The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-29
The Ring Platform.


broad humor in the Democratic plat
form that it is difficult to avoid a
suspicion that some wicked wag pre.
sided over its birth. 1t deals in oan.
eralities and carefully avoids state
issues, and yet contrives both nv
what it says and what it avoids saw
ing to make tissue of droll incon.
sistencies and self-contradictions.
1t begins by denouncing "great
Frauds" and states that Hayes and
Wheeler's election was 'sbrouebt
about by frauds consummated under
the forms of law" This is matter
of national politics, and not of state
politics and though the Democrats
are entitled to their opinions upon
this subject, it is worse than idle to
talk about dead issues in national
politics when there are living issues
in state politics before them. The
convention lodged the temperance
question, which is knocking loudly
at its gate it lodged the tobacco in
spection and straddled the needed
abolition of useless offices but il
talked about the "great fraud of
1876" feeling there upon grounds
calculated to give no offence to the
Democratic ring. 49,
But there was a state election in
Maryland where a man not elected
was counted in-not "consummated
under the forms of law" as this plat
form puts it, but in violation of law.
Ballot boxes were stuffed, as a men,
Der of this convention stated yester-
day in his speech; and, in addition
to these frauds, the ballot boxes them
selves in the custody of the Superior
Court were violated and the votes
that they contained changed to suit
the Democratic requirement. If the
Maryland Democrats desire to make
fraudulent elections and countings-in
an issue, by all means let it be on
state, and not national, elections. The
Republicans are quite ready to meet
the question. But this plank of the
platform has its delicious irony-for
Mr.. John Lee Carroll was chairman
of the committee that drew the res
olutions. Surely, there was some
wicked wag on that committee.
The minority platform was prac.
tical document. 1t dealt with the
living questions before the people of
the state. 1t called for the abolition
ofspecitic useless affairs it demanded
specific reforms in the oyster service
and canal service it demanded laws
for the prevention of bribery and
lobbying; it called for limitations
upon the appointing powers of the
Board of Public Works. Being thus
a practical document. and not string
ofinsincere and heartless generalities.
it was voted down, and got only seven
and a-half votes.
One of the many touches of Hne,
satire in this platform adopted was
the plank on Governor Hamilton. 1t
states that 1.-THE thanks of the Democ-
racy of this state are due to Governor
William L. Hamilton for his efforts,
In connection with the legislature"
in carrying out the reforms promised
in the platform of 1879. Truly, the
humorist who wrote this plank must
have winked with profundity equiv
alent to going to sleep on one side.
In the first place, the legislature did
not carry out the reforms in the Sec
ond place, the one reform out of all
that were promised-the new regis
tration--was obtained from a most
reluctant legislature only after the
most persistent hammering from
Governor Hamilton. To put the fin
ishing touch to this piece of true
humor, the same convention that
thanked" Governor Hamilton, turn
cd down Hamilton and every Hamil-
ton man; and the reforms that the
Hamilton men advocated, and which
were embodied in the minority plat
FORM and which got only seven and
a-half votes, were the same reforms
that were in the platform of 1879. If
Mark Twain can beat this, we should
ike to see him do it.-Bolto. Amaeri