Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-31
Tuesday, October 81, 1905
That Poe Amendment.

That Poe Amendment.
The Journal has been asked for the
text of the so-called Poe constitution
al amendment over which Maryland is
SO excited, this fall, and which is the
chief issue in the present campaign
in that state. Its language is as fol-
lows:
F'irst-A person able to read any
section of the constitution of TINS
state submitted to him by the officers
Of registration and to give a reason
able explanation of the same; or, IL
unable to read such section, is able
to understand and give a reasonable
explanation thereof when read to MN
by the registration officers; or
Second-A person who on the first
day of January, 1869, or prior thereto
was entitled to vote under the laws
of this state or any other state OF
the United States wherein he then
resided; or
Third-Any male lineal descendent
of such last mentioned person VINO may
be twenty-one years of age or over
in the year 1905.
No person not thus quallneu ny
coming under some one OF the ABOVE
descriptions shall be entitled 10 De
registered as a qualified voter, nor TO
be entitled to vote.
1t will be seen that those whose
fathers, or grandfathers, were voters
prior to the adoption of the Fourteenth
amendment are entitled to vote with
ha
those not so fortunately born, which
includes all of the negroes, and all
recent foreign born whites, must I'M
dergo en- examination before white
election judges who may use their
own discretion in determining whether
the applicant understands the consti-
tuition or does not. In the hands OF
corrupt party machine it would be
possible for election judges to abso-
lutcly control any election.
The registered voters of the state
Of Maryland number about 2J5,999 of
whom only $4,000 are negroes. This
shows how unfounded is Germany's
prctcnse that there is danger of ma
gro domination" 1t is assumed on all
sides that the solid negro vote can
be counted against the Poe disfran-
chisinE amendment, and that a defec-
ton Of 10000 democrats will defeat the
amendment and with it Senator Cor
man, who is stalking his political for
;t- nj dpfpHti0n
of Senator Isador Rayner is relied up
to divide the democratic vote. Sena-
tor Rayner was selected as Senator
Germans colleague without the cor
dial good will of the senior senator
and has never felt that he owed any
thing to the longtime leader OF the
Maryland democracy. He is opposed
to the Poe amendment for the reasons
that have led Governor Warfield and
Attorney General Bryan to oppose it.
The Poe amendment leaves 1t to
judges of election to decide who shall
and who shall not vote. and this power
they are not willing to trust to a po-
litical machine in the hands of such
a man as German.
Senator Rayner's impassioned APP
peal to the voters of the state to OPP
pose the amendment and his subse-
quent challenge to Senator German
to meet him in joint debate have Civ
eli to the Maryland campaign a pic
turcsque aspect. 1t is the first time
in many years that United States
senators from the same state. repre-
scnting the same party, have been at
loggerheads over an issue sufficiently
to indulge in public challenges to each
other. There is certain suggestion
of control of the situation conveyed
in Senator Germans cool refusal to
notice either the statements or the
challenge of his colleague. But Sena-
tor German is IN desperate position,
and 1t is the belief of the well informed
that the amendment will be beaten, If
anything like an honest count is had.
10 those who believe in the right of
the negro to the ballot on even terms
me contest is of vital interest. But
while the real purpose of the amend
"eht Is to disfranchise the negro. the
ueoa'e Is confined to its incidental
erect of DISTINGUISHING foreign born
VOTERS whose grandfathers were not
voters in 1859 and to the proprietv Of
"''owins election judges to say when
'"SFVoter has properly interpreted the
constitution. - e'eu '"e