The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-14
SENATOR WELLINGTON.

w Wv.
In his speech at the Republican
mass-meeting at the Union League
club house in Baltimore on Friday
evening Senator Wellington said:
"This is not a white mans city. 1t is
not black mans city. 1t is not for
the rich nor for the poor, fer the
Catholic nor for the Protestant, for
the GENTLE nor the Jew. Every man,
black or white, high or low, Protestant
or Catholic, Jew or Gentle, shall,
bowling before the majesty of the law
have weighed out to him the quantity
of justice to which he is rightly en-
titled"
With all respect to Senator Well
ington, this statement is simply a
truism, proposition which nobody
would think of disputing. But it is
not inconsistent in the smallest de-
gree with the further truth that Bal
timore is white mans city, not be-
cause of any inequality of rights be-
Ullc Id" UcD"ccu "lllbO luCh anu
black men, but because of the fact
that an overwhelming majority of
the population of this city is also of
the white race. When to this over
whelming preponderance in numbers
is added the further fact that the
white Inhabitants of this city repre-
i%a education infal1iDnnan on6
enterprise. that they pay the taxes
and make the laws, and at the polls
outnumber the colored voters in the
proportion of more than six to one, it
seems Ike playing upon words to say
that this lis not the white mans
CITY,"
Senator Wellington stated the case
much more accurately when he said
that 1--WE are told by our Democratic
friends that there is grave danger that
the negro element will play too great
a part in the rule of this fair CITY,"
That is precisely the danger to be APP
pretended from the continued success
of the Republican party in this city
and State; and it is the danger TO
which Senator Wellington, Willingly
or unwittingly,is contributing. While
the negro vote in this city is less than
one sixth of the total registered vote,
it is nearly, if not fully, one-third of
the Republican vote. While contrib
uting but a small proportion of the
taxes, and painfully deficient in the
qualifications requisite to an intelli
gent participation in the administra-
ton of government, or even the right
of suffrage, the colored Republicans
constitute the most active and ag
gressive element in the party organiza-
ton. While their ignorance makes
them too frequently tn" dupes of de-
signing white politicians, they are not
SO ignorant as not to know that with
out their votes the Republican party
could not carry single ward in this
city, and probably not more than two
or three counties in the State.
With this knowledge of the absolute
dependence of their white Republican
allies upon their support, their de-
mands for recognition" and for u
share in the rewards of party success,
the distribution OF Offices ami spoils,
are growing steadily mere exacting.
How long will it he before they will
demand that their share in the offices
shall be in proportion to the number
of votes cast by them, and not limited
TO merely subordinate and mental
positions? Nor is this all. Unhap-
PLY, they seem also to expect, if they
do not demand, degree of immunity
for their frequent violations of law
and offenses against the peace and
good order of society which, as Sena-
tor Wellington justly remarks, should
not be accorded to any class in the
community. IF there are negro
rowdies in the western section," he
says, stamp them out. II there are
white rowdies in the southern section,
stamp them out. If there is any law
lessness in the city, the law should
stamp it out" We agree here with
the Senator cordially, and it is, per-
haps, his want of local knowledge that
prevents him from knowing that one
of the gravest complaints which the
people of Baltimore have to make
against the the present Republican
regime is that, under it, negro rowdy-
ism is not effectually held in check,
much less stamped out" Unfortu
nately, the negro rowdy and the negro
politician are too closely identified
and the white Republican politician
stands too much in need of the SER
vices Of both, to refuse the protection
of which lawbreakers of this class also
so constantly stand in need, any more
than to refuse the money which buys
the liquor and leads to the acts of
rowdyism complained of.-Baltimore
Sun.
The trial o. the United States
Senator Matt 8. Ouay for conspiracy