The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-17

The members of the Maryland
Democratic Editors Association have
pooled their brains and started q mill
to grind political matter for the com
mon use of all Maryland Democratic
newspapers. The first grist appeared
last week and proved that the ma
chine producing it is an invention wor
| thy its origin. The product was moth
ing less than labored and tedhYs eff
| fort TO lead readers of the papers using
it to the conclusion that the election
law passed by the Legislature II 1896
was prepared for the sole purpose of
forcing the cOlored people to vote the
Republican ticket.
The principal ground for this as
sumption is the omission from the
new statute of the oath taken blythe
ballot clerk, in case Of assistance zen
dered illiterate voters, as required by
the act Of 1890 These sapient editors
assent that the preservation of q Sc
cret ballot, afforded by the oath in
question, operated to produce large
detection Of colOred voters from the
Republican party, because such voters
could thus cast their ballots as they
pleased, without fear or detection
of mourning the Objectionable cOnse-
quences Of such independence; and
that the oath was omitted to stop this
detection. According to the remark
able wisdom evolved by the combina-
ton OF such mass Of editorial brains
the negroes" as the article denomi-
mates the colored voters, got into the
habit, under the old system-previous
to the law of 1S90-Of marching up to
the polls with Democratic tickets con-
cealed in their pockets, which they
voted, and destroyed the tickets given
them by the Republicans. Under the
law of 1896 they were able to keep up
the deception and continue to cheat
their Republican friends into conf
IDENTIFY supposing they were as enthu-
siastic for the party as ever, while ac-
tuallv voting for the other side. Now,
these wise editors have put their
heads together and made the discov-
cry that all this was known to the Re
publican leaders and that the new
law was made expressly to deprive
colored voters Of the opportunity of
| an stinCr q Cpcrn+ ballot
The whole article is very weak
and puerile attempt to create a false
impression upon most meagre ma
terials. Whatever may have betxzthe
practice under the old system, it is
very certain that under the law Of 1880
illiterate voters did not require assis-
tance in marking their ballots unless
they wished to vote for candidates on
different tickets, or, in other words, to
cut their tickets. The same condition
| exists under the law of 1895, in that
respect. Illirerate voters, OF both par
ties generally ascertain that a mark
to the right Of the party emblem
lAlttlllN 'OiN lCI lilt NilOlt tIChGI anu
do not require assistance to make that
mark. II q cOlOred man, under the
law Of 1856, desires TO vote a Demo
cratic ticket, no matter how illiterate
he may be, he knows that mark in
the square to the right of jackson and
the hickory tree will count his ballot
as he desires to vote it, and he knows
further that he can make that mark
| behind a screen where no human eve
but his own can look upon the act.
If the assumption of this aggrega-
ton Of Democratic editorial brains
that the coiored people, in large num-
bers desire to vote the Democratic
ticket, is true, then no law could bet
ter protect them in carrying out that
desire, in absolute secrecy, than does
the act of 1886. 1t protects them as
well, also, against the espionage of
their Democratic employers il they
desire to vote the Republican ticket,
| and under all circumstances gives
both parties equal privileges, and as
little opportunity Of interference with
the Independence of the individual
voter. The first election held under
it was the fairest in nearly thirty
years, and the consequence Of that
fairness was disaster to the Demo
cratic party, which had steadily re-
sisted every effort to provide an hon
est election law.
The finding of mares nests and the
Matching of absurd assumptions Will
be marked characteristic of pooling
Democratic editorial brains, if the first
product shall prove a fair sample Of
those to come.
'--s~H'"-1-~----'--H-----s--s
stop the War.
1t is not the war with Cuba, nor to
the conflict between Greece and Tur-
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