The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-12-09
REPEAL The FIFTEENTH AMEND
MENT.

REPEAL nj FIF EENiH AWENL-
MENT.
Apropos to the submission of the
proposed constitutional amendments
limiting the suffrage of Maryland, is
the present stand that is being taken
by prominent men all over the coun-
Try respecting the repeal OF the FIT
tc>n:Ii amendment. The race issue
WAS first made prominent in the last
national campaign by the insertion
Of ap!anli in the Republican platform
which suhstantiallv calls on the
party 10 reduce representation III
Coagrc.s from those states where
Tie negroes are practically debarre'l
from participating i'll elections. The
issue was further acccntuatcd by the
action al the St. Louis Convention,
which placed the Democrats III a po-
sition antagonistic to any such &C
aion.
While it is probably wise for the
party itself lot to agree to a rcduc-
ton in representation, provided the
Fifteenth Amendment is repealed, yet
there can be no question but what
much substantial good would re-
dound from such action, and here
after the South would not always
present an unbroken front on all
national questions. White .upre-
macy has stood pre-eminent since the
Civil War. While the Reconstruct
tion Period gave the negro his vote,
yer one OF the first acts of the ex-
trcmc southern states, where the ne
gro predomirated, was to pass laws
looking to practical evasion of
this obnoxious statute. Louisiana
was the first state to successfully
frame Il law that stood muster before
the Supreme Court OF the United
States. Other states followed in her
footsteps until now Maryland, the
last commonwealth south of Mason
and Dixon line to be affected, will
follow suit should our proposed
amendment be adopted by the voters
this fall.
The prosperity of the South since
the Civil War has not only kept pace
with the rest Of the country, but in
point of fact in MANY cases actually
outstripped several other sections.
Its natural richness has induced
many northern people to settle with
in it's friendly borders, all Of whom
soon become conscious Of the fact
that the chief reason for this Won
derful advance is from the fact that
the blacks have not been allowed to
make this naturally favored section
of the country a second Hayti. In
stead, thev have been treated kindly,
paid generously for their work, and
there has not vet been disfranchis-
ing act passed that does not contain
IL provision holding forth to the ne
gro the possibility of being allowed
TO exercise the full duties of citizen
ship when ne shall arrive at the
period of 4 proper realization of its
requirements. Still, they are held in
place.
The South today can consider no
political matter from any other
standpoint than race supremacy.
There are doubtless many OF its resi-
dents who favor certain republican
policies, but their desires are held in
check by the great mass Of negro
ignorance which, should it partici-
pate III the governing power, would
blight even the Garden of Eden. The
only reason t,!at the solid South is
>Jlid today is because ofthe Fifteenth
amendment hid the country of this
menace to intelligent government
and there viii he new formations
aud divisions bounded and defined
by our country's needs instead of be-
ing baked and checked by this night
mare hanging over civilizations.
1t is absurd TO say that negro
domination is a bugaboo trumped
up for political purposes. Statistics
show that there has been an increase
of from 100000 i'll 1868 to nearly
10000, 600 in 1900. At this rate of
increase this country could expect to
have in it within forty years at least
80, 600, 900 black Inhabitants. This
is appalling and should be impressed
ON the mind of every white man in
an bipartisan manner. The race
issue should be eliminated from poll
ties, and the best minds of the coun-
try ought to unite i'll having the Fiji
tccnth Amendment repealed so as to
allow each state to deal with this To-
cal matter by local legislation.
Should the North demand it, let
the representation be reduced if it is
necessary in order to get the negro
out of politics. There is no one of us
who would not rather be represented
by small but respectable minority