The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-04-26
"Hoos1ER.s" REPLY
To the Article of .'Citizen" in The demo
GRAFT"

Some to conceit alone their taste confine
And glitt'ring thoughts struck out at every
line,
Pleas'd with a work where nothings Just nor
ut,
One glowing chaos and wild heap of wit"
This would fittingly describe the
letters of "Citizen" in the Democrat.
/ Although in fairness we must con-
clude that "Citizen" is learning rap
idly or that the author of the last
brilliant epistle is not the same person
who wrote the two first letters. The
style is so different that it would lead
| us to conclude that there is some
improvement, but admitting that he
| is the same person, the following
proverb would describe his ebullition:
| ''ET nihitO nIh5I fit" tout of nothing
nothing comes.) He has had nothing
to base his letters upon-that is, had
a bad case to begin with, and has not
as yet shown us any reason why we
should quietly submit to being rob
bed of our rights. | have shown and
Citizen" has not and dares not at
tempt to deny the fact that the most
progressive states of the country give
| the people the right to elect school
officers, that the people have home
rule in educational matters and are
not only the most progressive but
have the least percentage of illiteracy.
In my first letter | gave long list of
| different states who elect school off
GERS. | have said that the Garrett
county law was a step in the right
direction and gave facts to prove my
assertions. Against all this array CT
facts "CitiZen" has set up the conclu-
sion of his own stupendous opinion
as follows: 80, taken as a whole,
the appointive system would seem to
be at least as good, if not better, than
the elective" The facts all prove the
contrary; if not, why have elections?
Why not have "CitiZen" and a few
other politicians attend to the selec-
ton of officials for the people and do
away with the great expense of cleo
tions? "Citizen" could then perhaps
get the job he has been looking for
with longing eyes and the great desire
of his heart could then be satisfied.
But "Citizen' has given us no proof
to show that the people of this county,
are not as well qualified to select
their officials as few wise politicians
nor has he shown or even attempted
to prove that | was wrong when de-
clared in regard to the gentlemen
elected as School Commissioners that
they were elected under the law of
our State and are as much entitled to
their offices as Governor Smith is to
be Governor. Not one word from
Citizen to refute the above. An out
rage of the people is attempted which
cannot be greater in a country where
the people have the ballot, for an at
tempt to loot the ballot box, such
as the Democrat party has made is
not exceeded even by the footing"
of the treasury by Democratic Off
cial. The ballot is a sacred thing
and if republican government is to
be continued it must be upheld and
the party who has attempted to rob
our people of the result of fair con-
test under the law (passed by the aid
of that party should and will be
condemned by all lovers of Justice
and right and the Democratic party
will receive such a rebuke for this at
tempted outrage in Garrett county
next fall that it's leaders will not for
get in many moons.
1t will not do, Mr.. "Citizen,n to try
to get away from the attempted das-
tardly outrage of the people by your
party, by your sorrowful lament as
in your last in regard to "Hoosier''
drawing big salary and of his bet
ter advantages to look over files of
Baltimore dailies and of your gratu-
itous fling about looking after poll
tical matters instead of business. |
put this by with the remark that
even "Citizen" knows that | need no
defense in this regard, that my record
is before the people and will bear
comparison with any Democrat who
ever held the place.
The outrage your party attempted
to perpetrate upon our people is so
great that even you have not dared
to say as yet that it was right, and it
will be some time before you will
draw your salary as a school official
of Garrett county.
When asked why states which al
ways went Democratic were the most
illiterate you say, Large colored pop
ulation." You virtually admit then
that the most illiterate states are
always Democratic, and it follows
that there are no fair elections in
some of those states or the colOred
people vote the Democratic ticket, at
least large number of them. And
we would like to ask what party is
the most responsible for the fact that
the colored people are so illiterate?
But we say that while the negro is a
very convenient bugaboo to scare the
people of Maryland with about cleo
ton time, yet you cannot hide the
fact that states that always 60 Dem
ocratic are the most illiterate by say
ing "colored population" The cen
sus reports show that Democratic
states have the largest per cent. of
illiterates among the whites. On
May 81, 1896, DR.. j. l.. McCurry ad
dressed an open letter to the guber
material candidates of Alabama in
which he says: 1.-The total population
of Alabama over ten years of age by
the last census is 1,069,545, and of
these 1917 or 1879 per cent. of the
white people are illiterate." Alabama
always goes Democratic. Not a
Republican state in the country with
its colored population included that
has so large per cent. of illiterates
as the white population of Alabama,
and that state is not an isolated case.
The more ignorant the people the
more certain the state is to go Demo-