Evening star., 1901-10-15
THE RACE ISSUE A FAILURE
VIEWS OF A LEADING COLoRED RE
PUBLICAN OF MARYLAND.
Cry of Negro Domination I'm the State
Declared to BE an
Absurdity.

Mr.. James r. Bradford, one Of the leading
colored republicans of Maryland, was in
the city today and talked Interestingly to
a representative of The Star of the political
situation In his state.
First of ALL" he declared "the German
and Rasin democracy has signally failed
to make a race issue In the present cam
paign. Maryland is a conservative state.
and when the people are permitted to act
they will repudiate the extremists. 1t is
the barest absurdity to talk the allies
Of Messrs. German and Raisin are of the
menace of negro domination in Maryland
when they and every intelligent man knows
that in the body polite of the state col
ored men are not of the value of cipher;
that both parties are white as far as the
control of the organization and conventions
are an evidence.
For instance, take the republican state
central committee, with its one hundred and
twenty-five members, representing twenty
three counties and three legislative dis
tricts of Baltimore city, with less tran
one dozen colored members and with but
one from the twenty-four wards of Balti-
more city. This committee reflects the per-
vading influence of the party, and this an
sWers without argument the cry that the
republican party~is controlled by it's black
allies. Mckinley polled in Maryland in
1895 one hundred and thirty-siX thousand
votes: in 1900 one hundred and thirty-six
thousand one hundred and eighty-five votes.
There has never been claim that over
fifty thousand colored men have ever voted
al any election since their enfranchisment.
These figures show that the party must
depend upon the white men who stand for
good government and pure party politics
In their alliance with the republican party.
Campaign Cry Loses Force.
Previous to 1890 the republican party,
then the minority party, was banded 10
gether in the hope of dividing the federal
patronage, and in each election a mere
sham battle was made against the corrupt,
resourceful and well-organized democratic
ring. But then and since then new birth
and growth has come to the party, and
now within it's counsel and ranks can be
found the best culture and respectability Of
our state. The odium that once haunted
the white republican-merchant, profession
al man or mechanic-that his party was
the black party has lost it's force. Our
people are face to face with a commercial
opportunity. Maryland, the dividing lire
between the commerce of the north and
south, with its splendid Seaboard, vast nat
ural resources, it's millions in manufactur-
ing interests and banking concerns, looks
to wide market for results. Men who
control the finance and business know that
this talk of the democratic ring lmperilS
their investments and deprives their state
OF its proper standing.
THE very absurdity of negro dominationi
Why, every white school boy knows that
he is of the class that will fill Maryiand's
offices for untold generations, for he knows
that but 1918 per cent of the population Is
colored at present and that in the year Of
lslO it was 1922, and has had a constant
decrease since the original statehood. Thus
1t Is that since 1890 our party has made
a magnificent growth.
Issue in Maryland.
1.-THE issue in MARYLAND will he honest
elections, and upon this our party shall
successfully appeal to the conscience and
general interest Of majority of the voters
Messrs. McComas, Gary, Goldsborough
Mason and Stone, the accredited leaders of
our forces know, that the extraordinary ses-
sion of the legislature, called py a demo-
cratic governor for the passage Of the in
iquitous election law, which supplanted the
falrest election law Maryland ever had
passed by a republican legislature), and
the $4,000 state census scheme were both
invented as cheating schemes. They see
barriers in the attempt to operate the 'sus-
pected list as conceived under this new
election law; yet they know that in 1855
we were handicapped by twenty five thou
sand votes Illegally upon the books and We
won. And they confidently believe they
are now leading victorious battle.
AS to the colored vote, it will be solidly
republican, although every effort of int;mi-
datlon Is being pursued. We realize that
this election means the honor OF dishonor
the progress or retrogression of the state
Inc republican party, standing for the
states honor and its progress, appeals to
our support, not as partisans but as peace
ful citizens having a concern in the gen.
eral veal or woe of the state"