The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1905-06-24
TO FIGHT AMENDMENT
DEMOCRATS WILL ORGANIZE
WITHIN PARTY LINES
Every Affiliated Voter To Be Asked
By Committee 10 Sign Protest
Againf the Poe Law,


days or SO to sign q protest against the
proposed Poe DISTINGUISHING amend
ment and declaration of his intention
to vote against the amendment next
fall. Later the work Of securing sig
natures to the protest and declaration
will probably be extended to all the
counties.
This is the first attempt to organize
tire opposition in the city against the
proposed amendment, an1 it is being
confined strictly within part; line, to
Democrats. L marks die formal mau-
gurl.ion Of a campaign within the
party against the amendment, and IS
the result Of the widespread opposition
amnn@ prominent Democrats to the
proposed amendment and the certainty
that its adoption won'd mean the per
petuation of ring rule in the city and
S.ata and the growth of ellis similar 20
those which led to the political land
Side of 1895.
NNNiAlt 1 i = ~ \. tI-h-\'4i
\ committee consisting Of Messra Al
fred S. Niles, Archibald Il Taylor, ].
Southgate Lennon, Eugene O'Danne
and Leigh "orSal has volunteered t.
start the work of securing signatures to
the protest and declaration This COM
mittca is only q temporary ont, for ii
may be found after the work is well
under way that It larger committee or q
permanent organization Of another char
acter is desired. in which event the
members OF the first committee will be
! perfectly willing to step aside.
Some such movement to organize the
widespread Democratic opposition to
the amendment has been urged for sew
eral weeks past by prominent Demo
cratic opponents Of the amendment, and
it was after repeated conferences that
the present committee was selected.
This committee started to work vigor-
ously and prepared the form of
\ declaration by Democrats against the
so-callcd Poe amendment to the Con-
SttutiOn.
PLATFORM OF DEMOCRATS.
The form contains blanks for sigma
lures under the following statement:
We, the undersigned citizens of Mary
| land, affiliated with the Democratic
party hereby record our opposition to
! the proposed amendment to the Consti-
tutiOu of Maryland, known as the Poe
amendment.
We oppose ii for reasons which have
| been strongly set forth by Governor
Warfeld Attorney General Bryan and
many other of our thoughtful citizens.
1t is not necessary to here set forth in
| detail these reasons.
| We deem it sufficient now to say that
the granting of arbitrary powers to the
Judges of election is clearly undemo-
cratic and will surely result in injurng
| the liberty and rights of our citizens.
We do not believe that ability to con-
strue our State Constitution should be
the test by which the right of suffrage
should be determined.
The election Judges are not qualified
TO apply such a test.
We believe that this would be found
to be only cover under which unscru
pulous partsans might easily perpet-
uate their own power
We have no opposition to an amend
ment in line with the Democratic plat
form in 1908, which would restrict the
suffrage to intelligent and patriotic citi-
zenS.
1t is entirely unnecessary to say that
if ever such condition should arise, we
would oppose negro domination as reso-
lutely as any men in Maryland.
But we do protest in common with
the standard-bearers of our party in
1903, against the particular amendment
attempted to be forced upon us, and,
with them, utterly repudiate it as not
only failing to fulfil the pledges of the
platform on which they stood, but as
directly opposed to its spirit
We invite all who sympathize with us
herein to send in their names to be
added to our list.
TO CANVASS EVERY DEMOCRAT.
Copies of this declaration are now be-
ing distributed among a selected list of
1000 Democrats, and by them will be
presented to all the 80 900 and odd reg
istered Democrats i'll the city of Balti.
more. 1t is confidently believed that
every Democrat in the city will be can
vassed and that the number of sigma
lures of party men opposed to the
amendment will surprise even the most
sanguine of the leaders in this move
ment against the attempt to perpetuate
the rings power. Accompanying the
declaration is the following circular
letter:
At the suggestion of number of
voters affiliated with the Democratic
party, we are acting as a provisional
committee to organize the widespread
opposition which exists against the
adoption of the so-called Poe amend
ment to the Constitution of our State.
We inclose a short declaration on the
subject, and we would be greatly
obliged if you would sign the same,
and also get other Democratic friends to
sign. 1t is most important that prompt
action be taken If you should not be
10 act