The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-09-07

be, don t understand it. Even
judges of our highest law courts
and constitutional lawyers have
their difficulties in regard to con
stitutional questions. The books
are full Of such cases. Then how
can a voter or even the registrars
understand or give reasonable ex-
/ plantations of them. Really they
can not. Bnt the registrars, if
they wish or want to. can easily
disqualify any amount of voters
enough to carry the result of the
election as may be wished by those
IN interest. Should such powers
be given to any board of registra-
ton, to be used at its own will,
feelings or wishes? Won't say
discretion, as that implies rehec-
ton and judgment of what is right
and just. Why not have the law
plain, perenptory, absolute and
reasonable, so that there may be
such a thing as a right to vote, in
stead of mere privilege to be
granted or refused to suit circum-
stances.
The great civil war with all its
horrors, gave us a nationality
which we did not possess before.
Sectionalisn disappeared, and in
turn we were a nation in the eyes
OF the world and ourselves, but
such enactment5 as are proposed
will have strong tendency to
send US back to the harmful sec.
t1onal1sm that in former times so
afflicted our country. And the
race question is again coming to
annoy and harm us. Ought we
not to consider whether or not the
eastern, northern and western
parts of Our wide country would
feel dissatisfied and distrust1ul on
account of action like this, and
would they not think and believe
this great country was again to be
sectionalized, in feelings, actions,
and policies? Would they not
say the 5000, 900 of colored peo-
pie form basis for about thirty
four or thirty-fve congressman,
most Of them of the same party,
none of their own color. The col
ored people count as fully as the
white race in every way expect the
right to vote. They must obey
the law, pay taxes and bear arms
II necessary, inst as the whites are
legally required. They have no
representative of their own color
in either branch of Congress,
though they form a constituency
OF about 5000, 900 of our whole
people.
The racial question, so called,
is not to be quieted by the denial
of the ballot to the colored man,
but rather to aggravate it. And
further, we are hearing consider
able about white and negro equali-
ty. No reasonable person need be
alarmed about this. The colored
person has always had and will al
ways have the right to select his
own circle among his own people.
In fact there is no such thing as a
social equality among the white
people themselves. We all know
they are divided up into many
stratas, bv imaginary partitions.
Social equality is to be found no
where outside of the uncivilized
tribes. There one person is equal
to the other.
1t much behooves the Republi-
cans at the approaching primaries
to select candidates for the many
offices to be filled at the November
election in every way fit, suitable,
competent, reliable and of the
highest character, not mere parti-
sans, but men of might and inAu-
ence, whose candidates. will give
strength to the opposition to the
amendment. It can and ought to
be said with truth, this amend
ment proposition did not have its
inception in the body of the Dem
ocratic party but was forced upon
the masses by the party leaders.
This comes from an old ReD1,h-