The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-10-22

RECKLESS DISREG ARD OF
RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP.
WHAT MAY BE EXPECTED OF
! HIM If THE REPUBLlCAN
PARTY AGAIN SUCCEED IN
CARRYING MARYLAND AND
! HE l.; KEPT IN \ POSITION
OF INFLUENCE. \ " ARNl\G
TO TIE PEOPLE OF THE
WHOLE STATE.
The recent Republican primaries i'll
Prince Georges county have become Il
matter of history. attracting attention
far and wide. The revolt in the party
and the Independent Republican ticket
which was placed in the field was a
condemnation from their own ranks of
the methods employed to carry the
county, in the interests of Congressman
Mudd for the United States Senate.
That the scheme was deep-laid and
clevcrlv designed is manifest from the
| manner in which the call was issued
for the Republican primaries in this
county where alone in this section Of
the State the sway of the young dicta-
tor was seriously disputed. The no
ticc was given 10y hand-bills posted a
few days before the date for the meet
ings and, contrary to all previous no
! ticcs of the kind, the county Central
Committee at somcJodys suggestion
undertook to designate the persons to
organize the primaries in the respec-
| tive election districts. taking care in
each case to have one of Mudd's fol-
lowers rs chairman When the occa-
sion came, the programme was carried
ont to the letter, and the ilill-Cotiin
faction was everywhere denied repre-
sentation in either a judge or Il clerk.
AS consequence there were centcst
| inc delegations from l3 of the II dis
tricts, and in that one (Bladensburg)
the Mudd people were overwhelmingly
defeated 10y Capt. Gordon, who, in or
der to promote his chances for election
to the State Senate, has been willing
to make an alliance with those whom
he recently denounced in bittereSt
terms.
As an example of how these prima-
ries were conducted it is necessary to
cite but one instance. In that district
the Hill followers when denied repre-
csntation withdrew in body, number
inc two hundred or more. The others
proceeded with the voting \ young
colored dude stationed himself in the
window through which the ballots had
to be passed, and over his spectacles
inspected every slip of paper handed
to him 10y the bustling crowd Of ne
groes and whites without. No one
seemed to dispute the bold action of
this arrogant inspector, and the tickets,
all of one color, were passed in by him.
1t would, indeed. have been farcical,
had it not been so serious 4 matter.
The voting being over and the hour
having arrived for closing the polls,
the judges cnt through the formality
of counting the votes. 1t is stated
that their first announcement gave
t..>ir ticket votes more than the total
number Of votes cast 10y the Republi-
can party in that precinct on the pre-
viouS county election for their most
popular candidate. 1t was probably
thought that this was ''too bad. so 4
recount was ''alviSrd" and the next
announcement reduced the maoritv hv
80. 1t is charged that in this precinct
colorel men were paid to come from 4
nrighboring county and vote for the
Mudd ticket, and there is every reason
to suppose that such WAS the fact.
: When the county convention met
!. Mr. Mudd. ,rho IS q cit zrn Of CHuries
con"ty. presumed to come to Upper
Marlboro to run his convrntion-tc
pull the wires and have his lcutcnants
perform according to his own approved
and peculiar fashion. When the occa,
sion called Tor it. he would leave his
easy chair in n room, adjoining tn,
Court room where the meeting was he
: inc held. and dictate to his hrnchmen
) what IT, do and when To do il. On,
peculiar and novel method. introduced
on this cvrnllul day l,y the artiu
manipulation, was to haNc Capt. Pvt
ter. the Statesman from Laurel, intro
dHcc Il resolution nominating senator
and three delegates all at once, and
railroad it through by acclamation
\ colorcd delegate. who wished tC
nominate one of his own color for the
LEGISLATURE, was. as is usual when the
race attempts to ask for equal rights
"snutlrd out" and denied recognition
by the chair.
1t was this unprecedented action OF
Mr. Mudd's Prince Georges Csnven
ton in the nomination en- musse of the
whole Legislative ticket which induced
Mr.. William 4. Meloy, an able lawyer
who represented the county in the
House of Delegates, in 1890, to an,