The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-12-21
The Sentinel and It's Star Writer.

The Sentinel and its writer take the defeat
of the Republican party sadly to heart. Both
write mournfully over the amendment OF the
every satisfactory and fair election law" VI
course the law was satisfactory to the Repub-
hcans. By and throughit bribery was easy
and it was easy for illiterate Negroes to vote
and for the party to keep watch upon such
Negroes as needed assistance.
But the Sentinel as usual, blunders. Not
withstanding the changed form OF the ballot
it concludes that the Negro vote was polled as
fully as theWhite. The loss ofthe Negro vote
through the operation of the amended law
was the chief source of solicitude on the part
of the Republicans. The Sentinel now be-
Teves the Negro vote was as fully polled as
the White vote, therefore there can be moth
ing valid raised against the law.
The Democratic victory at the late cleo
ton, then, was the result of the White vote.
The Sentinel and its = writer believe that the
majority of the voters of the State are Repub'
licans and the writer is very positive that
the Republicans have majority in the fifth
e''SSi'NN
svely, publicly and privately.
Now, the Negro vote being polled as fully
as the White vote the Sentinel and its writer
can explain the Republican defeat in but three
ways-First, because Republicans voted for
Democrats Second, because OF greater illlt-
eracy among Republicans more Republican
ballots were defective than Democratic.
Third because the Republican judges who
made the count and signed the returns were
either incompetent or dishonest.
In no other way can defeat be nationally
explained. 1t is Just possible, however, that
blasted hopes Of office and patronage is at the
bottom OF all the sad words penned over the
amended election law and the alleged dis
reimbursement of voters. And the fraud and
Acknowledgement seems to have only been
committed in the counties. No breath OF
suspicion lies against the election IN Balu-
more-that city went Republican, therefore
all was honest aud there was no disiranchse-
ment.
If is notable. too, that neither the Sentinel
nor its 4 writer, both now so pure and holy,
had any words of condemnation of the Census
frauds-frauds conceived by Republicans and
perpetratcd by Republicans. Had iheS"
frauds not been exposed four additional Re
publicans would have been sent to the House
of Delegates, and other counties would have
been robbed of school funds to the advantage
of those Negro controlled counties where the
census returns were deliberately and traudu-
lcnily padded. Those frauds made the extra
session of the Legislature necessary. And
the Republican scheme to COLOMBO the State
with Virginia and North Carolina Negroes,
made necessary change in the form of the
ballot to prevent these iIiterates from con-
trolling the State and keeping it permanently
under Negro and Scalawag control
The Census frauds were to inure to the
benefit of the Republican party, hence the
Sentinel and its writer were silent. a law
designed to insure AN intelligent electorate
has Injured to the benefit Of the Democratic
party. hence it is denounced. The Sentinel
and its writer will never be able to convince
any considerable number of people in this
community that anything other than blind
partisanship shapes their utterances and that
disappointments in patronage and office are
responsible for their inSinuations against hon
orablc and upright gentlemen and denuncla-
ton of an improved ballot.