Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-16
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

The democratic organization leaders sus-
tanned another JOLT during the week when
the Baltimore county democratic conven-
ton failed to pass a resolution indorsing
the disfra basement amendment. Signit-
canoe Is added to this by the fact that Rep
resentative j. F. c. Talbot of the second
district was in absolute control of the con-
vention and put through the slate which he
had selected for the judiciary and also the
county Offices
Mr.. Talbot for the past quarter OF
century has dominated the democratic
party In Baltimore county. and he has been
known one of the most powerful and in
flUential of the lieutenants of Senator Cor
man. He has always been very close 10
the state leaders and rarely, If ever, has the
senator held a conference with the party
leaders in this city or in Washington with
out Mr.. Talbot being present. The repre-
sentative has for years been one of the
inner council of the German machine. and
his work a political leader has always
met with the approval of the senator. Mr..
Talbot has played the game of politics be-
cause he likes the job of wir9pulling and
fixing up states. He is absolutely homes;
and never yet has he been accused of hay
ing a desire to add to his worldly posses
sions by the use of the political power he
wields in Baltimore county He is known
as the easy boss and the party workers
follow his lead without question.
Caused Much Comment.
Therefore IT is quite certain that had Mr..
Talbot desired the county convention to
go on record favoring the Poe amend
ment such a resolution would have been
passed without dissenting voice. And it
is the failure of the convention to so on
record in regard to the amendment that is
causing much comment among the leaders
as well as the rank and file in this city.
1t is also regarded as significant that the
convention which selected the delegates to
the third judicial district convention in
dorSed Mr.. Frank j. Duncan for associate
judge to succeed Judge N Charles Burke,
who will receive the nomination for chief
Judge. Mr.. Duncan at present occupies the
position of state insurance commissioner.
to which he was appointed by Gov. War
field The commissioner during the last
gubernatorial primary campaign was an
ardent Warfield man and was regarded as
the leader of the Wartield forces in Baltl-
more county.
Taken all in all. the proceedings in Balti-
more county during the week have fur
nshed much food for gossip among poll
ticians. and the prevailing impression is
that Representative Talbot. while not TAX
ing any stand against the amendment. will
not go out of his way to aid in it's pas
sage. Some political observers even go SO
far as to hint that the representative may
desert Senator German and cast his for
tune with Gov Warfield. but this is hardly
probable at this late day in Mr.. Talbot $
career.
Anti-Amendment Democrats.
The greatest and most widespread oppo-
sition to the Poe amendment exists in this
city The committee of Independent DEM
ocrats named a fortnight ago for the pur-
post of organizing an anti-amendment
league of democrats has selected 800 DEM
ocrats in this city to act as body to name
an executive committee to conduct the
campaign within the party ranks. Inc
provisional committee has made a care1ul
canvass of the situation. which shows that
Baltimore is almost certain to return
large ma jorty against the measure. The
opposition to the Poe PLAN they assert. is
not confined to any one class of voters. but
includes democrats in all sections of the
city and in all occupations.
Another potent force arrayed against the
amendment is the Independent Citizens
Union of Maryland, the membership OF
which is over 1000 delegates 1t is COM
posed of delegates who represent the several
societies and other German organizations of
this city. The total membership of all the
societies is between 1000 and 10000, and
the organizations are bound by the action
of their representatives in the union. In
order to protect the suffrage rights or the
foreiCn-born voters of Baltimore and those
of immediate foreign descent, the Citizens
Union has begun an energetic campaign.
They have had printed and distributed thou-
sands of circulars in the English and Ger
the Poe amendment, if adopted. will con-
troll the suffrage rights of foreign-born citl-
zens The following is one of the most eft
fectve of the arguments urged by the union
against the amendment:
Using the figures of the last census, 1900,
we find the male population of Baltimore
city of voting age 10 have been
Per cent
Native born Of native parents. 49,
Native-lorn Of foreign parents. .............. 246
r
when II is further considered that many
of those classed born of native parents
are children of men who were not registered
voters in 1863 and so not hereditary privi-
legged, the percentage of those who would
come under the restrictive clauses of this
amendment is nearly one-half of the white
registered vote, or three times as many
whites as blacks.
Revolt in Ranks.
States Attorney Owens, who was nomi-
mated by the Rasin machine for the position
he now holds, made an address recently at
the Concord Democratic Club, in which he
flayed the amendment. While Mr.. Owens
address caused somewhat of a sensation, its
real significance seems to have been over
looked. The club at which Mr.. Owens spoke
is controlled by Police Justice Loden, one
of l. Freeman Rasin's most trusted lieu
tenants, anu II Is poSitANt Niidl tlit
was not delivered at the club without Mr..
Rasin being apprised OF the proposed plan
beforehand. In his address Mr.. Owens
said
THE existing conditions in our state DO
not justify, even the plea of necessity
wholesale negro Acknowledgement. as there
is no danger OF negro domination here.
notwithstanding this, however, there
has been much talk of negro domination,
and prejudice has been awakened and ex-
cited upon this question, and more than
one election carried under momentary eX-
element
eff however. you Will look at the figures
OF 1863 YOU will find that there were 22i OCT
registered white voters in this state ana
80 I61 negro voters. Baltimore city had 90
SO white voters and 1910 negro voters
more than five and one-half times as many
white voters as black. Certainly there can
be no negro domination in the city of Ba.ti-
more.
THE figures OF the whole state show
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