditure of $400,000,000 by a Republican Congress. The Republicans have imposed an unjust tariff and have maintained a standing army for the purpose of policing the Southern States."

Mr. Robt. M. McLane, at a meeting on Friday, October IIth, said: "Nothing in history exceeds the folly and immorality of the fiscal policy of the Republican party in war and peace in squandering the public funds and exhausting our resources.

"Its progress and administration were signalized by waste and corruption in its ex-

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penditures, with an amount of taxation un- paralleled in the history of any country of like population and resources. Its ways of taxation were even more ruinous to the trade and business of the country than its amount."

Joseph Thompson, at a meeting on Thurs- day evening, October 31st, said: "Mr. Kimmel should not be elected to Congress, because he had been there before and has done nothing for us.

"He has been trying to find out who was elected President two years after the elec- tion, while labor was starving and wanted legislation; while the shipcarpenters in Bal- timore were selling their tools to support their families, and while our navy was going to wreck he was trying to reduce the army by turning out poor soldiers who were re- ceiving from the Government $16.00 per month for keeping in order the Indians."

The result of this fall election was: Mr. Kimmell received 11,472 votes, and Mr. Thompson received 4,908 votes in the Third Congressional District; Mr. McLane re- ceived 11,064 votes and Mr. Holland re- ceived 6,671 votes in the Fourth Congres- sional District.

1879.

Thursday, September 11th, Wm. J. Hooper was nominated by the Republicans for Mayor of Baltimore, and on September 12th, James A. Gary was nominated for Governor by the same party.

The Democratic nominee for Mayor was F. C. Latrobe, and Wm. T. Hamilton for Governor.

At a Republican mass meeting at the Concordia Opera House, Mr. James A. Gary said: "It is exceedingly proper that I should begin my campaign in the city of

Baltimore, not simply because it is the cen- tre of a vast population with which I sym- pathize in all of its plans of action, industry, expanding commerce and intellectual and moral growth, but because this city is the victim of excessive taxation, and the prin- cipal political factor by which the rest of the State is kept in subjection by political mis- rule."

At a Republican mass meeting on Wednesday, October 8th, Mr. Hooper said: "I am no alchemist. I only desire to call your attention to the fact that if our city indebtedness be permitted to increase in the same ratio for the next twelve years that it has in the past twelve years, it requires no prophetic hand to trace in living legible letters upon the escutcheon of our city- bankruptcy."

Hon. John A. J. Creswell: "We are in a most deplorable condition to-day in Mary- land. The dominant party have organized rings and cliques, and have been most cor- rupt in their management of State and municipal affairs."

At a Democratic meeting Thursday, Oc- tober 9th, Mr. Latrobe replied to Mr. Hooper's speech: "Mr. Hooper had given figures in connection with the financial con- dition of the city of Baltimore which were calculated to mislead the public.

At the Democratic mass meeting on Sep- tember 29th, Wm. T. Hamilton maintained: "There is a cry of abuses; abuses they may and perhaps do exist, for there will always be unworthy camp followers of strong and victorious parties. Where abuses are dis- covered, they should be weeded out; but this is not to be done by transferring the power to the Republican party. Remem- ber that if you elect a Republican Governor,

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you give him the power to appoint your supervisors of elections and your Police Commissioners. Do you think it expedi- ent at this junction to give this power to the Republicans?"

During this interesting campaign, Jo- seph Thompson made speeches for the cause of candidate Hamilton and Messrs. Whyte and Gorman appeared upon the hustings in friendly fellowship for Mr. Hamilton.

At the municipal election in October, Mr. Latrobe received 25,729 votes for Mayor, and Mr. Hooper 19,830 votes; 95 votes were cast for Augustus Mathiot as Greenback candidate.

At the Gubernatorial election held in November, Mr. Hamilton received 29,184 votes, and Mr. Gary 17,910 votes in Bal- timore City.

1880.

The Republican candidate for Congress in the Third District was Joshua Horner, Jr. Enock Pratt was nominated in the Fourth Congressional District. He de- clined and in his stead George C. Maund was named.

The Democratic nominees were Fetter S. Hoblitzel, in the Third District, and Robt. M. McLane in the Fourth District. James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur were Republican nominees for President and Vice-President, and Gen. Wm. F. Han- cock and Wm. H. English, the Demo- cratic nominees.

