USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 14
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The Cruiser Baltimore From a photograph
The battle of July 3d was fought off the southern coast of Cuba. The Spanish fleet, blockaded in the harbor of Santiago by the American fleet, attempted to escape, and was totally destroyed. Acting Rear Admiral Sampson was com- mander-in-chief of the American fleet, and the officer second in command was Commodore Winfield Scott Schley of Mary- land; the commander-in-chief was absent when the battle occurred. The American ships were ably handled and won a brilliant victory.
Admiral Sampson had left the station of the blockading fleet for the purpose of holding a conference, and was less than ten miles away when the battle opened. He had gone to the eastward,
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and the Spaniards made their running fight to the westward. Sampson followed in his flagship, New York, with all speed, and arrived at the conclusion of the battle. These peculiar circumstances led to an unfortunate controversy as to who had been in command at Santiago and who deserved the credit for the victory. Commodore Schley wrote that the victory was large enough for all, and for a long while remained silent. The matter grew more and more serious : the navy department plainly favored the cause of Sampson, while the great majority of the public press favored Schley ; the latter's friends declared that a control- ing clique in the navy depart- ment was persecuting Schley, while Sampson's friends began to criticise Schley's conduct throughout the war. Finally, a history of our navy, written by E. S. Maclay, and to be used as a text-book in the Na- val Academy, spoke of Schley as a "caitiff " and "coward," and the book was said to have the approval of the navy depart- ment. Great excitement fol- lowed this, and Admiral Schley asked for a Court of Inquiry Winfield Scott Schley to investigate his conduct dur- From a photograph ing the war with Spain. The Stereograph copyright by Underwood & Underwood, New York court met in Washington in September, 1901, and was composed of Admiral Dewey and Rear Admirals Ramsay and Benham; Captain Samuel C. Lemly was judge-advocate. The case for Admiral Schley was brilliantly conducted by Attorney-General Isidor Rayner of
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Maryland.1 The decision was awaited with the greatest interest. Admirals Ramsay and Benham condemned Schley on every possible point except that of cowardice ; Admiral Dewey, presi- dent of the Court, dissented, and gave an opinion favorable to Schley on the important points, and declared him to have been in command at Santiago. The secretary of the navy approved the findings of the majority of the Court.
As a last resort for obtaining official vindication, Admiral Schley appealed to President Roosevelt, as commander-in-chief of the navy. The president's decision was on the whole unfav- orable to Schley. According to the president, nobody in particu- lar was in command at Santiago; "it was a captains' fight.".
Popular sympathy, on the other hand, has shown itself unmis- takably with Admiral Schley. He has received enthusiastic welcome in the various parts of the country he has visited, and public and private gifts ; several state legislatures have passed resolutions declaring him the hero of Santiago, and the Maryland legislature, in 1902, appropriated $3000 for his life-size bust to be placed in the State House.
The Maryland Naval Militia had an exciting cruise in the fine auxiliary cruiser Dixie, and rendered important service in the waters of the West Indies. The Dixie bombarded several forts and destroyed other property of the enemy, captured a number of vessels, and received the surrender of Port Ponce, Porto Rico. Two regiments of the state militia (National Guard) were mus- tered into the service of the United States, but took no active part in the war.
One of the notable exploits of the war was the wonderful voy- age of the United States battleship Oregon from San Francisco,
1 The Hon. Jeremiah M. Wilson of Washington, who was selected as counsel-in-chief, died shortly after the trial began. Mr. Rayner was assisted by Captain James Parker of New Jersey. In 1904 Mr. Rayner was elected United States senator from Maryland.
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California, to Key West, Florida. She made the trip of 13,587 miles in sixty-six days. The Oregon was built by Irving M. Scott, a native of Baltimore county, Maryland.
The Cruiser Maryland
From a drawing furnished by the Navy Department, Washington
123. Politics and Elections. - At the present time there are two great political parties in the United States, -- the Democratic and the Republican. To make clear the principles and doctrines of these great parties would require much explanation, and they do not belong particularly to our state history.
