The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-10-04
To Democratic Voters.
FELLOW CITIZENS:

Good order and tranquility prevail.
Our finances are in a healthy condition,
The duty of dealing with the great
practical questions of taxation and
education in such a way as to make the
burdens of the one as light and the bene.
fits of the other as large as possible, may
most certainly be entrusted to us, for we
undoubte lily represent an overwhelming
preponderence of those who are most
deeply interested in it's full performance
and who will will suffer most from its
neglect.
Encouraged by these obvious and con.
vincing considerations and stimulated by
the gratifying record of our work in the
memorable campaign of 1899, there
ought not to be any doubt as to the re-
suit of the contest in which we are now
engaged.
All we need is that the full strength of
our party shall be brought to the polls.
That this may be done, we must first
turn our attention to the vital task OF
making our registration books perfect
and complete.
No name not entitled to be on these
books should be permitted 20 be put or
kept on them, and no name entitled to
registration should be omitted.
1t is absolutely certain that there are
now on the registers many thousands of
names which are wrongfully and unlaw-
fully there and which should be stricken
off
In the counties no effort should be
spared to purge the lists of these names
The votes of our honestly and really
qualified voters should not be nulified in
whole or in part by the casting of ballots
by pc rsonS who are not bona fide resi-
dents of the State.
1 earnestly call on our friends in each
and every precinct in the county to bestir
themselves in this most important mat
ter. Note the names of all disqualified
and improperly registered persons. Col
lect the testimony bearing on the case of
each one of these persons. Hand in lists
of all these names at the session of the
registration officers on October Sth and
demand that they be stricken off at the
meeting of these officers on October 18th,
and on that day be prepared with the
evidence to sustain your demand.
See to it also that no new names be i'm
properly registered.
In Baltimore city an entirely new regis
tration will be made and this should be
so thoroughly conducted and vigilantly
watched as to be made absolutely ac-
curate.
In this way the registries will be what
they ought to be-complete and perfect
records of the lawful voters of the State
The vote cast on election day will be
the vote of our people and we have no
fear of the result.
Our amended election law compels each
voter to put his cross mark on the official
ballot opposite the name of each candi-
date he wishes to vote for. This ofneces-
sity requires each voter to act with a
certain amount of independence, intelli-
gence and discrimination.
1t does not absolutely stop bribery.
1t does not entirely put an end to cor
ruption.
No laws can completely accomplish
these desirable results.
But by placing each voter beyond the
controlling hand and tongue of election
clerks and by requiring each voter to act
for himself it reduces to a minimum the
chances and dangers of bribery, corrup-
ton and intimidation.
1t secures individual freedom.
1t goes far to make the ballot absolute
ly secret.
With the reasonable assistance which
its provisions give to illiterate voters,
there is no man so ignorant as to be I'M
able to mark his ballot as he wishes.
Every registered voter can easily learn
before he goes into the voting booth, the
names of those for whom he desires to
vote and the number cross marks which
he must not exceed, and as the require
ments of the law apply with absolute
equality to all voters alike-to the litter
white man and to the illiterate colored
man on a perfect equality-there is no
ground whatever for complaint of un-
fair and unlawful discrimination.
We need not lose the votes of any who
wish our party to succeed, for in every
precinct legitimate and proper instruc-
ton can be had and should be given
whereby adequate knowledge of the
proper mode of marking the ballot may
be readily acquired.
For the present l content myself with
reminding you that the struggle in which
we are engaged is not complicated or
obscured by the sharply debated question
which divided our people in the Presider-
tial contests of 1896 and 1900.
We are now dealing with the relative
advantages of Protection or Reciprocity
or a Tariff framed to produce such
Revenue only as is demanded for an
honest and economical administration of
the Federal Government.
In common with our fellow.citizens all
over the Union and with the people ofthe
civilized world, our hearts are stirred to
their deepest depths by the awful crime
which has deprived our country of its
chief magistrate, President Mckinley
whose eminent and patriotic services can
never be forgotten by a grateful people
and whose blameless life shall stand to
the remotest ages as an example and in
spiration to all who reverence purity, i'll
tegrity and honor, but we have not now
under review the wisdom andexpediency
of the foreign and domestic policy of his
administration.
We are not now concerned with the dis
cussion and settlement of the great ques-
tons growing out the war with Spain,
or the proper policy to be pursued in fix
ing our duties and obligations to the
people ofCuba, Porto Rico and the Philip
pines, but the controlling issue in this
State campaign is, whether the honest,
intelligent, economical, conservative and
successful administration of our State
affairs by the representatives ofour white
people shall be displaced, or whether it
shall be continued.
Upon this plain issue which our politi-
cal situation forces upon us and which
we ought not to evade if we could and
cannot evade if we would, appeal to
you to stand by our organization and
vote for our candidates.
Keep the State in safe Democratic hands
and rely upon Democratic administra.
ton for the Inauguration and conduct OF
all needed measures of enlightened pro-
gress and reform.
REGISTRATION DAYS IN THE COUNTIES.
Tuesday, October 1st, 19O1-S A. NJ.
to P. NJ.
Tuesday, October Sth, 19O1-S A. M.
to P. NJ.
REVISION DAY.
Tuesday, October 18th, 1901.