The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-10-11

gentleman throughout his whole life
and fortune has smiled upon him
both in a financial way and in politics.
No man in either party during the
present generation has held more
Offices than he has, and no doubt it
would be extremely gratifying for
him to close his political career with
the record of having defeated man
of the high standing ofhis Democratic
opponent. We do not intend to
enter into personalities, nor to ask
the voters to follow this method of
campaign electioneering, but when a
man seeks office all of his official acts
become public property, which are
the subject of legitimate discussion.
IF we examine carefully Mr.. Bakers
political career we will find that he
has been harmless and inoffensive
ofhceholder, who has always voted
with his party caucus in all matters.
He is rank partisan, believing in the
theory that anything is good that
bears the stamp of Republicanism.
Should he be elected to the State
Senate he may be relied upon to vote
for the caucus nominee for United
States Senate, no matter whether it
be Mudd, Goldsborough, Stock bridge
or Williams. On the moreimportant
question ofrace issue everyone knows
where he will be found. 1t is not his
love for the negro which would make
him party to a measure to per-
petuate their power, but he does
know that that is where the Gibralter
of strength of the Republican party
lies. Shorn of the negro vote, they
would show but little more strength
than the Prohibitionists. The affected
love in his speech of acceptance that
he attempted to show towards the
ignorant negro was simply the desire
to gain votes.
With these facts, how can anyone
who favors the white mans supreme
cy hesitate in casting his ballot. Tie
Democratic party has pledged itself
that the white man shall rule. Mr..
Baker says if he goes to the
State Senate, that the first thing he
will do will be to again enfranchise
the negro. This is no personal CAM
paign. 1t is the fight of the white
man against the negro, and a vote
for Mr.. Baker means the perpetuation
of the power of the ignorant masses
against the white classes.
THE MARYLAND ELECTION LAW.
Mr.. Arthur George Brown, MEM
Der of the Baltimore City bar, in a
recent article points out the salient
features of the present election law.
They are:
1. The abolition of the party
column with its accompanying en-
blem and the substitution therefore
of what is called the Massachusetts,
or pure Australian ballot, with the
candidates arranged alphabetically,
according to surnames, under the
title of each office to be filled. The
name of each candidate is followed by
his party name and the voter is re-
quired to mark the name of each
person for whom he wishes to vote.
2. The abolition of the giving as
sistance to illiterate voter, except to
voters who shall declare, under oath
that by reason of blindness or physi-
cal disability they are unable, with
out assistance, TO mark their ballots.
These were the important changes
in the law. No partisan advantage
for control of the window was given
but the bipartisan features of the
old law were retained in their entire
ty, with equal party representation.
To correctly mark the ticket with
out assistance, the voter must be at
least able to read the party name
and pick out the candidates. The
plan strengthens the anti-bribery
feature of the old Australian Ballot
law, as it perfects the secrecy of the
ballot and prevents a corrupt election
clerk from seeing to the delivery ofthe
goods by the bribed voter.
The reading test is certainly not
unreasonable, as it excludes only the
most illiterate.
The old party column made it cas-
ier for the voter to vote straight.
Now it is just as difficult and requires
the same number of marks to vote
a complete party ticket as to vote
Independently. Each candidate must
stand more individual scrutiny and
cannot de,end on the strength of
the party to pull him through.
Independent or third party candi-
dates areno longer az disadvantage
by being placed in a partial or in
complete column, but enjoys as prom
inent a place on the ticket as the re-