The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-12-01

! leaders, with ready legal opinion to
] meet any emergency, determined that
! the Governors signature was unnec-
( essary, and declined to submitted it
| to MIN tor approval or veto.
The two material feature in which
the Poe amendment differ from the
WOrthlugtOn amendment are:
Il. The Poe amendment applies to
all citizens nat IraliZed after the year
1863. This embraces the greater part
Of our uaturaliZed citizens. as the
great influx of immigrants to this
country did not commence until after
the close Of the Civil War. The
WOrthlngtOu amendment exempted
all naturalized citizens and their de
Scendants from the operation OF the
amendment.
-. The Poe amendment leaves it to
the Judgment of the registration off
GERS to determine whether the citizen
can give reasonable explanation of
any section ofithe Constitution read to
him. He must explain the section read
10y the registers and he must explain it
to the satisfaction OF the registers. In
other words, the registers pick out at
random any section of the state Con
stltutIon and then sit as judges upon
the reasonableness of the explanation
OF 1t given by the citizen. Each set of
registration officers will be an examin-
ing board in constitutional law 1t is
no reflection upon our registers to say
that not five in a hundred of them
have ever read the state Constitution,
and that they themselves could not
explain many of its provisions. 1t
matters not whether tue naturaliZed
citizen or his children can read the
Constitution, they must also explain
its provisions to the satisfaction of
the registers. Registers of voters are
active partisans, and are selected on
that account. This provision of the
Poe amendment creates an awful
temptation to disfranchise voters of
the opposite party. The naturalized
citizen and his descendants is placed
at the mercy of the registers 10 poll
tics it is safe principle that every
partisan advantage will be taken and
no temptation or opportunity over
looked. The decision of the registers
upon the knowledge of the Constitu-
ton possessed by the citizen is final
1t has the effect of a decision, and
there is no appeal from it. There is no
NNCoDN pm l'Olhb IliC
ment of the registers is final If it
were not so we would have the ludi-
crous situation of the time of four
courts being taken up by eIamina-
tions of citizens in constitutional law.
The constitutional amendment is
only an incident The material fact
is the well-known intention of the
leaders of the Democratic party to
manipulate elections. The conduct of
the Democratic leaders during more
than 20 years is sufficient warning
to the people of the state. They aim
to control the election machinery.
They strive to win elections by the
control of the election machinery.
The ultimate end is to return to
the old system of two to one, in which
two OF their representatives shall
have the power to out vote the one in
opposition. The present Governor has
placed himself in their path to a con-
siderable extent. Unless man who
is opposed to the Democratic organi-
zation is elected governor of the state,
the party's success at the polls will
mean the destruction of popular suf-
frage in Maryland. Baltimore Amer
lean.