Chapter V contains an account of politics in Maryland during the Civil War. After the close of the war the Democrats were found to be greatly in the majority, and they won in the state elections for many years. In 1895 Lloyd Lowndes, the Repub- lican candidate for governor, was elected, it being charged that there was serious corruption among Democrats in power. At the presidential election of 1896 the state again went Republican. This party continued to win until 1899, when John Walter Smith, the Democratic candidate, was elected governor by a majority over Lowndes of 12,000. In the presidential election of 1900 the state again went Republican, by nearly 14,000. In 1901 the Democrats elected a small majority to the legislature, and the
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comptroller of the treasury by a very small majority (121) over the Republican candidate; while the Republicans elected the clerk of the Court of Appeals, by a majority over the Democratic candidate of 1,386. In the Congressional elections of 1902 the state went Republican by a plurality of 7,445. In 1903 Edwin Warfield, the Democratic candidate, was elected governor by a majority over his Republican opponent of 12,625. These facts show that we have a large number of independent voters - men who will not vote reg- ularly with a party, but each time decide what candidates and meas- ures should be supported for the best interests of the state.
In early times men voted viva voce, or by the " living voice." This caused so much trouble that in 1802 a law was passed in Maryland to compel voting to be done by ballot ; that is, on a written or printed slip of paper. In 1890 the state adopted Edwin Warfield From a photograph a plan known as the Australian bal- lot, by which voting might be en- tirely secret, and in 1896 a law was passed to throw additional safeguards about voting. The state prints all the ballots. In March, 1901, the General Assembly, being in special session,1 passed a new election law. This pro- vides for a ballot, prepared by the authorities, on which the names of the candidates are printed in alphabetical order. No
1 At the same session a state census was ordered, it being discovered that there had been frauds in connection with the national census of 1900.
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symbols or party emblems of any kind are allowed. This has the effect of preventing persons who cannot read from voting, or at least of making it very difficult for them to do so.
124. Industries. - Though Maryland is no longer a purely agricultural community, the cultivation of the soil continues to be a leading industry. In the west of the state excellent crops of wheat, corn, and grass are raised, and many cattle are fattened for market. On the moun- tain slopes are raised peaches of the finest quality, grapes, and pears. Wheat, corn, and grass are raised in northern and central Maryland, while there is much market garden- ing, and there are im- portant dairy products. Southern Maryland is largely devoted to truck A Coal Mine, Allegany County farming and fruit rais- ing; tobacco has lost From a photograph its old-time importance but is still cultivated. On the Eastern Shore wheat, corn, fruits, tobacco, and vegetables are extensively raised.
The most valuable mineral product of Maryland is soft coal, of which great quantities are found west of Cumberland. No coal of the kind in the United States is superior in quality.
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The mining of iron was once an important industry, but the discovery of a better quality of iron in other parts of the coun- try has nearly destroyed it. The same is true of copper. Ex- cellent red sandstone is found in Montgomery and Frederick counties ; roofing slate in Harford; marble in Baltimore, Car- roll, and Frederick; and a fine quality of granite in Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil counties. Nearly two hundred million bricks are made annually from Maryland clay.
Tonging for Oysters From a photograph
Maryland gives employment to greater numbers in the work of catching and preparing the products of the water than any other state in the Union. Of these products the oyster is the most important, those of the Chesapeake region being the finest in the world. Vast quantities are consumed at home, and great numbers are canned and sent all over the world. For several years there has been an alarming decline in this industry, how- ever, and a strong and determined sentiment has sprung up for the passage of a law providing for scientific oyster culture.
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Crabs abound in practically unlimited numbers in the bay and its tributaries. The diamond-back terrapin is considered a great delicacy and brings high prices. The shad is the most important fish ; a means of arti- ficial cultivation was adopted in 1880, since 5 which the supply has been enormously in- creased. Mackerel, herring, and other fish are taken in large numbers.
