Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1901-05-24
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES T-WHENCE
THIS HOW'LL


When the citizens of this State adopted
the Constitution of 1857, which is our pres
ent Constitution, there were none hut white
people who voted, hence there was no ne.
cesslty for an intelligent test for the exercise
OF the right of suffrage, and the only restric
ton made was that it should be confined to
white male citizens, twenty.one years old
and over, OF sound mind, never convicted of
felony, and residing in the State twelve
months and in the county six months. The
wreckers of the United States Constitution,
dwelling in the North and in the West, in
qualification OF their sectional hate towards
the South, and In order to permanently en-
trench themselves in power and thus forever
rule the South after the fashion they now
propose to rule their Philippine, Porto Ri
can and Cuban subjects, among other meas
ures, enacted the Fifteenth Amendment of
said Constitution which allows the negroes
to vote in total disregard of their benighted
ignorance.
This amendment, according to the prOvs-
ions of the Articles of said Constitution, op
Grated to strike out the word "white" in the
State Constitution, in utter disregard of the
wishes of the people of this State, and at
once vested about fifty thousand negro voters
with the same rights and privileges as had
the white citizens, and provided that no dis
elimination should be made by this State
against said negroes ION account of color,
race or previous condition of servltude"
The rapid increase of negro voters in this
State, the continued density of their ignor-
ance, their soldity on account of their race
prejudices against the substantial citizens
OF the State-their offensive pliancy to I'M
scrupulous white Republican office seekers,
the modern scheme of importing them from
the South and counting dead ones, at last 80
aroused the good, thoughtful citizens of the
State as to make them realize, with serious
alarm, the necessity OF doing all that could
De done under the provisions Of the Consti-
tuition of the State not 10 violation OF the
Constitution of the United States.
Hence the call of the Governor of the ex.
ira session of 1901, whereat all was done
that could be done TO curtail the evil and
| danger above referred to. What was done
Was the elective franchise taken from any
oneP No. 1t was simply required that any
entitled to vote should have enough intelli'
gence to do has OUn voting and not to be
guided by Il partisan clerk that no one
should have the right to strike and nullily
the intelligent voter simply because, IN his
ignorance, he preferred a chicken cock +,
| hickory tree, or Lincoln's head, or Wash
| ington's head, or the arm and sledge ham
mer and anvil-one from the other The
same authority, the General Assembly Of
Mary which enacted the law that one
must he able to discern the difference be.
| tween chicken cock and LinColn's head
ct cetera, in order to vote, has now enacted
the more sensible provision requlringa man,
who is party man, to discern the differ
ence, even il he never knows the antagonls.
tic principles, between the words Democrat
and Republican. Aye less than that, the
| = N sN.,.l
to say between "B and Bulls foot 1t will!
thus be seen that "a man to vote is not even
required TO know all the alphabet-his A B
C's, but Just two or three letters of the al
phabet, viz: ID X p, and principally only
ID and K. But if he is "a wool dyed" party
man, only one letter, either ID or Il.
And yet from the beginning and doubt
less throughout the approaching campaign,
we hear, and will hear, bloody-nung bull
frog croakings from Swampy Hollow, or
| Monkey Run, of "disiranchisement," dis
reimbursement"
The Republican captains gloat over the
opportunity OF transferring their expert ap.
peals ESQ ong in vugue) To the preudices Of
the negroes, TO such of our white citizens as
| cannot read But let them tell the truth,
viz: That no one is required to reGd nor to
spell, nor TO run through the alphabet, but
simply TO know the difference between ID
and X and make u cross mark in the little
square just opposite their selectiOn-In sSt6
not outside Of the square
Now, my friends is this not rs simple TO
man OF SENSE iterate or illiterate, as trolling
off logf All that is required is an ex.
tremely small amount OF care and caution,
such as every sensible white man possesses
whether literate or illiterate. Take, Tor eX-
ample, the old mOde-the chicken cock and
LlncOln's head, ct cetera-of voting, no mat
ter how big scamp or fool or how Objec.
tiOnable the man, il the voter were iliterate,
he would,,have TO vote for him or lose his vote
Tor the rest Of the ticket, as the only ways
voter (who cant vote under present mode)
could vote would be TO put his mark in the
square opposite the emblem Now, then,
except for strict party voting, wherein does
the present mode essentially differ from that
required by the Republican party when in
power In this State2 And what right had
Republican Legislature to cOnhne the choice
of an iiiterdte man simply to one party or TO
the other party-the whole hog or nothing.
This may have been first class partisan leg
islation, but It hardly COMFORTS with that
inalenable right OF every American citizen
TO vote exactly as his conscience dictates,
viz: For man with principles rather than
for man without principles-even though
such unprinciped man may be herding with
the voters party-Or at least to exercise the
humble privilege of horse in refusing to
drink filthy water even II it be in his own
bucket CAUCASIAN.
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