The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-01-15

at once, and therefore he proposes to
call a Constitutional Convention to
meet the second Monday i'll May
next. The election for delegates to the
convention he suggests could be held
on the second Wednesday in March,
there being previously two supple
mental days of registration, Feb,
ruarv Odd and 24th.
The caucus on Tuesday hi ght put a
temporary quietus on this plan, but
the party may again take it up pro-
vided it is backed by public sentiment.
The reasons urged for its adoption
are that it will bring about the pro,
posed disfranchise1nent in a more
speedy manner than by Constitu.
tional Amendment. 1t is also urged
that the State cannot appropriate
any money for the improvement OF
public roads until the Constitution is
amended to permit this Legislative
action Without a Constitutional
Convention, no work can be done
until after two years, as amendments
to the Constitution must be sub,
mitted at the same time that local
elections are held
Mr.. Poe has prepared an amend
ment, which he proposes should be
submitted to the voters in case the
call for the Constitutional Conven-
ton should fail The amendment as
drawn by him is as follows:
"Section1.-All elections by the
people shall be by ballot. Every
male citizen Of the United States,
whether native born or naturallzed,
Of the age OF 81 years or upward,
who has resided III the State for one
year and in the Legislative district
of Baltimore city, or in the county i'll
which he may offer to vote, for six
months next preceding the election,
and who, moreover, is duly registered
as qualified voter, as provided in
this article, shall be entitled to vote
in the ward or election district i'll
which he resides at all elections here
after to be held in this State, and i'll
case any county or city shall be so
divided as to form portions of
different electoral districts for the
election of Representatives in Con-
gress, Senators, Delegates or other
officers then, to entitle a person to
vote for such officer, he must have
been a resident of that part of the
county or city which shall form a
part of the electoral district in which
he offers to vote for six months next
preceding the election; but person
who shall have acquired a residence
i'll such county or city, emitting him
to vote at any such election, shall lie
entitled to vote in the election dis
trict from which he removed until he
shall have acquired a residence in TIE
part of the county or city to which
he has removed. Every such male
citizen of the United States having
the above prescribed qualifications
of age and residence shall be entitled
to be registered SO as to become
qualified voter if he be
"First-A person able to read any
section of the Constitution of this
State or of the United States sub
mitted to him by the officers of regis
tration and to give a reasonable ex-
PLANTATION of the same; or, if unable
from physical disability or other
wise to read such section, able to
and give a reasonable
explanation thereof when read to
him by the registration officers; or,
"Second-A person who on the first
day of January, 1869, was entitled
to vote under the laws of this State
or of any other State of the United
States wherein he then resided; or,
"Third-Any lineal descendant of
such aforementioned person until the
year 1916.
No person not thus qualified by
coming under some one of the above
descriptions shall be entitled to be
registered as qualified voter, nor
be entitled to vote.
Under this plan, Mr.. Poe points
out, the constitutional amendment
could be framed and become opera
tive before October l, and the election
next November could be held under
its provisions.
1t will be seen by the above amend
ment, that the plan only in a measure
DISTINGUISHES the negro and unfor-
tunately confers the right of suffrage
upon the most dangerous class viz.
the young educated negro who has
enough learning to prevent
him from working, but not enough
to be of any practical good. The
members of the race are
far more respectable as a class than
those of the present generation and
they could be more safely trusted
with affairs of State and have a
greater regard for the observance of
law and the rights ofsociety. Hardly
any of these can read or write, and
every one will therefore be disfran-
chised while the young negro, who
in nine cases out of ten is absolutely
no use, can cast his ballot with perfect
freedom. There should be another
which will cover this
branch of the race, for if there is not,
If &c on1v a question of time before