The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-09-07
some More Gall
From the FREDERICK Citizen

,ao 9, ma additional stocks dss6 assessed $50,
cIooi hooEs 10 our chiIf1vy bonds; gaze free
Th;s nlank of the RI =, dc.
= h's p,"'' aos,s,r,cse publican State plat
osli "a" ~ 1870. d somewhat after the
I'M fSevayaI Il, liltin this, that it is COM
49, 49, Ss,sd togS stinct and inharmonious sub
49, 80 . aaudy cher in queer sort OF way to
a,har chico, appearance. Ii there were no
.a,sd sys sion to il than the one just indl-
!. might well forbear to comment upoa
:. =, - as it embodies, SO far as quoted, not a
snug e accurate statement, we will saw and split
~ II is astonishing that such glaring per-
versions the truth should find place in the
formal ulterances of a political party. But
there they are and the men who put them
there must either have been ignorant that the
statements thus made we're untrue, or else,
knowing them to be untrue, they deliberately
incorporated them in their platform with in
tent TO deceive the voters of the State. 1.-THE
authors Of the platform were ignorant that the
statements we have quoted were untrue, no
better reason could be advanced to demon
strate the ineapacity of the platform builders
to govern the people OF Maryland. II, how
ever, knowing those statements to be untrue
thew deliberately made them intending them
to be believed as true, then, these platform
builders have themselves shown their unit
ness to be entrusted with political power; be-
cause one who will resort to deception to gain
power will misuse that power when gained.
We will not pause to consider which horn of
this dilemma these gentlemen should hang
themselves on, because it is not within the
scope Of our present pupose to do so; but we
will content ourselves with simple exposure
of the inaccuracies of the assertions excepted
from the Republican party's State platform
1t is. to begin with, a little dithcult to tell
precisely what is meant by generation OF
fraud and violence" We had supposed that
the word generation, apart from its mathe-
maticai and theological sense, had some sort
of relation to individuals or to the measure
mept of the duration of human life, but we are
now told, for the first time, that there can be
n generation of fraud and vlolence" which
is about as ineligible as generation OF
bricks, a generation of wheat or generation
of murder Passing by this peculiarly and
assuming that what was meant was this +:
That after fraud aud violence had prevailed at
the polls for the period of a generation, the
Republican party gave us peaceful, faIr and
free elections; we have statement which can
be understood, but which is utterly at vari-
ance with facts.
II comes with very bad grace from the lead
ers Of the Republican party TO talk about
neaceful. fair and free elections. Have they
lUdJ III tnlS f1iI Ceehe~ 1880 SJ
were driven from power in 1867, elections
were carried in the interest of Republican
candidates by the most notorious fraud and
violence? Have they forgotten that mea-
ger minority of the voting population OF Mary
land controlled elections, because the naJerl-
ty were disfranchise1 by fraud and corruption
or were driven from the polls by violence?
Have they forgotten that Federal bayonets
kent voters away from the polls and prevented
life long residents from voting, because by no
other means could q hopeless minority retain
control of the State government? Have they
forgotten that Republican Judges OF Election
were sued in great numbers for traudulenty
refusing to allow Democrats to vote ana thal
judgments were rendered IN some cases ana
in the others there were settlements eHecteo
by the Election Judges paying the costs
Have they forgotten that tbs Ubiquitous Con-
stitution Of 1864 was thrust upon the people
of this State by fraud and violence? That an
Infamous test oath was exacted from every
Democratic voter, i'll fragrant violation OF the
then existing Constitution of the Stale, and
that illegal votes cast beyond the limits OF the
State by soldiers in the field were counted IN
defiance oflaw? By counting 2, 633 votes de-
nestled ont of the State and far away from the
regular polling precincts, pretended MAJOR
itv of 375 in favor of the adoption OF the Con-
stitution of 1864 was figured up, out of a total
vote of Sc, 1913 Have they forgotten the ear
pet. bag rule of the South during the preva-
ience of which fraud and violence ran mot,
until an outraged and indignant people were
driven almost to desperation Have they
forgotten the outrageous Force BaH and Sen
ator McComas advocacy of that scandalous
measure when he was a member of the House!
Have they forgotten how the voters OF the
Sixth Congressional District turned upon
Senator McComas and defeated him at the
polls for his persistent advocacy of that same
Force BiH?' Have they forgotten that the
Republican party secured the Presidency In
1876 nv fraud and seated r. B. Hayes,
though Samuel j. Tilden had been elected
But who gave us the election law which Sc
cured peaceful, fair and free elections p
1t was adopted by a Democratic Legislature
in 1890. 1t was amended in 1896 when the
Republicans had control ofthe House OF Del
gates and the Democrats were in the majority
in the Senate. If the existing election law
has given peaceful, fair and free elections,
then the credit is due to the Democratic Leg
islature of 1890 and to the Democratic Senate
of 1896 no less than to the Republican House
of the last-named year, and it is consequently
untruthful to say that the Republicans gave
us peaceful, fair and free elections. SO Tar
as the amendments adopted in 1896 were con-
cerned, the Republicans and Democrats alike
were instrumental in passing them, and 1t is
manifestly inaccurate to say the Republicans
alone gave us that law. The election law,
like many other statutory systems, IS the re-
suit of development Assuming, but not adj
hitting, that we now have any more peaceful,
fair or free elections than we formerly had,
and assuming that this improvement is due to
the law as it stands today, the origin OF the
nsad to fbn af n
1890 adopted by Democratic Legislature,
and whatever of merit the amendments of
1896 contain could not have been secured
without cooperation of the Democratic
Senate. In the face of these patent facts
it is rashness, if nothing worse, to claim
that the Republican party conferred the bless
ing and benefits ascribed to the election law.
The "Republicans reassessed
property and equalized the burden of taxa
tionn The reassessment was made under sew
eral statutes passed in 1896, but not one OF
those statutes could have become laws
had not Democratic Senate concurred
in their adoption. For the Republican party
to claim the sole credit for this measure IS for
it to claim that to which 1t Is manltestly not
entitled.
laborer and farmer assessed sec, 900, 900 addi-
tiona stocks and bonds" Did they? When?
How? Was it under the assessment law OF
1896? If so could that law have been passed
without the concurrence of the Democratic
Senate? Certainly not. Then it is not true
to say the Republicans brought about this
result But suppose we are wrong, and sup
pose the Republican party alone caused the
assessment Of $50, 900, 900 of stocks and bonds.
Was that in case of laborer and farmer? Bonds
are assessed at three dollars on the thousand
for county purposes The laborer who owns
n house worth thousand dollars and the farm
er who owns a parcel Of land worth thous-
and dollars each pays the full county rate OF
taxation, which in some counties is more than
three times as much as the bond holder pays
on his bond. The holder of bonds is thus
favored at the expense of the land owner.
To make this little more clear, take this case:
A bond-holder owning ten thousand dollars
in bonds pays thirty dollars county taxes on
them. farmer owning a farm assessed at
ten thousand dollars pays in same counties
over one hundred and in this county eighty
fue dollars county taxes ON his farm. A bond
holder in Baltimore City pays on ten thousand
dollars of bonds thirty dollars city taxes.
whilst the man who is assessed with ten thous
and dollars worth of houses pays on that as
sessment one bundled and SIXTY SeUeH dollars,
or over five and a half times as much as the
bond.hoder pays on identcally The same
amount of property. Is such discrimination
sin case of labor and farmer?' The Repub
Ican State platform says it is, but we doub
,ybatbar tbe toiler and filler of the soil viii