The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-09-06
outrages on Unprotected Females

Not since the negroes were given a
vote has the Republican party had
control of any branch of the State gov
eminent of Maryland. The executive,
the legislative and the judicial depart
ments have all been in the hands of
Democrats. Not withstanding this, and
Notwithstanding the fact that the penal
laws have been vigorously enforced, it
has been impossible to restrain the bru-
tai passions of the negro and to fully pro-
tect white women from felonious as.
saults. Though the negro knows that
Democratic officials are utterly intol-
Grant of such outrages, his savage in
stincts prompt him, in the face of al
most certain vengeance, to make these
fiendish attempts. Pursued and over
taken in almost every instance as the
miscreants are, by speedy, retributive
justice, the excitement incident to one
case scarcely dies away before fresh
outbreak occurs. And this, too, despite
the utmost vigilance to prevent the
crime and to arrest the offender and
the certain severity of the punishment.
These negroes know they have moth
ing to expect in the way of leniency
FROM white Democrats; but that relent-
less fury will overtake them if they
fall into the hands of all angry mob,
and if escaping the mob they fall into
the hands of the constituted authori-
ties, that the heaviest punishment will
be visited upon them. In the face of
all this the crime goes on. Anything
that will have tendency to induce
the negro to believe that there will be
a relaxation Of severity in the punish
ment for this crime will stimulate him
to more frequent and more atrocious
Preparations of it,
If the State government should hy
the aid of disaffected Democrats, be
handed over to the Republican party,
1t would be but short while before
every Democrat holding executive,
legislative and judicial positions would
be turned out of office and these places
would be filled with Republicans.
With the restraint removed under
which a negro naturally feels when
Democrats are IN power, and with
those of his own political utilization in
the ascendancy, every restriction upon
him would be taken away and no I'M
protected female, not even the little
child, would be secure, even though
Republican officials did their duty
faithfully. The utmost such officials
could do would be to punish offenders
after the crime had been committed:
they would have no influence TO deter
the preparation of them, because the
negro would, though no doubt erro-
neously. rely upon his own mistaken
belief that his political friends would
be more clement than his political en-
emies. In the country particularly,
where the men are frequently absent
from their homes and only children
and females are left on the premises,
the terror of the law would have no in.
fluence upon these savage brutes who
would calculate upon being protected
by their political friends or at all events
upon being not eagerly pursued by
them. Can it be possible that sensible
Democrats will vote to put the Repub-
llcan party in power when such dire
full consequences may follow, no mat
ter what grievances they have?
Here in this law-abiding county, with
in few months, there have been five
such cases-four of them by negroes.
If these people once get it into their
heads that they will be less severely
dealt with by Republican officials,
whom they helped to elect, than by
Democrats, there is no foretelling to
what extent this crime may grow. A
terrible responsibility rests upon every
Democrat who contemplates cutting
his ticket-his own wife and daughter
may be outraged by some negro scoun-
drel made bold and defiant by Repub-
lican success secured by Democratic
aid. Think well on this before you
scratch your ticket. Subsequent re-
grets will be of no avail.