Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-10-29
MooKpgrIHCY, HYPOCRISY AND ooRRuP-
rl0N THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.
The Sham Reform Election Law
THE UNFAIR ASSESSMENT LAW.
CORRUPTION IN TBBgcco WlREIovsEs.


GessSSU ASSS~14eAoAkj
The Democratic E1ftors Association
during the past five months have been
showing up the Republican record In
this State. 1t has been q record OF In
competency, hypocrisy and corruption.
Those against whom incompetency and
corruption have been charged have
not even attempted any defence, and
the Republican press of the State, as
a rule, have passed the Association Ar
ticles by in silence, for no defense or
plausible explanation was possible.
Those papers that did come to the de
fence Of the party record made miser-
able failures, and soon stopped follow
ing the Association Articles.
In 1895, during a season of excite
ment aroused by the misrepresenta-
lions, fasehood and hypocrisy of Bal
timore papers masquerading Ms sin
dependents" and claiming to hold to
Democratic principles, the whole State
government was turned over to the Re
publican party.
1t Is true the Senate was nominally
Democratic. but the continued assaults
by this independent" press during the
session Of the Legislature of 1895 upon
the Democrats of that body when
amendments were 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
Legislature Of 1926 as Republican leg
isIatiOn, and the Republican party
holds to the same conclusion. Every
Republican County Convention of 1896
that passed any resolutions at all
pointed to the record of the General
Assembly ms a fulfllment OF the party
promises Of 1895. The same was done
this year. and the Republican State
platform adopted in Baltimore on Sep
TENDER Is, opened as follows:
1.-THE Republicans Of Maryland In con
ventiOu assembled, view with the utmost
achieved under Republican administration
In State and nation, and we regard con
tnuatlon o. the Republican party in power
service and greater public benefit"
The fourth plank Of the platform
reads as follows:
Fourth, That the election and assess
ment laws passed during the session OF the
last Legislature are great improvements
upon former acts, and should be strength
ened and perfected as experience may show
II TO be wise.
The Republican party, therefore,
views with satisfaction Republican
administration in this State, and par
ticularly mentions the election and as
sessment laws as legislation it views
with satisfaction.
AS to the responsibility for the legis-
lation Of 1896 there Is no controversy.
The Republicans claim credit for it ALL
and the Democrats concede 1t to them.
In closing the campaign the Editors
Associa ton will briefly review the Re
publican record as it has been dis
closed In the past five months, and
ask careful perusal Of it by the
voters Of this State. so that they may
the more intelligently cast their bal
lots next Tuesday.
REGISTRATION AND ELECTION
LAW.
One OF the acts of the Republican
Legislature was the repeal of the very
fair registration and election laws Of
me State, whereby all persons entitled
~ register could do 10 and could vote
q secret ballot and be sure ii was
counted. As an evidence OF the safe
guards In the laws to insure fair reg
istratton and honest election, the Re-
publican party. aided by misled Demo-
Gratis, overwhelmingly defeated the
Democratic party that had been sue
cessful in every campaign for nearly
thirty consecutive years.
In the place of these laws one act
was passed covering both registration
and elections. 1t is yoluminous act
full Of Inconsistencies. and WAS made
to cover both registration and cleo
tons. so that the repeal OF the very
essence of the Australian system of
yoting-the secrecy of the ballot
might escape detection. 1t did escape
detection, and the honest people OF the
State. particularly those Democrats
who made Republican success possible
were startled when the fact was
brought to light by the Democratic
Editors Association. Under the Demo.
cratic law an illterate voter could east
a secret ballot. Under the Republican
law he can not, for the ballot clerk IS
not sworn To secresy. and all illiterates
are subject to espionage and con
troll. The design of the omission of
the oath of sccresy was the control of
the thousands of illiterate colored yot-
ers. some Of whom were growing
weaiy II votins for "scalawag" whites,
rs Wellington designated them, in the
counties where the negro vote con
Stltuted the bulk of the Republican
strength, In order to better control
the negro vote the colored voters
everywhere We're instructed to saw
they could not read when registering
under this reform law, and Instructions
were usually Obeyed. thus giving Re
publican election officials control Of
their ballots in marking them.
This law also provided for an Ell.
tirely new registration throughout the
State. very unnecessary provision.
and one that cost the people over
SlO.uO in taxation, besides subjectiny
the voters OF the counties to much in
convenience, loss of time and personal
expense. The law provides for an
nual registration in Baltimore CITY
and every eight years in the counties.
The original provision for the coun-
ties was new registration every -four
years, but the Senate protested, and
the law was amended so as to have
new registration every eight years. In
fact. the Democrats protested against
new registration in 1896. and for do
ing so were charged with being op-
posed to honest elections. There was
no fraud in registration In the coun-
ties, and the money spent in having
an entirely new one was money abso-
lutely wasted.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM AND
HYPOCRISY.
Among the Republican promises Of
1895 was civil service reform. The
Cambridge platform declared that "all
public offices exist for the good of the
people only" and Lloyd Lowndes. in
his campaign, fairly scOrned the Idea
that public patronage should be used
for any but public purposes. Yet this
same Lloyd Lowndes, a few months
later. as Governor. prostituted the pa
tronage at his disposal u make Wei
lington Senator and Sydney f. Mudd
Congressman. And the Legislature
passed an act submitting to the people
a constitutional amendment, to be vot-
ed on next Tuesday. providing for civil
service reform in this State. The
amendment was the child of the Bal
e