The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-10-29
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
4 Summary Of Its Record i'll this
State as Shown by the Demo-
cratic Editors Association.
INCOMPETENCE, HYPOCRISY AND CORRUP-
TON THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.
The Sham Reform Election Law.
THE UNFAIR ASSESSMENT LAW.
CORRUPTION IN TOBACCO WAREHOUSES;.
(Puhlishe by Authority OF the Maryland Democratic
Editors Association


showing up the Republican record i!
this State 1t has been record of in
competency. hypocrisy ana corruption
Those against whom incompetcnry an;
corruption have been charged have
not even attempted any defence. an;
the Republican press of the State. IL
a rule have passed the Association Ar
ticles by in silence. for no defense Oh
plausible explanation WAS possible
Those papers that did come to the dc
fence of the party record made miScr
able failures, and soon stopped fellow
ing the Association Articles.
In 1895, during Il season of excite,
ment aroused by the miSrcprcScnta-
tons. falsehood and hypocrisy of Bal
timOre papers maSquerading as iii
dependents" and claiming to hold &c
Democratic principles, the whole State
government was turned ov, + to the Re
publican party.
1t is true the Senate WAS npnlinally
Democratic. but the continued assaults
by this independent pre-: $ lar ng the
session of the Legislature of 1895 upon
the Democrats of that BODY when
amendments We're proposed to the al
legged reform measures, and the still
disordered public sentiment. so ham,
pered the Democrats that for all prac-
teal purposes the General Assembly
was Republican in both branches.
The Democratic Editors Association
regarded all the important acts of the
Legislat ure of 1896 as Republican leg
islation. and the Republican party
holds to the same conclusion. Every
Republican County Convention of 1896
that passed any resolutions 1T al
pointed to the record of the General
Assembly as Il fulfillment of the party
promises of 1895 The same was done
this year. and the Republican, State
platform adopted in Baltimore on Sep
TENDER u, opened as follows:
THE Republicans of Maryland. il COLI
yention assembled. view with the utmost
satisfaction the benefrrnt r. Sr.lt< 50 laicy
achieved under Rrpub'i an admin siratipn
i'm State and nation. and we regard Il con
tinuat1on of the Repub lean party in power
as essential for still further enlarged pub ic
service ard greater public benefit.
The fourth plank of the platform
reads as follows:
Fourth, That the e.cction ard assess
ment laws passed during the session of III,
last Legislature great improvements
upon former acts. and should be strength
ened ard perfected as experience may show
1t to be wise
The Republican party, therefore.
views with satisfaction Republican
administration in this State. AMI pa:
ticularly mentions the election II. AZ
sessment laws as legislation it views
with satisfaction.
AS to the responsibility for the lrgiS-
lation of 1896 there is no cnn'r vpr>y
The Republicans clair. credit FIR ii q
and the Democrats conceGc it to them.
In closing the campaign the Editors
Association will Erieny review the Re-
publican record as it has been dis
closed in the past five months. AMI
ask careful peruSal Of it 10y til,
voters of this State, 50 that they ma!
the more intelligently cast their bal
lots next Tuesday.
REGISTRATION AND ELECTION
LAW
One Of TIE acts of the I;tijl.!.I,.
Legislature was The repeal Of HE very
fair registration ana election laws II
the State. whereby all p..r>3rS en- i'll, i
to register coull do 81 and cuIl vrtt
a secret ballot and be sure il Wa
counted. As an evidence Of the safe
guards in the laws to insure fair /. =
iStration and honest election. TIC u
pulican party. aided ~ lni>l.l Erm-,
Gratis, overwhelmingly defeated III,
Democratic party that hal been SUI
ceSSful i'll every campaign for nearly
thirty consecutive years.
In the place of these laws enc act
was passed covering both registration
and elections. 1t is Il yuluminulls ac;
full of Inconsistencies. AMI was male
to cover both registration AMI ClHv-
tons, SO that the repeal of the vr.y
essence of the Australian system #
VotlnS-thc secrecy of the ballot -
might escape detection. 1t dill r,clpc
detection. and the honest ppop,r Of tn,
State. particularly those ID, macrats
who made Republican I'll e" $ p SS,blr |
were startled when the fact WIS
brought to light by the Democratic
Editors Association. Indcr the Demo
cratic law an illiterate voter could cast
4 secret ballot. Under the Republican
law he can not. for the ballot clerk IS
not sworn to secresy. and al llterat2S
are subject to espionage and con
troll. The design CT the omission IF |
the oath of secreSy WAS the control vi |
the thousands of illitcratc cDlorcI vot- |
weary Of votins for ''scalawag' whites,
is Wellington designated them. in the
where the negro vote con |
stituted the bulk of the Republican
strength. In order to better control |
he negro vote the colorcd voters |
everywhere were instructed to say
hey could not read when registering
lnder this reform law. and instruction $ |
we're usually oheyed. thus giving Re
publican election officials control If |
heir ballots in marking them.
This law also provided for an Ell.
irely new registration throughout the
State, very unnecessary provision.
md one that cost the people over
'1OO, 900 i'll taxation. besides Subjrctiny
he voters of the counties to much in
loss of time and personal |
The law provides for an
lnal- registration in Baltimore city
md every eight years in the counties.
The original provision for the coun-
les was new registration every four
ears, but the Senate protested. and
he law was amended so rs to have
lew registration every eight years In
act, the Democrats protested against
new registration in 1896. and for Do
ng so were charged with being OPP
'oSed to honest elections. There was
10 fraud in registration in the coun-
les, and the money spent in having
II entirely new one was money abso-
utely wasted.
'IVIL SERVICE REFORM AND
HYPOCRISY.
Among the Republican promises Of
S95 was civil service reform. The
platform declared that AL
ublic offices exist for the good of the
eople only" and Lloyd Lowndcs in
is campaign, fairly Scorncd the idea
hat public patronage should be used
OF any but public purposes. Ict this
anne Lloyd Lowndes, Il few months
iter, as Governor. prostituted the pa
ronage at his disposal t. make Wei
ngtOn Senator and Sydney T.. Muld
And the Legislature
assed an act submitting 20 the people
constitutional amendment to be vot-
d on next Tuesday. providing for civil
eryice reform i'll this State. The
WAS the child of the Bal
more civil service refOrmcr. . II was
andied about the House of Delegates
Or weeks. and was finally altered.
mendcd and passed. The change al
ered its effect to such an extent that
lie Baltimore News almost regulated
as of no practical benefit in Sccur-
lg the merit system ana the Balti-
IL 4 -