Manufacturing is a very important indus- try of the state. Balti- more is one of the great manufacturing cities Oyster Packing From a photograph of the Union ; among her largest industries are iron and steel, clothing, tobacco, and the canning of fruits and oysters. Baltimore is also the first city of the country in copper-refining, and the largest producer of cotton duck in the world. The great works at Sparrows Point for the manufacture of steel and the construction of steel ves- sels are among the largest in the world. The city has many other important manufacturing industries that cannot here be mentioned. Cumberland, also, is an important manufacturing city, the chief products being glass, cement, iron and steel, bricks, lumber, and flour. Hagerstown, a handsome and pro- gressive city of Washington county, manufactures bicycles, flour, wagons, and agricultural implements. Frederick produces
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Steel Industry, Sparrows Point From a photograph
wagons, straw hats, brushes, canned fruits, and canned vege- tables. Large quantities of fertilizer are manufactured in Balti- more and other cities of the state.
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Ship Building, Sparrows Point From a photograph
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A Granite Quarry, Woodstock County From a photograph
125. Commerce and Transportation .- The commercial center of Maryland is, of course, Baltimore, now one of the leading export cities of the United States. In grain trade it ranks sec- ond among Atlantic ports. Besides an enormous home trade Baltimore has a foreign trade worth considerably more than a hundred million dollars a year. Grain, flour, provisions, canned goods, cattle, tobacco, and copper are exported in large quanti- ties. The chief imports are coffee, fruits, iron ore, chemicals, and tin plate (used largely in the canning industry ). Baltimore is connected with foreign countries by nearly twenty regular lines of steam vessels and many sailing craft, while many lines of steamers ply between the city and the ports of Maryland and
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of other states. There are more than a score of railroad lines in the state, controlled chiefly by the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany. The Baltimore and Ohio, whose small beginning we have studied (see Sec. 95), has developed wonderfully since its early days; the rude engine of Peter Cooper has been replaced by the huge modern locomotive, with its driving wheel of seventy- eight inches' diameter, hauling a train of ten cars at the rate of sixty miles an hour. The road connects Chi- cago and the Missis- sippi on the west with Philadelphia and New York on the east. Through trains pass under the city through the Belt Line tunnel, a mile and a half long, which is equipped with the most powerful elec- tric locomotives ever built. Recently the Bal- Mt. Royal Station, B. & O. R.R., Baltimore From a photograph timore and Ohio passed into the control of the Pennsylvania railroad, one of the largest systems in the world.
Cumberland, an important railroad center and the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, is the commercial center of the western part of Maryland. Frederick and Hagerstown also are railroad centers of importance. Several lines of railroad traverse the Eastern Shore, which, with the numerous water routes of trade and travel, afford excellent commercial facilities. The Elk and Delaware rivers are con- nected by the Chesapeake and Delaware canal, thus opening
View of Cumberland From a photograph
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a short and direct water route between Baltimore and Phila- delphia.
126. Education : Public School System ; Colleges and Universi- ties. - The lack of educational facilities in Maryland in the colonial days has already been mentioned (see Sec. 66), to- gether with the reasons for the condition that existed. Until 1694 such schools as existed were private and the government did noth- ing for the cause of popular education. In that year Francis Nich- olson, who has been called the "father of the public school sys- The Easton High School From a photograph tem of Maryland," be- came royal governor of the province. He founded King William's School at Annapolis (see Sec. 43), and he also managed to secure the passage of a law to establish schools in the other counties, although the establishment was not effected. In 1723 a system of county schools was established ; pupils of all grades of learning were received and prepared for college. For about a century these were the only public schools of Maryland. An attempt was made in 1825 to reform the sys- tem, but very little was actually accomplished. The Constitution of 1867 required the legislature to establish an efficient system of public schools, which was done as promptly as possible.
