The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-06-23
BRIGHT FOR THE SUFFRAGE AMEND
MENT.

BRIGHT FOR THE SUFFRAGE AMEND
MENT.
Every day is bringing recruits to
the support Of the Suffrage Amend
nent. The campaign of education
that is being carried on by the
rural press of the state, aided by
literature now being put out by
Chairman Vandiver of the State
Central Committee, is helping the
cause in an appreciate manner.
There was a time when many good
honest Democrats were in doubt as
to its efficiency because they did not
understand the provisions of the pro-
posed change. Willful misstatements
made several of the older leaders re-
call the DAYS when they were all dis
franchised-and at the point of the
bayonet too-soi it was no wonder that
a doubt arouse when falsihed arti-
Giles argued that it was in the power
of the judges to reject any mans vote.
But there is a lot of daylight now
being turned on the utterances Of
those who have selfish interests in
keeping the negro a voter, and that
daylight shows that the provisions
of the proposed law, to which so
much objection has been made, can
only apply to about ten per cent. of
the white people of this state. This
is regarded as very liberal estimate
of foreign born citizens who have
come to this country since 1869, and
therefore will be included in its pro-
visions. For the other ninety per
cent. there can be no occasion for
even an anxious thought. The ballot
of Maryland will be placed in the
hands of the poor and rich alike so
long as they are of Caucasian blood
and either they or their ancestors had
the ri ht to vote in any state of the
Union prior to 1869.
As we have heretofore outlined in
a perfectly frank manner, this is in
tended to disfranchise the negroes
Every Southern state has adopted a
similar law and those who for one
second doubt the result of such legis-
lation can ask any resident, where the
law has been in effect, just how many
white people have been disfranchised.
a talk with any of these people will
satisfy any honest seeker after the
truth that the result has been to place
the government in the hands of the
people who by heritage and brain
are entitled to rule. In no case has
any injustice been done the negro.
He is simply being put in the position
that he was shortly after the war,
and is even better off than was in
tended by his great emancipation
Abraham Lincoln who did not
seriously regard the p-opriety of the
negroes enfranchisement until he
could acquire sufficient ability to
comprehendingly understand the
duties of citizenship. Our proposed
law, which is the counterpart of
similar section of the constitution of
Louisiana, holds forth to every negro
the opportunity Of becoming citi-
zen when he has acquired an idea of
its requirements.
The Old North State is one of the
latest to adopt constitutional re-
quirements that practically disfran-
chise the negro and the frank open
campaign that was made attracted
the admiration if not the support of
its opponents. The Democrats in
this state should make no conceal
ment of their intentions. 1t is
square fair open fight against negro
suffrage not because these unfortu-
mates are black but from the higher
impulse of self-preservation which re-
quires that we should exact of them
an improved standard of morals and
intelligence before they are armed
with dangerous weapon like the
ballot that can make or mar COM
monwealths as those who have the
right to cast it may SO decree.