At a Republican mass meeting in the Fourth District, Wednesday, October 20th, Mr. Maund, in his address, said: "Three things at least the Republican party had accomplished-the preservation of the United States, the abolition of slavery, that

contradiction for 70 years or more of the first sentence in the Constitution of the United States, and the preservation of the National honor by the payment of its debts. The Republican party had done all that work, and good work it was. Now the Democratic party is trying to claim all the glory; they say this platform differs from our's in scarcely any particular, but why? Because they are stealing our thunder. It is not that we have gone over to them, but we have dragged them up in spite of them- selves to our level."

Archibald Stirling, Jr .: "The Demo- crats cried for change; they should not ob- ject to a little right here. No candidate had been nominated for Congress by the Democrats unless they signified in some way or other that they belonged to A. P. Gorman & Co. It was strange to see men formerly pledged to Wm. Pinkney Whyte so tied down as they now were. It is not to the interest of any Democrat not di- rectly bound to the McLane faction to vote for him."

At a Republican meeting in the Third District, October 21st, Joshua Horner, Jr., said: "Were the Democratic ideas carried out, the result would be the wiping from existence of the middle class, and the de- basement of the working people into a half- paid, half-starved and half-fed race; the ele- vation into power of an aristocracy of wealth."

At the election in October for Council- men, the Democrats polled 23,330 votes and the Republicans 14,170.

At the election in November, Mr. Hob- litzel, in the Third District, polled 13,639 votes and Mr. Horner 9,965. In the Fourth Congressional District, Mr. McLane 15,-

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728 votes and Mr. Maund 13,533. Gen. Hancock received 32,772 votes and Gen. . Garfield 23,338.

1881.

At the city election in October for inem- bers of Council, the Democrats polled 23,- 549 and the old line Democrats 4,800 votes; the Republicans 7,903. Wm. Pinkney Whyte, the Democratic candidate for Mayor, received 29,364 votes and James L. Bartol, Independent, received 10,872. The Republican candidate for Comptroller of the State was Thomas Gorsuch, and the Democratic nominee, Thos. J. Keating, for whom was cast 24,289 votes, while Gorsuch had only 12,507 votes. It was a spiritless campaign without life enough to make it interesting.

1882.

The contest this year in Balitmore City for Democratic nominations for Congress, was exceedingly lively. Mr. Hoblitzel was nominated in the Third District and Mr. Jno. V. L. Findlay in the Fourth District by the Democrats. In the Third District the Republicans nominated Col. Theodore F. Lang, and in the Fourth District Henry Stockbridge, Sr. Zest was given to the campaign this year by reason of the expira- tion of the terms of judges of the respective courts constituting the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City. The old Judges were Robt. Gilmor, Henry F. Gary and Campbell W. Pinkney, all candidates for re-election. Wm. A. Fisher had been nominated in place of Geo. W. Dobbin, who retired by reason of his advanced age.

Wm. A. Stewart, Charles E. Phelps and Edward Duffy were named by the Inde- pendent Democrats and endorsed by the

great body of Republicans. These ac- cepted W. A. Fisher and placed his name on their ticket. John C. King and George C. Maund were nominated by the dissatis- fied Republicans who professed to believe in maintaining their organization, and Lu- ther M. Reynolds by the Labor party.

The civil service reformers gave life to the campaign this year by a series of ques- tions which they submitted to the candi- dates for Congress.

At a Democratic meeting, Friday, Octo- ber 20th, in the Third Congressional Dis- trict, Henry M. Warfield, Sr., appeared to champion the election of the Regular Dem- ocratic ticket. He said of the old Judges: "They were nominated by the regular Dem- ocratic party; they will be upheld by the regular Democrats. I have nothing to say against the so-called Independent move- ment. They are honorable men, but I am a civil service reformer and I don't believe in putting away good men, faithful public servants, and filling their places with those of whom we know not."

Mr. Hoblitzel: "Democratic honesty held the Nation's purse strings and many millions were saved to the people during the six years the Democrats held sway in Congress. The advent of the 47th brought a new order of things, faction and strife which had been slumbering broke out afresh."

Mayor Whyte: "The judicial ticket chosen by thousands of the Democratic party was not good enough for National bank presidents, corporation magnates and commercial people, and so they must have a trader's ticket evolved on business prin- ciples out of barters with Custom House

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officials, Federal district attorneys and dis- appointed aspirants for judicial offices."

