The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-11-01

1
for the ignorant negro thereby Incl
dentially perpetuating the rule of
the Republican party. 1t carries us
back to the dark days during and
Immediately succeeding the Civil
War when every DEMOCRATIC
VOTER WAS DRIVEN FROM THE
POLLS sometimes at the point ofthe
bayonet. The now silent pen of the
learned writer of this article shows
in words far more eloquent than we
possess, that what is now history
was at that time an actual occurance.
The older Democrats will never for
get the indignity heaped upon them
by the Republicans when they were
in power, and when they come out
with the plea of "fair ballot" theex-
preston should be treated with scorn
when we look back at their history
in the past. They disfranchised
every white man who would not
swear that he would support their
principles and if we again trust them
with power we may expect it onlyin
some worse form.
1t is not our purpose to bring up
dead issues, but whenever we hear
! Republicans pleading for fair elections
we can judge their sincerity by their
action in the past. They thrusted the
negro franchise upon us and the time
is now ripe, owing to the rapid in
crease in that race, to take a firm
hold of the reins of Government be-
fore we are overridden by their num-
bers.
SHIFTS AND DEVICES TO RETAIN
POWER.
That the Republican party, ascon-
stituted today, is but following out
the programme which was first map
ped out by the same radical clement
that sought to dominate the nation
and State Immediately after the Civil
War, is very evident to all we'll in
formed people. Now, as then, the
best intelligence and wisest states
menship i'll the State were directed
against the determination of the
Radicals to maintain power by the
aid of negro suffrage.
Among those who were prominent
in opposing the debasing scheme of
the radical politicians in 1866 were
Governor Thomas Swami and ex-
Governor A. W. Bradford, both of
whom had been identified with the
Union party Of that day, the latter
having been native of Hartford coun-
ty. Both ofthese gentlemen delivered
most forcible speeches upon the sub
ject at at a meeting held in Frederick
i'll July of that year, taking strong
grounds against negro suffrage and
giving cogent reasons why such a |
political state of affairs should never
be tolerated in Maryland.
We quote from the Suns report of
that meeting:
Governor Bradford addressed the
people for two and half hours in a
speech such as has been rarely heard
from any man. denounced negro |
suffrage and negro equality; showed
clearly that the Civil Rights bill and
the recent amendment to the Consti-
tuition proposed by Congress were
but shifts and devices of radical poll
ticians to maintain power and that |
the whole course ofthe Radicalparty |
in Congress tended to embitter the
South and to ALLEVIATE from each |
other the sections of the country
which it was the duty Of every |
patriot to strive to cement.
The same report said that Governor
Swami addressed the meeting in a
speech of great power and effect,
taking broad ground against negro
suffrage and equality, and that his
speech was received with telling
effect"
Some of our Republican statesmen
in Hartford would do we'll to ponder |
a little over such wholesome senti-
ments, certainly to the extent of ap-
preciating the efforts of the Demo-
cratic party in compelling the negro
to understand what he is doing,
when he attempts to control the
government of the State, in the ex-
ercise of a franchise which Mary
land never voluntarily conferred upon
him.