New-York tribune., 1901-10-19
THE ISSTE IN MARYLAND.


In opening the Republican campaign in Mary
| land last Thursday Senator Louis L. McComas
met with frankness and courage the single
issue on which the Democratic managers have
| so far dared TO base their fight for control in
that State. Debarred from appealing for popu-
lar support on any of the discredited national
issues repudated in 1896 and 1900, the Demo
| cratic leaders have been forced 10 invent a new
campaign cry for use in their struggle to capt
urc the legislature and recover the seat in the
United States Senate lost four years ago by Mr..
| German. That campaign cry has been found in
the decision of the Democratic majority i'm ,he
last legislature 10 substitute for the impartial
and orderly election system devised by the
Maryland Election Law Reform League and
put i'm operation under Governor Lowndes, Il
scheme of dsfranchisement aimed at the negro
voters or the State At special session called
by Governor Smith last spring the legislature
passed new election law. imposing an Hitter
acy test and otherwise impairing the scope and
value of the manhood suffrage system previ-
ously in force. But, not satisfied with this
partial restriction the suffrage. the Demo
cratic State Convention. held in Baltimore last
July. declared for an even more radical change
in election methods. and. pleading the fictitious
dangers of negro domination pledged the Demo
cratic party. if vested with power at Annapolis,
to frame. on Mississippi or South Carolina
models. a statute disfranchsing the negroes as
negroes. not as illiterates
As the negro population Of Maryland has
shown relative decrease for many decades
and fell under the census of 1900 10 less than a
fifth of the whole the insincerity Of the Demo
cratic pant of negro domination needs no eX-
pOSure. Yet the challenge involved i'm the Dem
ocratlc legislatures repeal of the nOn-partiSan
election law of 1S96-the best law Maryland
ever had-s one that the Republican leaders are
both willing and eager to face. Senator Me-
Comas is therefore TO he commended for telling
the voters of Maryland that the chief issue be-
fore them is whether I'VE shall retrograde 10
''the shames scandals. frauds and crimes of the
election system il existed before 1896. or
whether we shall rescue fair and free elections
'and again lift Maryland 10 the place ii claimed
under the administrations of Governor I-owndes
He is altogether sensible too. in emphasiz-
ing and broadening the issues thus thrust
upon the Republicans by declaring that "if we
win this fight we will wipe out with a sponge
'the conspiratOrs election law. restore the Re
form League Election law. make fair primaries
Ito all parties by law. pass the Corrupt Prac-
'tices act take the police of Baltimore City out
.'of politics. and start afresh .in the career OF
reform wherein our party in its brief ascend
"ency gained much honor and achieved so
''much good for the State
Between these two sets Of pledges the voters
of Maryland should have no hesitation in choos-
ing Democratic success i'm that State will mean
only further tinkering with the election sys-
tenn a weakening of its safeguards and per
version of its machinery to partisan and per
sonal ends Republican success, on the con
trary will mean the re-establishment Of the long
tried and truly democratic system of manhood
suffrage. with an absolutely free and impartial
administration guaranteed by nOn-partsan elec-
tion boards In one direction lie favOritism,
trickery and stagnation in State politics; in the
other lie freedom. activity and material develop
ment.