The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-07-09


of the taxes are paid by Democrts, OK
rense is nothing to the Republican Ring,
particularly when the expense falls upon
the other party and partisan advantage
falls to their lot.
UPPER MARLBORO GAZETTE.
That reforms are generally expensive
luxureswas never more thoroughly shown
than in the enactment of the new election
and registration laws. This is fully &c
monstrated in the third article sent out
under the auspices of the Maryland Demo
cratic Editors Association and puolisheu
IN this paper. The article clearly shows
there was no necessity for new registra-
ton in the counties, nor changes IN the
election law. The table appended SHOW
ing the cost of registration and election
under the old and under the new law Will
be a startling surprise to the taxpayer.
These laws are only specimens OF the
class of legislation which we may expect
if the republican party is kept in power
in this state-the people, however, al
ready see that this party is incapable OF
managing the affairs of our State, and
they will remedy the mistake.
MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT.
We direct the attention of our readers
this week to the third article issued by the
Maryland Democratic Editors Assocla-
ton, showing the excessive cost OF the
new Republican election law over that of
the old Democratic law, which was faulty
and costly enough and an unnecessary
burden on the taxpayers OF the State,
goodness knows, but which was not Il
patching to the present Republican mon
strosity that has been saddled upon us by
a Legislature clearly incompetent and UNI
representative of the best interests of the
State
The old law, while not necessity in the
counties, however much it may have been
needed in Baltimore city, was at least Il
fair and equitable one, and insured honest
elections as result of its operations,
whereas the present law, with the oath of
secrecy on the part of the ballot clerks
eliminated, is prolific of all manner of
frauds and unfair election results; in fact,
fairly teens and bristles with unbounded
possibilities of grave and serious violations
of the sacredncss of the freeman's ballot,
by the side of which We olden-time ballot
-stuffing pales into utter insignificance.
PORT TOBACCO TIMES.
Nobody, whose opinion is worthy of
consideration, has ever contended serious
ly that new registration is necessary in
the counties. In the rural districts the
population is so stationary and permanent
and everybody is SO well-known to every
provided for by law, has kept the registra-
ton lists absolutely correct. In 1882,
when the questions of a new registration
was agitaled for the first time since the
adoption of the Constitution of 1867, the
necessity for new registration was con-
ceded to exist only in Baltimore city; but,
as stated in the article, the representatives
of the counties finally consented to assume
the unnecessary burden out of Difference
to the reform" sentiment in the city and
an apprehension then existing among the
lawyers of the Legislature that a new reg
istration for the city alone might be in
conflict with the provision of the State
Constitution requiring uniform regis
tration of voters" But in 1890, when the
Democratic registration and election law,
of which Hon. John p. Poe was the au-
thor, was enacted, this question of ''uni-
form registration" was thoroughly eXam-
ined by the leading lawyers of the State
with the result of a general concurrence
IN the opinion that the term uniform reg
istration" did not require that it should be
cotemporaneous all over the State. Ac-
cordingly provision was made in that law
for biennial new registration in the city,
while in the counties only the annual re-
vision was provided for. The law of 1890
was passed upon repeatedly by the court
of appeals and always sustained, and it
was the generally accepted opinion
throughout the State that the question of
uniform registration was thereby per-
manently settled, and that the counties
would not again be subjected to the un-
necessary burden of new registration.
But the new registration of1SS2 proved to
be an immense partisan advantage to the
Republicans in the rural districts of the
State. Every one who has had any expe-
rience in the politics of the counties where
the negro element is a large factor, knows
how difficult it is to get the full white vote
out to the polls on election day, and how
absolutely punctual and unanimous the
colored voters are in coming out to a man,
rain or shine. These conditions were
found to apply with greater force to the
new registration, because while the colored
voters exercised their usual zeal (Which
springs from the conviction that they are
TRAITORS to their race" if they do not use
their elective franchise against the white
people and in favor of the men who set
themselves up as the "Republican party, }
many white men questioned the right of
the Legislature to subject them to new
registration.
A recollection of this partisan advanta sc
and IA desire to repeat it was the sole mo-
tive which actuated Mr.. Rose and Mr..
Mudd in their reform election law to
impose this unnecessary burden and OK
pense on the people of the counties.
That this partisan scheme did not dis
appoint its authors is evinccd by the fact
that in the new registration of 1896, while