The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-09-28
EDGAR Il. CANS DISSECTS POE
DISFRANCHISING AMENDMENT.

the negro out. This device IS the
examination in Constitutional law.
III. This introduces us to the
third class.
"a person able to read any sec
ton of the Constitution Of this
State submitted to him by the
officers of registration and give to
them a reasonable explanation Of
same; or if unable to read such
section, able to understand and
explanation thereof when read to
him by the registration officers"
This simply means on its face
that no negro and no foreign-born
citizen or his children who could
not vote on January I, 1860, shall
be allowed to vote unless they can
explain any part of the Constitu-
ton Of the State to the officers of
registration.
Our State Constitution is an in
strument which, though simple in
some part, is extremely difficult
in others. I can put 4 hundred
questions on a reasonable exDlana-
of its provisions, which no one but
trained lawyers and judges could
answer. Why, instead ofa simple
educational test, such as proposed
by Governor Warfeld and Attor-
ney-GeneraI Bryan, which would
be definite and affect all alike, does
the proposed amendment require
an examination in Constitutional
law, conducted by registrars who
know little or nothing about the
subject? The answer is plain, and
just to this point the attention of
the people of Maryland should be
riveted.
THIS EXAMINATION IN CONSTITU-
TIONAL LAW IS AMERE FRAUD
ULENT DEVICE,
Its object is to permit the regis
trar to ask such white men as the
party desires to have registered
easy questions, such as How
many Governors can we have at
one timer" and to ask the negroes
and such white men as they want
to disfranchise difficult questions
which they cannot answer, such as
"What is an eX post facto law?"
Under this provision the registrars
may disfranChise anyone whom
their political party does not wish
to vote, and may register anyone,
however depraved or ignorant,
whose vote is deemed important
by the party bosses. Therefore,
already the managers are trying to
persuade the foreign-born whites
that thew will be allowed to vote:
the examination in the Constitu-
tional law will be made easy for
them; but the negroes will be kept
out-they will find the examina-
ton too difficult to pass. But who
will be allowed to vote and who
will be excluded will depend, I'M
der the arbitrary powers of this
device, entirely on the within and
caprice of the political bosses who
will control the registrars.
But this is not all. This device
cannot work successfully under
any fair election law, nor when the
the administration of election af-
fairs is in the hands Of decent men.
For example, under our present
election law, the registrars in each
precinct are two Democrats and
two Republicans. Of course the
the Republicans would not allow
this examination in Constitutional
law to be unfairly and fraudulent
used against the negro.
Thefore, to work the device sue
cessfully, other things are abso-
lutely essential:
The election law must be
changed so that all the registrars
shall be Democrats, or that there
shall be two Democrats to one Re-
publican. Unless such a change
is made, the amendment would