The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-10-16
denying the Party Platform.


The Sentinel, evidently feeling the force Of
the attacks made upon Republican legislation
at the session of the General Assembly in the
winter of 1896, undertakes to place part OF
the responsibility for the bad work upon the
Democrats.
In doing this the Sentinel deliberately re-
pudiates the Republican platform in Carroll
county, adopted August l6, which said
Further, we challenge contradiction of the as
sertion that the Republican party in Maryland has
been true to the pledges made in the campaign OF
1885, and we point TO the election law which has
redeemed the State from the igonOminy of pol
luted ballOt-bOx to the assessment law which mas,
Ia large measure, equalized the burdens OF taxa-
ton
And the Sentinel also repudiates the Re-
publican State platform, adopted in Baltimore
on September 5. That declaration opened
as follows
"The Republicans Of Maryland, III convention
assembled, rieic rih the utmost SATISFACTION the oene-
hcent results so lately achieved under Republican
administration in State and nation, and we regard
continuation of the Republican party in power as
ssental for still further enlarged public service
and greater public benefit
The fourth plank Of the platform reads as
follows
Fourth. 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
II has been said that the editor of the Sen
ti,,el drafted the Carroll county platform, and
it distinctly points to the etectioR and assess
ment la,es as .fulfllments Of the Republican
campaign pledges Of 1895.
The State platform vie,cs ,ciM the utmost
satisfaction Republican administration in
state and nation, aud specially alludes to the
election and assessment laws as part of the
Republican administration in this state.
The Senate, il is true, had an alleged
Democratic majority, but not real one, and
every attempt by Democrat to amend the
election law was met by charge by the Re-
publican and alleged independent press of
Baltimore that the Democrats were opposed
to an honest election law The wave of po-
litical discomfort that swept the Democratic
party from power was still high in the winter
of 1896, and Democratic Senators were great
ly hampered by dsordered public sent-
ment.
The assessment law was not what the Demo-
Gratis wanted, but the same disordered public
sentiment hampered them in this matter.
But the law originally passed was a better
one than the one that was changed by the
supplemental acts The Governor was held
up by Mr.. John X. Cowen, representing the
tax dodgers of Baltimore, and the Governor
in turn held up the Legislature until the
Cowen supplemental acts were passed.
Not only were the Democrats not response
bic for either the election or assessment law,
but the Republicans claimed in the Carroll
and State Republican platforms that the laws
were the work of the Republican party
When it was shown by the Democratic
Editors Association how the very essence of
the Australian system. secresy of the ballot,
was eliminated from the election law, and
how wealth escapes its just proportion of the
public burden under the Republican assess
ment law, the Sentinel kicks aside the Carroll
county and State Republican platforms and
seeks to shift part of the responsibility for
these acts upnn the Democratic party.
If the laws had not been attacked and their
defects pointed out, the Sentinel would still
be claiming them as Republican measures.
Because they are essentially bad and have
cost the people an immense sum of money,
increase of taxation in every
county, the Sentinel attempts to shift some of
the responsibility upon the Democratic party,
but it cannot do it.
If the Sentinel will turn to the fourth page
of the ADVOCATE today it will find another
chapter on the assessment law and some press
opinions referring to it.