The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-10-30
A CHEERING OUTLOOK.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE

| BALTIMORE, October 20, 1908.
The campaign of 1903 is now about over
and the issues will be passed upon by the
voters of Maryland next Tuesday. Pros
poets are bright for Democratic success in
Baltimore City. and loyal party men here
are looking for cheering news from the
counties.
| Getting right down to bed rock, there
is only one issue in this campaign, and
that is, as Mr.. Rayner aptly put it last
week, whether the Democrats or Republi-
cans shall rule Maryland and the various
counties for the next four years. Which
party is the better entitled to the respect
and confidence of the people? Which has
in it's ranks the preponderance of intelli
gence and civic spirit?
The Republicans are making their fight
on the basis of demands for new ballot
law, the present ballot doesn't suit them
because it requires intelligence on the
part of the voter, together with knowledge
of public men and measures. What bet
ter proof Is needed than the testimony of
Mr.. A. Lincoln Dryden, who, while hold
ing Federal Office paying $4,000 year,
spends most of his time manipulating pol
itics to aid his sponsor, Senator McComas
The following is from the Sun:
"Mr. A. Lincoln Dryden, Republican
leader in Somerset county, is confident
that the Republicans will win, notwith-
standing the fight that is being made.
Mr.. Dryden said that while in Crisfeld
on Saturday in five minutes he instructed
one of the blacklist and most illiterate
negroes in the county SO that he marked
the sample ballot perfectly. 1t has been
discovered by the Republicans that the
word Republican on the Somerset ballot
is the only one in which the letter 90 does
not appear, and they are teaching their
illiterate negroes to put their cross mark
opposite the word in which there is no
goose egg or co. The letter 20 occurs
in Democratic, Socialist, Prohibition and
Reputation. In this way Mr.. Dryden
declares the negro can be taught to mark
withstanding that he can neither read nor
write.''
This is in line with the argument of Mr.
Stevenson A. Williams, the republican
candidate for Governor, who finds fault
with the ballot law principally because it
does not have picture of Lincoln oppo-
site the name of each candidate of his
party so that the illiterate negro can vote
as the Republican bosses dictate. If the
Governor of this State and the various
county officials are to be placed in position
by voters who know no more about what
they are voting for than to make cross
marks opposite Lincoln's nose, isn't it
time for the reputable, intelligent white
people to pray, "God save Maryland?'
At the gubernatorial election four years
ago the total Republican vote was 10000
in round numbers. The negro registra-
ton was something over $4,000, showing
that there were 81 900 white Republicans.
The Democratic vote at the sane election
was over $4,000. The question is, where
would the Republicans be without the
negro vote? Another question is, how do
the negroes regard the issues of citizen
ship and public measures that are in
volved in this campaign Here is another
extract from the Sun, telling of recent
Republican meeting in Somerset county,
which shows that the spellbinders of that
party appeal to the cool, sober reason of
the men it most depends upon to win
success:
Republican leaders were much pleased
at the effect at the meeting held in Girls
field on Saturday night, at which ex Sen
ator David E. Dick was the star speaker.
Senator Dick, it is declared, spoke to
large negro audience and excited them to
high state. At one time be seized an
American flag from the platform and in
graphic style described the charge of
President Roosevelt up San Juan hill.
Mr.. Dick, it is said, charged up and down
the platform himself, sometimes leaping
as high as three feet in the air. He so
worked up the emotions of the negroes, it
is stated, that they burst out into shouts
of GLORY! Amen! 'Hallelujah! and other
expressions of delight. He is said to be
the most popular orator who has visited
Somerset county in years.
Republican orators can not point to
single fault in the Democratic administra-
ton of State affairs, and have no sound