Monday, October 23rd, Mr. Findlay ad- dressed a meeting in his District and thus declared his position: "I go for the old Judges, because I think they have done their duty. During the Buchanan Presi- dential election I was a schoolboy. In sym- pathy I went with the moderate men of the country when I became a man. I certainly was not a Republican either then or at any subsequent time, either by name or in sym- pathy or in principle. I contended that uni- versal negro suffrage was a tremendous blunder." Mr. Stockbridge, his opponent, declared that he thought "it was an act of wise statesmanship."

Col. Lang addressed a meeting in the Third District on the same evening, saying: "The Republican party provided this coun- try with the safest banking system ever known, and it believes in the education of the masses. It has placed our credit on a par with that of any other nation."

At the Council election in October, the Democrats received 24,495 votes and the Republicans received 12,042 votes.

At a meeting held in Cross Street Market Hall, Thursday, October 22nd, William M. Marine, speaking for the election of H. B. Holton, Republican, for Congress in the Fifth District, said in part: "The old time friends of labor were the Whigs; opposed to them were the Democrats, who decried free labor, tariff and internal improvements. The embodiment of those principles into a creed has become the fundamental ground work of the Republican party. They were held by the rail-splitter Lincoln and by Garfield of the towpath. On the arch that rises majestically and imperishably to pub-

lic view in flaming letters, prominent in the sunlight of day and bright as the stars of night, are these words: Freedom, Frater- nity and Protection to American Fields and Workshops. The tariff is a barrier that for- eign competition cannot surmount. It is a dike that they never can cross, the safety line within which are the fires of the forge and the hammer of the shop whose beats re- sound with constant and continuing pros- perity."

Col. Wm. Kimmel, member of Con- gress, announced himself an Independent Democratic candidate for Congress. He addressed . meeting of his followers on Thursday, October 26th, at Patterson Hall, North Broadway. He averred that "free- dom no longer existed in voting and in the present way of conducting their primaries there is no hope of honest elections, unless the people do away with bossism and cor- ruption." While engaged in his work in Congress two years ago, he had been thrown overboard by ring tricksters and bosses, and Hoblitzel substituted in his place. Dr. Milton N. Taylor, who presided at the meeting, expressed the opinion that "the old Judges were clever enough them- selves, but they were surrounded by cor- rupt subordinates, who had shown their audacity and tricks at the polls time and time again."

On the evening of Friday, October 28th, a meeting was held .at the Con- cordia Opera House, favorable to the elec- tion of the new Judge ticket. Mr. John H. Thomas avowed that "Mayor Whyte had termed the Independent ticket a bas- tard ticket, and had bidden it die a bas- tard's death. He should not have said this. A bailiff in the City Hall nominated Judge

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Pinkney. Judge Gilmore was nominated by Joe Thompson, once the People's can- didate for Mayor, and now rewarded for his apostasy by an office in the City Hall."

Mr. Archibald Stirling, Jr., thought that three Democrats and one Republican sat- isfied everybody as a fair division. It was all the Republicans had a right to expect, and it gave him great pleasure to stand shoulder to shoulder with men of opposite politics in doing what was right. The mer- chants and the mechanics were in favor of the movement. The only chance with the other side was to divide the negroes and cheat as much as they could."

Mr. Bernard Carter: "I have no lamp but the lamp of experience. These men who stuffed the ballot-box from time to time will stuff it now.

"There was no opposition in the Demo- cratic party primaries recently held, and if they stuffed the boxes, then in Heaven's name, what would they have done had there been opposition, and Messrs. Phelps and Duffy had presented themselves as can- didates. It has been shown ward by ward that there was a large vote cast at the ju- dicial primary, when only ring Democrats were allowed to vote."

Thursday, November I, at Hollins' Hall, Mr. John K. Cowen made a speech favor- able to the new Judge ticket, in which he said, quoting the words of Mayor Whyte, "that there was an infectious disease called Independentism in the neighborhood. I was inclined to bring a yellow flag along, and I thank God there's independentism here, and I shall be glad to see it spread."

Henry Stockbridge, Sr., on the evening of the same day, spoke at Montgomery Insti- tute, to a colored audience, saying: "Do

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Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n Publication date: 1898 Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1344

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344