The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-07-22
THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN.


The undisguised design Of certain party Lead
ers In Maryland, IN the amendment to the
Constitution on which the voters Of that State
are to pass judgment this fall. is not merely
to dsfranchise the negro vote, but to putitinto
the power Of the dominant party to disfran-
chise voters, either white or black, in its dis
erection. This power is given to the dominent
party by the following amendment proposed
to the Constitution, which provides that. In
order to register, the candidate must be male
citizen and
ID A person able to read any section Of the
Constitution Of the State submitted to him by
the officers Of registration, and to give reason
able explanation Of the same or, If unable to
read such section, able 70 understand and give
explanation thereof when read to him by the
registration officer; or,
~ A person who on the first day of January,
1859, prior thereto. was entitled to vote under
the laws of this State or Of any other State of
the United States wherein he then resided; or,
90 Any male lineal descendant Of such last
mentioned person who may be twenty one years
of age or. over in the year 1908.
Under these provisions of the amendment the
offers of registration can exclude any one who
offers himself to vote provided be was not
voter prior to 1869 or a descendant Of such
voter, unless be understands the Constitution
as the registrars understand 1t. IF he is
Bryan Democrat and believes that the Con-
stitution allows an income tax, and the regis
trars are Republicans and think it does not,
they can exclude him because he does not give
to the Constitution what they regard as rea-
sonable explanation of 1t. This differs radi-
cally from the understanding clauses in
Mississippi and South Carolina. because the
latter allow any one to vote who can read or
understand the Constitution and though the
understanding clause in Virginia gave the
vote to any person able to read and give rea-
sonable explanation of the Constitution, that
clause expired in January. 1904 since which
time any one who is able to make his applica-
ton for registration in his own handwriting
without aid is allowed to vote. Moreover, by
the permanent provisions of the six Southern
States which have recently adopted Constitu-
tional Mississippi, Alabama,
South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana,
and Virginia-any man can vote If he possesses
three hundred dollars worth of assessable
property, can read and write the English lam
guage. and has paid his poll tex; whereas,
under the proposed amended Constitution of
Maryland, no man can vote unless he was
entitled to vote prior to January, 1869, or is
descendant of such voter, unless be understands
the Constitution as the registrars understand
it. And this provision may be made by the
dominant party a means Of excluding, not
only any negro, but any foreign immigrant or
any descendant of foreign immigrant, at the
option Of the registrars. Wholly apart from
the race question, this amendment is proposed,
not in the interest of government of the peo-
pie. for the people, and by the people, but in
the interest of government of the machine. for
the machine, and by the machine. We do
not see how any man can vote for it who is in
any sense believer in popular government