The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-12-17
rHH MARYLAND TRICK BALLOT.
Balzimors Nssas.

B0HlDa0Te Heos.
Mr.. John B. Hanna. chairman Of the Republic
can State Central Committee. has issued state
ment Of the result Of the investigation that has
been made by him. with the aid Of legal advi-
sorry committee. Of the facts connected with the
recent election. The advisory committee con-
sisted of Messrs 8. A. Williams. Charles J. Bona
parte, John v. L. Findlay, Lewis Putzel, John
c. Rose ana George r. Gather. q body Of gentle
men whose names give added weight to the con-
illusions reached. number of special details
are given, some local and some general, show
ing up the various species Of trickery that were
resorted to by Democratic election officials,
under cover Of the Wilson law or otherwise.
The general character Of the various mean little
tricks which It has been the business of Demo
cratic election officers to invent since the extra
session legislation put the party on that track Is
familiar to the reading public. The exact de-
tails Of them are of minor consequence. The
great fact that stares in the face is the inevi
table degradation of the election system. the
lowering of public standards, the loss of moral
tone which must come to any community in
which these doings are the familiar accompani-
ment of every election struggle. Mr.. Hanna's
statement puts the case in words of convincing
force when 1t says:
"Our elections have been dragged down from
the reform law Of 1885, and the high moral pur,
pose behind 1t has given place TO ecnemlng anu
sharp practice. The blighting influence upon
bic. No State can afford to continue an election
system that puts premium upon sharp prac-
tice. II it is wise to limit the suffrage; let us
and not cumber our election laws with cunning
devices TO accomplish it by indirection."
Among the particular items specified in Mr..
Hanna's statement are such things as the plac-
ing of a candidates name on the ticket by 1.-THE
most barefaced perjury - the refusal OF infor-
nation to Republican supervisors as to the ar.
| rangement of the ballot; the printing of vari-
clncfs, With the bemccTsfc names anifor%S
placed while the Republican names were shifted
about; the supplying Of copmon lead pencils In
| polling booths and the rejection of Republican
votes because marked by those pencils; the evil
| IDENTIFY fraudulent marking of ballots by others
than the voters, for the purpose of getting them
rejected; and other things too numerous to
mention. 1t is q melancholy catalogue. To
realize its full Importance. one must exercise a
little Imagination. Suppose that this close cleo
ton had occurred in q year when the Presidency
turned upon the vote of Maryland. In what
situation should we find ourselves? The eyes of
the whole country would be on Maryland. and
we should be exposed as the State in which,
| after twenty years. struggle had ended in the
| enactment of a thoroughly honest election law
| by the Republicans, who had applied 1t with alb
| solute fairness and gracefully retired when they
were beaten, the first thing the Democrats did
was to deliberately undo that work, and make
| systematic fraud a regular part of our election
practice. What would the country have to say
to such a story? And what plea could Mary
| land make in her own defense?