Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-16
MARYLAND POLITICS
Frederick County Republicans
Feeling Sanguine.
POE AMENDMENT ISSUE
UNUSUAL ACTIVITY AMONG
VOTERS RECORDED ILLITERATE.
Vigorous Work Being Done by Lee3ers
to Teach Them How to
Mark Ballots.
POE AMENDMENT ISSUE
Special From a staY Correspondent.


publicans of Frederick county are feeling
very sanguine over their ability to defeat
the Poe amendment to the state consttu-
tion disfranchising the colored vote of the
state. There are several reasons that con-
tribute to this feeling of safety. In the
first place the county is normally republi-
can by a majority of from 500 to CO. Then
the democrats themselves acknowledge they
lack the activity that has characterized
them when Col. Victor Baughman has been
in personal control of the democratic
forces. Col Baughman is said to be very
Ill and is staying at Atlantic City. 1t is
not believed here that he will be well
enough to do any political work in this
campaign.
There are other conditions that cause the
republicans to declare that they will in
crease their normal majority in their vote
on the Poe amendment. Several years ago
Mr.. s. V. Doll. then serving as a supervisor
OF elections, made careful count from the
registration lists of voters who were re-
corded as illiterate. He found that of the
i5,SOs voters In the county, 1921 were re-
corded as being unable to read which
placed them under the general head of IL
ilerates- OF that number $40 were whites
ana II2 were colored. The lapse of time
SINCE that count was made has tended to
decrease the number of nliterates among
both whites and colored. This decrease has
been brought about by the death of many of
the older men and by the fact that the
young men who have taken their places
nave been, almost without exception able
10 read and write. 1t is said to be difficult
10 ma a man, white colored. in the
county who has reached the age of twentv-
hve years who cannot both read and
write anu
Mr.. Doll also found that the foreign-born
population Of Frederick county several
years ago numbered 231 half of whom
We're IN the city of Frederick
Aroused Over Amendment.
Ii Is claimed that these iIliterates and tho
foreign-born citizens of the county are he
ing aroused over the provisions of the Poe
amendment So far as the white iIlfterates
are concerned, 1t is said they are In many
instances men of high standing and the
owners of considerable property. While
their inability to read and write brands
them as nliterate. they are declared to be
men of business ability, who are successful
farmers but were without opportunity to
secure an education in their early years
There are four brothers in the county who
are numbered among the illiterate They
were the children of a prosperous farmer
VINO was himself without education and
who put his boys to work as soon &c thav
were able to be of value. The result was
that not a single one of them learned to
read or write. When the father died he
left an estate of 100000 to be divided among
his four illfterate sons. They were all men
OF character, and in each case added to
their patrimony. But they felt not only
humiliation. but Inconvenience, because OF
their lack of education. They determined
to see that their children should not suffer
from lack of education.
The result is that in each case every one
OF the children of these men We're not only
kept at school while in the lower grades
but were given college educatfons and they
are today all prominent men of the county
Resent the Amendment.
This case Is aid to be only typical OF
many others of the 800 white voters of
Frederick county who cannot read and
write. These men are old and they have
children who are, as a rule, well educated
The men of the younger generation, it is
claimed by the republican leaders of the
county, resent the provisions of the Poe
amendment a reflection aimed at their
parents, and IT Is said, they will fight it
accordingly.
In dealing with this class of voters the
democrats claim that there was no intention
on the part OF the trainers of the Poe
amendment to prevent white men from vot-
ing, and they say that the operation of the
law in other states should be a sufficient
guarantee of it's real intent
The republicans are doing vigorous work
IN teaching Uliterate voters how to mark
their ballots Frederick is one of the eleven
of the eleven counties which are effected by
the Wilson election law. That law provides
tnat only the names of candidates shall be
placed on the ballots, without anything to
designate their politics, that blot or AN
incorrect scratch shall invalidate the entire
ballot. This law also allows the names
OF the candidates to be placed on the ballot
in any order that may be determined upon
by the supervisors.
The difficulty of marking these ballots on
the part of men who cannot read is verv
declared fhar h,r,
training but few ballots will be improperly
marked. In order to train the voters in the
proper way to mark these ballots Mr.. Reno
Harp, the republican county chairman, has
issued sample ballots. with the names of
the candidates mixed UP. without any guide
as TO their politics
Schools of Instruction.
He has established schools of instruction
In order to teach ilIiterate voters how to
pick out the names of the republican can
ddates and the proper places in which to
mark the ballots
Mr.. Harp today declared his belief that
the coming election will be held as fairly
as possible. He expressed confidence in
The democrats who are to serve In various
capacities and believes they will give every
body a square deal. He also believes that
the dihculty in marking the Wilson bal
lot will be felt by the best educated people
of the county even more than by the men
who cannot read or write.
I'VE have found In the past" he said TO-
day, that the illterate voter will take
pains to learn how TO prepare his ballot and
he wifi cast ballot that cannot be thrown
out. On the other hand, the man of educa-
tion presumes that he knows how to vote
and he often goes into the booth without
any instruction at all. The result is we
have found that more votes of educated
people are thrown out than in the case of
the iliterate. There Is another thing
have found to be true. The colored man
viii learn to vote even though he has not
dollar nor crust OF bread. He will take
the time TO learn. They find out how to
pick out the names and to mark them
properly.
Il am satisfied that in this county the
democrats are divided on the amendment
and / feel sure that we will get good
many Of their votes against II"