The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-04-16
The Wilson Ballot Bill.
From the Baltimore sun, April 9.

The so-called Wilson Ballot bill, which is
now under consideration by Governor War
field, repeats and re eracts certain clauses of
the Election law, mainly those relating to the
form of the ballot. The chief intent of this
act is to remove from the ballot to be used in
twelve of the counties of the State the name
of the party by which each candidate has been
nominated. Heretofore after the name of
each candidate on the official ballot the name
of his party has been printed. Under this act
that party name is to be omitted in the coun-
ties to whicl, the act applies. Instead of this
there is to be a list posted conspicuousy in
every voting booth containing the names of
the candidates of each political party, with a
designation of the several offices for which
they are candidates, so that voters may thereby
be aided in selecting the candidates for whom
they wish to vote.
This list will, of course, be useless except
to those persons who can read it, and thus the
new law is intended to prescribe indirectly an
educational test for voters, which under the
Constitution of the State cannot be done di,
rectly In Baltimore city, Baltimore county
and the counties of Allegany, Washington.
Montgomery, Carroll, Hartford, Dorchester,
Queen Anue's, Wieomico, Cecil aud Kent the
present law remains unchanged. And in the
counties affected all the safeguards against
''trick ballot are preserved.
The counties TO which the bill applies are
Howard, Prince Georges, Charles, St.
Mary's. Anne Arundel. Calvert, Caroline,
Talbot, Somerset, Worcester, Garrett and
Frederick. All of these except the two last
mentioned are either on the Eastern Shore or
in the Black Belt of Southern Maryland. Two
or three of the counties to which the act does
not apply have large negro populations and
large illiterate vote, and the act might just as
properly be applied to them to the others.
But the fact that the representatives of those
counties rejected the bill cannot be urged as
reason why other counties having large ilit-
crate and non taxpaying vote should not have
the relief they have been elamoring for during
many years.
A glance at the tables of illiteracy in some
of the counties is a sufficient argument to JUS
tify the enactment of this law and to justify
the Governor in signing it. In Calvert county
out of $500 registered voters over 400, or
more than one half, can neither read nor
write. As a rule they pay no taxes or an IN
significant amount. The question which GOV
ernor Warfeld has to answer is whether the
State should not confer upon the white people
and taxpayers of this county the right TO levy
and disburse the taxes they pay and to man
age the county government which they have
TO support. There are, of course, some lllt-
crate voters who are taxpayers and good citi-
ZeuS. Out the WElEdTe oi tue uhdiiN lb ScNAAtuo
to which the bill applies cannot be sacrificed
for the benefit of the few.
In Charles county, cut of 3, 700 voters about
1,75O, or nearly one-half, are registered
illiterate. In ST. Mary county, out Of 400
voters about l 200, or nearly half, are litter
ate In Prince Georges the iliterate vote is
over 200 out of 1921. In Anne Arundel il
is ., 400 out of 1900. In Worcester and Som
erset more than third of the registered vote
is illiierate and in Talbot aud Caroline it is
about one fourth. In Howard the illiterate
vote is about 500 out of 1000, or 20 per cent.
There seems to be no just reason why Garrett
county should be included in the list. but
the illiterate vote in that county is very small,
not over 10 per cent. Of the whole, political
conditions will probably not be affected and
only few will lose their votes. In Frederick
the iliteracy does not exceed 10 per cent. still
there is large negro vote in the county, most
of it illiterate, which holds the balance Of
political power. 1t must also be remembered
that the major portion of the corrupt vote is
found among the illiterates. We cannot see
how the best interests Of the State will suffer
by eliminating il as far as possible.
In his campaign speeches Governor War
field took the high ground that the intelligence
of the people of the State should control, aud
in view of this position it is hard TO see how he
can consistently withhold his approval from
this ballot bill