The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-01-31
CONDEMN EXTRA SESSION.
Scheme to Form TlaryIand Into
"Gorman Satrapy."

Reform League to Express DisapprovaI
This ACCOMMODATIONS. Bonaparte
and Gull Emphatic.
From Fridays Baltimore News.
The growlings of the people on the
subject of an extra session of the Leg
islature is just beginning to be heard.
This afternoon the executive commit
tee of the Reform League will meet,
and it is entirely safe and proper to
prophesy that their condemnation of
the plan will be emphatic enough to
leave no doubt as to their position in
the matter.
The board of directors of the Cham
Der of Commerce, at its meeting yes
terday afternoon, was the first bust
ness organization to condemn the
plan. They did not go into details
about the matter, but their resolu-
ton was very much to the point
This will be an offset to the letters
which Governor Smith saws he has
urging him to call an extra session.
Politicians on both sides, however,
know that public opinion will not
have a great deal to do with deciding
whether or not an extra session shall
be called. The main question with
which Governor Smith has to do at
present is whether the session viii
accomplish the purpose for which the
session is called, namely, to perpetu-
ate the Democratic party.
Governor Smith had not visited his
local Office at o'clock this afternoon,
and the impression prevailed there
that he had gone to Annapolis.
Treasurer Vandiver was also said to
be out of town. A number of callers
discussed the proposed extra session
in desultory way, and agreed that,
from Democratic standpoint, it was
a necessity.
A large number of well-known men
have been disposed to treat the prob
abilities of an extra session lightly
until the last few days. They have
hardly believed Impossible that such
matter was in serious contemplation,
but now they seem to have thorough
ly walked up to what seems to be aR
official notification that the extra
session is to be summoned.
Mr.. Charles j. Bonaparte, in an in
terview published below, pronounces
the attempt ito bring back the days
of 1875 and 1885, when they could
cheat Just as much as was needful to
keep themselves in office, so that they
might continue to steal from the
State Treasury and sell legislation to
the highest bidder"
Mr.. Roger w. Gull wants to know
if the State of Maryland is to be
formed into German satrapy again,
and says that any man may recognize
under the thin disguise adopted 1.-The
hateful determination to undo the
good work of a quarter of century,"
Mr.. BonapaIte: II have already
expressed my views on this question,
but it is of so much Importance and,
fear, so imperfectly understood by
people not specially interested in pol
itics that | think every good citizen
should do what he can to let in the
light of day on the shameless and
dangerous conspiracy. There is not
the slightest legitimate reason for
special session; no one wants it ex-
cept Democratic professional politi-
clans and they want it only to tinker
with the election laws. Any other
reason they may allege is only an i'm
pudent subterfuge. Of course, subsi-
died newspapers, or papers in quest
of subsidy, may try to misrepresent
and mislead public opinion, but every
public man in the State knows per-
fectly well that the people are oppos-
ed to this project now and would be
much more opposed to it were it bet
ter understood. Indeed, it is because
its authors know that the people are
against them, because they know that
they will be beaten next November
and would be beaten now on fair
vote; it is just because of this that
they are trying to rob part of the
people of their votes, trying to bring
back the days of 1875 and 1885, when
they could cheat just as much as was
needful to keep themselves in office.
so that they might continue to steal
from the State Treasury and sell leg
islation to the highest bidder
AS for the suggested change in the
ballot laws, by which illiterate voters
would be obliged to vote like blind
men, but not allowed the help blind
men receive, it would be as plainly a
violation of the Constitution as if the
names of the candidates were required
to be printed in Hebrew. Every Del
egate and every Senator who voted
for such law, and the Governor, if
he signed it, would be foresworn, and