Under the present organization there is a State Board of Education composed of the governor, six other persons ap-
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pointed by the governor, and the state superintendent of public education, who is appointed by the governor and is secretary of the board. Each county is under the control of a Board of County School Commissioners appointed by the governor ; and each school is under the control of a Board of District Trustees appointed by the county board. The county board elects a person to be secretary, treasurer, and county superin- tendent. The General Assembly makes an appropriation for the purchase of free text- books in the schools. There are two State Normal Schools for the training of teach- ers, one located in Bal- timore and the other in Frostburg. The lat- ter was established in 1902, the former in I866.
The school system of Baltimore city is in- The State Normal School, Baltimore From a photograph dependent of that of the state. It is controlled by a board of nine commissioners,; appointed by the mayor of the city. There is a superintendent of public instruction, and there are two assistants. The Balti- more City College is a high school for boys; it does not confer degrees, but its graduates are admitted to the Johns Hopkins University without examination. The Polytechnic Institute was
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the second institution of the kind established as a part of a public school system. Originally a manual training school, it is now a secondary technical school, which aims to teach mechanical processes, to develop manual skill in connection with the ordinary intellectual pursuits, and to prepare for advanced technical studies. There is no attempt to teach trades. The school is well equipped, and since 1899 the grade has been raised from elementary and secondary to secondary and collegiate.
In 1902 the General Assembly passed a compulsory education act, applying only to Baltimore city and Allegany county, how- ever ; it requires all children between eight and twelve years of age to attend a day school, and also those between twelve and sixteen who are not lawfully employed at some form of labor. Children under twelve years of age may not be employed in any factory (except for canned goods); nor may children more than twelve but less than sixteen be so em- ployed unless they are able to read and write, or attend a night school (pro- vided a public one is available).
Of the higher in- stitutions of learning St. John's College at The Woman's College, Baltimore From a photograph Annapolis, Western Maryland College at Westminster,1 and Washington College at Chestertown, receive state aid. They offer free scholarships in return. The Johns Hopkins University, an account of which has already been 1 Methodist Protestant.
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given, received considerable appropriations from the state in 1898, 1900, 1902, and 1904. There are many other colleges throughout the state. The Maryland Agricultural College is situated in Prince George's county, eight miles from Washing- ton. This college also has received state aid. Besides these may be mentioned the Woman's College of Baltimore,1 Mt. St. Mary's College 2 at Emmittsburg (Frederick county), Loyola College 2 of Baltimore, Rock Hill College 3 at Ellicott City, and New Windsor College 3 in Carroll county.
There are also several excellent professional schools. The Westminster Theological Seminary, near Western Maryland College, prepares ministers for the Methodist Protestant Church. For the training of priests for the Roman Catholic Church there are several prominent institutions : St. Mary's Seminary (Sulpician) of Baltimore, St. Charles College (Sulpician) near Ellicott City, Woodstock College (Jesuit) in Baltimore county, Ilchester College (Redemptorist Congregation) in Howard county. The University of Maryland, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Baltimore Medical College, and other schools for the training of physicians are located in Baltimore, and the Johns Hopkins University has a school of medicine. There are several excellent law schools also. The Maryland Institute of Baltimore is an excellent school of art and design, which receives appropriations from the city and the state and grants free scholarships.
Well worthy of mention, also, is the Jacob Tome Institute of Port Deposit, established in 1889 by Jacob Tome, a resident of the town. It has an endowment of several million dollars, the largest amount ever devoted to secondary education in the United States, and is admirably equipped. Tuition is free to students of Maryland.
1 Methodist Episcopal.
2 Roman Catholic.
3 Presbyterian.
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127. Learned Societies. - The Maryland Historical Society was founded in 1844. Its objects are the collection and preservation of material relating to the history of the state, and the arousing of an interest in historical study. The Society owns and occupies the Athenaeum building on the corner of St. Paul and Saratoga streets, Baltimore. It has a very valuable library of about 45,000 volumes, and a collection of manuscripts and historic relics of great interest and value. From the income of a publication fund left by George Peabody, thirty-seven historical and biographical works have been published. In 1884 the General Assembly made the Society the custodian of the archives of the province of Maryland, and has since that time made an annual appro- priation of $2000 for their publication. Twenty-four volumes have thus been published under the supervision of the Society.
The Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland was in- corporated in 1799. Its purpose is to promote and disseminate medical knowledge, and it comprises in its membership some of the most distinguished physicians of the state.
The Maryland Academy of Sciences was organized in 1863, and gathered a large collection of geological and natural history specimens, Indian relics, etc. The institution after some years transferred its specimens to the Johns Hopkins University, not having the funds to care for them properly. A few years ago Mr. Enoch Pratt presented the Society with a building, after which it was reorganized.
In the autumn of 1902 the Geographical Society of Baltimore was organized, with Dr. Daniel C. Gilman as president. The Society is one in which men of science and men of business may meet on the common ground of effort for the advancement of the interest of their home city.
128. Public Libraries and Art Galleries. - The State Library is in the State House at Annapolis. It contains about 50,000
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volumes, and is especially strong in law books. The Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore has already been mentioned in this chapter ; it contains, in the Central Library, about 135,000 volumes. The Peabody Institute possesses a reference library of great value, numbering about 150,000 volumes.
In 1902 the Maryland legislature passed an act enabling any county or municipality to establish a free public library and reading-room, and provided also for the appointment of a state commission to give advice and assistance in making the plan a success.
Connected with the Peabody Institute is an art gallery contain- ing a choice collection of paintings, sculptures, and bronzes. Among them is the beautiful statue of Clytie, the masterpiece of the famous sculptor, Rinehart. The Maryland Historical Society also possesses a gallery of paintings, which is located on the second floor of the Athenaeum building, and is open to the public. In the home of Mr. Henry Walters on Mt. Vernon place, Baltimore, is probably the finest private art collection in the United States. The gallery is open certain days to the pub- lic, a small admission fee being charged and the proceeds given to the poor.
129. The Baltimore Fire of February, 1904. - On the morn- ing of Sunday, February 7, 1904, a fire broke out in a large wholesale drygoods store on the corner of German and Sharp streets, Baltimore. An explosion, the cause of which is not certainly known, took place, setting fire to a number of sur- rounding buildings, and the high wind which was blowing at the time swept the flames rapidly to the east and north. The fire was soon utterly beyond control, and although engines and firemen were summoned from New York, Philadelphia, Wash- ington, and other cities, the progress of the flames could not be arrested. Not until five o'clock Monday afternoon, Febru-
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ary 8, was the fire pronounced under control, after having burned its way to the Basin and Jones Falls. The fire had extended over one hundred and forty acres, and had destroyed wholly or in part more than thirteen hundred buildings, including eighteen banks, all the great office buildings of so-called fireproof construction,
Rebuilding in the Burned District, Baltimore From a photograph
the great newspaper offices, and hundreds of important business houses. The very heart of the business section was laid in ashes, and only a timely change of wind and the heroic efforts of municipal officials and employes saved the splendid public buildings of the city from destruction. It was at once apparent that Baltimore had been visited by one of the great conflagra- tions of history.
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The state militia was placed on guard while the fire was still raging, and rendered splendid service. The troops were, how- ever, under the authority of the police department; there was no disorder and no neces- sity for martial law. Offi- cials of the city and state at once instituted meas- ures of relief ; the city pluckily declined the countless offers of assist- ance that poured in on Mayor M'Lane, and set BALTIMORE.STOCK-EXCHANGE to work with a will to build what is spoken of as "Greater Baltimore." The General Assembly authorized the appoint- ment by the mayor of a Burnt District Commis- sion, to give its whole time to the problems growing out of the fire. Plans have been made for the widen- Proposed Baltimore Stock Exchange From the architect's drawing ing and grading of streets, and immensely increasing the dock facilities of the harbor. Pri- vate persons and corporations, with similar enterprise, set to work to build enlarged and improved business structures. Some large business firms were allowed the use of public buildings, and practically all secured temporary, and in some cases perma- nent, quarters promptly. Great as was the calamity that fell upon the city, there is every reason to believe that it will ulti- mately prove a great blessing.
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