The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-03-10

of honesty of purpose, have again
been feeding on the east wind of
broken promises.
There has never been a time when
the bearing of the majority has been
so arrogant, and when they have so
flagrantly set at defiance every con-
sideration of decency and justice.
Every Democrat in the State who
had the manhood to stand up and
assert his manhood by opposing in
any way the cut-and-dry methods of
the Ring has been publicly humilia-
ted, turned down and spit upon and
the Doodle gang have been particu
larly active this session devising
means to find places or make places
for the faithful.
1t would take a very long letter
even to outline the most that has
been done, or attempted to be done,
in this direction since the beginning
Of the session.
1 propose to notice briefly the new
registration law, of which so much
has been expected.
Before the election last fall we all
remember the frantic appeals made
by the Ring Democracy, and the
sacred pledges that they would enact
satisfactory registration law, and it
was tacitly agreed that the law
should be based on the Tilden law,
and that it should conform closely to
its provisions to the bill to be pre-.
pared by the Reform League of Bal
timore.
The bill prepared by the Reform
League would have been a fair and
practical measure, and would have
prevented the shameful frauds by
which the party in power perpetuates
its control, and would not have been
any more expensive than the old
law, besides it would have been more
representative in its character. 1t
provides for the appointment by the
County Commissioners of three Elec-
ton Commissioners, who in turn
appoint three judges and two clerks
for each election district, who sit as
a board of Registration and also as
Judges of Election. Their pay was
fixed at three dollars per day, and
they were to be allowed full paw for
seven days services and no more for
the year of general registration.
They were to be allowed for four
days services in the other years, or
the years of revision. The general
was to be made quad
rennialIy in Presidential years. The
other years the lists were to be simply
revised. The expenses in the years
of general registration would be S105
for each election district, including
judges and clerks on election days,
and for the three intermediate years
it would be $50 dollars a year, in.
the election expenses, or
about the same as it is at present,
averaging the years.
1t was too much to expect, how
ever, that the Doodle gang would
allow such a measure to become
law. Some of the counties would
elect Republican Commissioners and
they might appoint board of Flee
ton Commissioners a majority Of
which would be Republicans, and
they in turn might appoint major
ity of Republican judges and this
would deprive the Doodle gang of
part of their patronage. The regis
tration officers would have to yield
up their snug little plumb, and this
could not be thought Of. 1t is not
hard to detect the injustice of such a
measure in counties like Garrett,
where there is a solid Republican
majority, and that majority compos
ed of the solid men of the county,
but the spoils system must not be in
terfered with and | am sure the voice
and influence of each of CARROTS
Democratic representatives here was
in favor of the old law and not the
new.
SO the new registration bill, of
which so much was hoped and ex-
pected, will not be passed, but some
sort of patch work device will be put
on the old law and it will be made
more expensive and less serYiceabe
than before. The latest election bill
was a patch work arrangement of
this kind, and under its provisions
the Registration officers would re.
ceive about 500 each instead of $50
as at present. So the tendancy is to-
ward higher taxes and more bum
mers. The question is how long will
the people endure it?
Yours truly,
w.