The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-06-05

was to assist the illiterate voter, with rigid
oath not to disclose the knowledge thus OBJ
tanned, which he was required to make and
subscribe. The oath was contained in sub
section 152 of section 2 of the Election Law
of 1890, and read as follows:
81 will not attempt to ascertain save in
cases and in the manner in which | am au-
thorized by the law to do, for what candidate
or candidates any person shall vote, or has
voted, or how any person shall vote, or has
voted, on any question which may be, or may
have been, submitted to the vote Of the peo-
pie, and if such knowledge shall be acquired
by me in the performance OF nay duty | will
not directly, or indirectly, by word or act,
divulge or reveal the same, or aid in doing
so, save when / may be required to do 50 by
law in some legal proceeding, and will in all
things faithfully execute the duties Of my Office
of ballot clerk according to the best of my
knowledge, without favor or partiality, so help
me God
This oath, although it may not have exer-
cised very obligatory force on the conscience
of some of the partisan ballot clerks, yet the
severe penalties of perjury, which its viola
ton imposed, served to deter them from max
ing any vindictive or punitory use of their
knowledge thus acquired. The colored voters
soon came to understand this, and so the un-
known and undiscoverable detection of colored
voters from the Republican ranks in Southern
Maryland continued under the operation of
the new law, with the result of continued diss
aSter to Republican supremacy in that section
Of the State.
Therefore, when the Republican party found
itself in control of the State government upon
the assembling of its Legislature in 1896, the
necessity of making the election law potent
instrumentality for the maintenance of their
party supremacy was the chief thought in the
minds of its astute partisans. To this end a
completely new election and registration law
was promptly introduced and ultimately pass
ed To the accomplishment of this partisan
purpose, three several means had been de-
termined upon:
]. To dispense with obligation to secrecy
on the part of those who marked the ballots
of the illiterates, and thereby subject the 52,
600 Negro voters TO the surveillance of their
white leaders, and thus to restore the old state
of affairs in Southern Maryland and solidify
the Negro vote throughout the State.
2. To revoke the restrictions imposed by
the registration law of 1890 upon the cOloni-
zation O" Washington Negroes into the ad-
jacent counties Of Maryland.
8. To subject the counties to a wholly un-
necessary new registration of all voters, which
in 1882 had proved to be such partisan ad-
vantage to their party-by reason of the fact
that while many white voters neglected to
register, the Negroes all registered with super
stitious punctuality.
The draft of this important partisan meas
ure is understood to have been the work of
Mr.. John C. Rose, of Baltimore, who appears
to have had for his aid and adviser Mr.. Sydney
Z. Mudd, of Charles county, who became
Speaker of the House of Delegates. Rose
might be appropriately designated the Johnny
Davenport of Maryland, in compliment to his
astute, indefatiguable and unconscionable
partsanship; but he ingeniously hides all these
accomplishments under the veil and garb of a
devout ''reformer," under which hypocritieal
disguise he has most deceittully imposed upon
many we'll meaning gentlemen in Baltimore,
known as Reform Democrats. Mudd, on
the other hand, makes no such pretensions,
but delights to boast of his superior skill in
making partisan deals and turning political
tricks. Fully equipped by practical experience
in the actual work of corralling and intimi-
dating the Negro voters and thereby maintain
ing Negro domination in Southern Maryland,
he gave the points of partisan advantage to be
secured in the election law to the resoureeful
Rose, who was depended upon TO give them
vitality.
The subsection of the illiterate Negro voters
to the unrestricted surveillance of their white
local bosses and thereby to the severe disci-
pline of their race and their families thus
clearly appears to have been the principal pur.
pose to be accomplished by the "reforRn
election law presented by the Republicans.
This being the case, man of more direct
methods and less fnesse and diplomatic sub
tlety than Mr.. Rose might have gone directly
at his work by proposing amendments to the
existing law striking out the oath of the bal
lot clerks and all penalties bearing upon
disclosure of how the illiterates cast their
votes. But this would have revealed, even
to the apprehension of the "Reform Demo
crats," the ungainly cloven foot of the partisan
wolf beneath the immaculate fleece of the
innocent reform lamb; and Mr.. Rose is not
accustomed to do his work in that bungling
way, Not at all. He therefore brought for
ward a brand new election law and registra-
ton law complete in all its parts and substi
tuting the entire article of the code bearing
on that important subject and completely dis
pensing with the old law. But all the sec
lions of this new law will be scanned in vain
for any obligation on the clerks who mark
the ballots Of the illiterate, either by oath or
not to disclose the information thus
acquired The stringent oath of the ballot
clerk, above quoted from the act of 1890, is
by the absence of every vestige
Of it, while the penal part of the law will be
searched in vain for any penalty of disclosing |
acquired in the election room.
The clerks who mark the ballots of the litter |
ltes take only the perfunctory cath TO support
he Constitution, ETC., required cf the judges |
and other officers.
Thus it is clearly made to appear that by |
,epeaing the strict oath required of the ballot |
clerk ana all penalties for its violation, all re-
,triction of secrecy is removed from the Off |
,ers who supervise the voting of the iliterates,
md the illiterate Negro voters of the State |
ire thereby subjected to the strictest surveil- |
ance In point of fact, proof can be adduced |
rom the Southern Maryland counties that |
his change in the law was impressed on the |
,olored voters in the campaign of 1896, and !
hey were thereby intimidated and solidifed |
1t the last election.
Here we have presented to us the remarka- !
Die anomaly, the astonishing paradox, of the |
y, 900 illiterate voters of the State, who, i'll /
point OF fact, constitute the only element of /
,ur voting population that are subject to the /
domination of controlling influence, bein
to the strictest scrutiny, the most |
espionage and surveillance of the |
,ery influence by which they are dominated /
md belonging exclusively to one political |
,arty, under color of the Australian ballot |
ystem, the essential principle and Office of |
which is exactly the converse of the function /
t is made to exercise in Maryland elections /
The question arises, did any political party /
outside of the carpet bag governments of the |
Southern States ever make such a shameful /
.buse of its power as this? Was any such /
fraud as this ever practiced on a 4
elf respecting people by any political party |
without prompt punishment being visited upon /
t? The audacity of this fraud in making the |
,ery machinery designed for the emancipation I
# the dependent voter do duty for his enslave-
nent, is certainly complimentary to the /
ourage of its authors; but we mistake the |
emper of the good people of Maryland if they |
re disposed to reward this partic ular kind Of
courage.
Another notable feature of this extraordi-
lary trick in partisan legislation is the mani
estly deliberate and preconcerted manner in
which it is so framed as 10 evade during the
irst two years of its operation its own pre-
ended provisions for the protection of the
minority party. The better to obscure its real
purpose Of partisan iniquity, the bill as pre-
ented pretended to afford te the minority
afe guarantee Of honest representation upon
Ill Ioor1 of alaofiou cunaryi. /