The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-10-30
The REPUBLICAN PARTY.
ASummary of It's Record in the
State as shown by the Demo-
cratic Editors Association.
Incompetency, Hypocrisy and Cor
ruption the Distinguishing
Features.
THE SHAM REFORM ELEC.
TION LAW.
THE UNFAIR AssEssMENTLAW
CORRUPTION IN TOBAC
co WAREHOUSE

CORRUPTION IN TOBAC-
co WAREHOUSES;.
Published by authority of the Maryland Demo
cratic Editors Association.
The Democratic Editors Association
during the past FIVE months have been
showing up the Republican record in this
State 1t has been a record of incompe-
tency, Hypocrisy and corruption. Those
against whom incompetency and corrup-
tion have been charged have not even at
tempted any defense, and the Republican
press of the State, as a rule, have passed
the Association Articles by in silence,
for no defense or plausible expla-
nation was possible Those papers that
did come to the defense of the party record
made miserable failures, and soon stopped
following the Association Articles
In 1895, during a season of excitement
aroused by the misrepresentation; false
hood and hypocrisy of Baltimore papers
masquerading as Independents and
claiming to hold to Democratic principles,
the whole State government was turned
over to the Republican party.
1t is true the Senate was nominally
Democratic, but the continued assaults, by
this independent press during the ses-
sion of the Legislature of 1895 upon the
Democrats of that body when amendments
were proposed to the alleged reform
measures, and the still disordered public
sentiment, so hampered the Democrats that
for all practical purposes the General As
sembly was Republican in both branches.
The Democratic Editors Association re-
garded all the important acts of the Leg
islature of 1896 as Republican legislation,
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 as fulfllment
of the party promises of 1895 The same
was done this year, and the Republican
State platform adopted in Baltimore on
September Is. opened as follows:
1.-The Republicans of Maryland, in convention as
sembled. view with the utmost satisfaction the
beneficent results so lately achieved under Repub-
lican administration in State and nation, and we
regard a continuation of the Republican party in
power essential for still further enlarged public
service and greater public benefit"
The fourth plank of the platform reads
as follows:
'Fourths That the election and assessment laws
passed during the session of the last Legislature
are great improvements upon former acts, and
should be strengthened and perfected as experience
may show it to be wise
The Republican party, therefore, views
with satisfaction Republican admins
tration in this State, and particularly men
tions the election and assessment laws as
legislation it views with satisfaction.
As to the responsibility for the legisla-
ton of 1896 there is no controversy. The
Republicans claim credit for it all, and the
Democrats cOncede it to them. In closing
the campaign the Editors Association vii
briefly review the Republican record as il
has been disclosed in the past five months,
and ask careful perusal of it by the voter.
of this State, so that they may the more
intelligently cast their ballots next Tuesday
REGISTRATION AND ELECTION LAW
One of the acts of the Republican Leg
islature was the repeal of the very fail
registration and election laws of the State,
whereby all persons entitled to register
could do so and could vote a secret ballot
and be sure it was counted. As an evl
dence of the safe guards in the laws to in
sure fair registration and honest election.
the Republican party, aided by misle1
Democrats. overwhelmingly defeated the
Democratic party that had been successful
in every campaign for nearly thirty con
secutive years.
In the place of these laws one act was
passed covering both registration and elee-
tions. 1t is a voluminous act, full OF IN.
consistencies. and was made to cover both
registration and elections, so that the re-
peal of the very essence of the Australian
system of voting-the secrecy of the bal
lot-might escape detection. 1t did es
cape detection and the honest people Of
the State, particularly those Democrats
who made Republican success possible,
were startled when the fact was brought tC
light by the Democratic Editors Assocl-
alton. Under the Democratic law an Hit
crate voter could cast a secret ballot.
Under the Republican law he can not, fol
the ballot clerk is not sworn to secresy, and
all illiterates are subject to espionage and
control The design of the omission OF the
oath Of secresy was the control Of the thou
sonds of illiterate colored voters, some OF
whom were growing weary Of voting foi
s'scalawag" whites, as Wellington desig-
mated them, in the counties where the
negro vote constituted the bulk of the Re
publican strength. In order to better
control the negro vote the colored voters
everywhere were instructed to say they
could not read when registering under this
reform law. and instructions were usually
obeyed, thus giving Republican election
officials control of their ballots in marking
them.
This law also provided for an entirely
new registration throughout the State, a
very unnecessary provision, and one that
cost the people over s100 900 in taxation,
besides subjecting the voters Of the coun-
ties to much inconvenience, loss of time
and personal expense The law provides
for annual registration in Baltimore city
and every eight years in the counties.
The original provision for the counties
was new registration every four years,
but the Senate protested, and the laW
was amended so as to have new registra
ton every eight years. In fact, the Demo
Gratis protested against new registration II
1896, and for doing so were charged with
being opposed to honest elections. There
was no fraud in registration in the coun
ties, and the money spent in having an en-
tirely new one was money absolutely wasted
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM AND
HYPOCRISY
Among the Republican promises of l89;
was civil service reform The Cambridge
platform declared that "all public Office
exist for the good of the people only,
and Lloyd Lowndes, in his campaign
fairly scorned the idea that public patron
age shonld be used for any but public pur
poses. Yet this same Lloyd Lowndes, ;