The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-08-08
The Democratic Platform.

OF 1ts features. nor did II provide very
interesting reading. The party is to
be congratulated upon the fact that
it emulated Ohio in breaking away
from Bryan for good and all and
fatty and finally rejecting Organism.
While it might have been adyanta-
geous to the Republican party to
have seen the Democrats pursue a
different course in this respect, pub
lie interest is paramount to any con-
sideration of partisan advantage, and
public interest demands that these
two most obnoxious elements-Bryan
and Bryanism-be forever eliminated
from our political system. In this re-
spect, then, the Democrats of Mary
land did good work Thursday.
In all its other features the plat
form is weak. The attempted defense
of the work of the extra session of the
legislature is very lame. For a pro-
ceeding so essentially outrageous, so
opposed to all the precedents to be
found in the State, so extravagantly
expensive and so absolutely useless,
it was expected that those response
BILE for it would find more to say in its
behalf than was spoken Thursday.
The State census was, as all men
know, a lamentable failure. 1t
achieved absolutely nothing. In
view of this, the fulsome fiattery be-
slowed upon it in the Democratic
platform is quite likely to prove nau-
seating to the people of the State.
They have counted the cost and the
benefits, and find that the former far
outweigh the latter. Nor will they
soon forget that fact.
The plank in which the amend
ments made to the ballot law are de-
Tended is the weakest portion of the
platform. 1t starts out on a false
premise in asserting that 'intimida-
ton, bribery and fraud" were easy of
preparation and common in practice
under the old law. The statement is
wilfully false. 1t if well known that
the law of 1896 was the most perfect
in existence, and that in the six cleo
lions held under its provisions no
charges of fraud, intimidation or
bribery were ever leveled at it by the
| Democrats. 1t was not until they
sought, by an exercise of legislative
power, to manipulate the election
machinery to their partisan adyant-
age, that the Democrats ever thought
of impugning the efficacy of the old
| law This fact is well known; nor do
the people forget that whatever Writ
ues the new law contains were wrung
from a reluctant Democracy by in
dignant public sentiment. Praise for
the law, which they did not want and
which they were compelled to pass
instead of the rankly partisan meas
ure originally proposed, comes, there
fore, with very bad grace from the
Democracy. Neither on this subject
nor on that of the census will the
people accept what is declared in this
platform.
As for the other and minor planks
of the platform little need be said.
Certain promises are made with refer
ence to the oyster industry, the pub
lie school system and the primary
election law proposition. These prom
Uses sound very well. But it should
be remembered that they are Demo
cratic promises, which habitually are
more honored in the breach than in
the observance.
The negro domination plank is
rather amusing. Somebody seems to
have squelched Gen. Louis Victor
Baughman quite effectually. Instead
of rant and a roar against the
'black peril, we have quite mild
eXhortation, in which the people of
the State are urged to keep it's gov
eminent in the hands of the while
people. As has been pointed out,
this will be the case Just so long
as the whites continue to outnumber
the blacks by four to one, and it
needs no interference by the Democ-
racy to insure the ascendancy of
white government. However, we are
gratitied to see that the convention
was sensible on this point 1t pres
ages a campaign conducted on cleaner
and better lines than would have been
the case had the old hue and cry of
negro domination been raised. As it
is, there is prospect that the issues
may be fought out on their merits, in
which event it will be found that the
Democrats have placed themselves on
the defensive and materially promo
ted Republican chances of success.
|
AS Seen BY the "Sun."
An editorial writer in the New York