The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-02-09
IL OFFICIAL COUNT
WILL De FINAL
No Going Behind The Returns In
Amendment Election.
CARE IN SELECTING JUDGES
Exceptional Vigilance Will Be Exer-
cised By Both Sides-Hot Fight
Prepared FOr-Decision of Court
Not Yet rIade.

In the struggle next fall over ne
gro DISTINGUISHING amendment to the
Constitution, which is generally be
lieved by both Republicans and De-
mocrats to be inevitable, notwith-
standing the fact that the Court of
Appeals has not rendered its decision
in the case now pending, there is one
point which up to the present time
has escaped public attention, and
that is that the result will be decided
by the count of the judges of election,
and there will be no way in which
to go back of these returns, which
will be absolutely final.
Former State Senator Lewis Putzel,
who is member of the Republican
legal advisory committee appointed
last fall by State Chairman John B.
Hanna, called attention to this fact
yesterday, and pointed out that there
is in the law no provision by which
there can be obtained in any way a
recount of the ballots cast for and
against the amendment, and that no
court in the State will be entitled to
pass Judgment upon any contest in
which the amendment figures.
While provision is made in the law
for the recounting of the ballots in
contests against candidates elected on
the ticket, this provision does not in
clude the amendment, and the re-
turns of the election judges must be
considered as final. Being fore warn
ed of this condition of affairs, it is be-
lieved that exceptional plans will be
'Ten by both the Democratic and
lblican organizations to put in as
lection officials for next fall only
men upon whom they can implicitly
4ely, and upon whom they can trust
to protect the interests of their party
After the election, should the
amendment be adopted or rejected, it
will not it is declared avail in the
least the losing side to raise the cry
of fraud" or bribery or "corrup-
tion," as the returns made up the
judges and passed upon by the can
wasting boards must stand
As each party will have two judges
of election and one clerk, in addition
to a watcher, the claim is made that
if the proper men are selected for
these positions there should not be
the slightest difficulty in securing an
absolutely fair and impartial count of
the ballots, and the fact that it will
be possible to go behind the returns
will by no means mean that these re-
turns will not be perfectly fair and
trustworthy.
In advance of the decision of the
Court of Appeals there appears to be
considerable confidence, not only
among the counsel for Mr.. Vandiyer
y and the Democratic managers, but
among Republican and Democratic
lawyers generally, that the manda-
mus proceedings instituted by Mr..
Vandiver will be decided in his favor
and that the amendment will go up
on the ballot. Many of the Republic.
cans say that, as mere matter of
law, they believe the court will un-
dOubtedly sustain the petition of the
plaintiff, and having been advised to
this effect, the Republican State
leaders are going steadily ahead with
their preliminary preparations for the
fall battle
That it will be fight to finish is
conceded by both sides, and it already
oyershadows in interest the Council
nanic election of the coming spring.
Senator German, it is declared by his
lose friends and supporters among
Ghe State leaders, will actively direct
the Democratic campaign, and is as
lyitally interested in the success of the
amendment as it is possible for him
to be in anything.
One reason for this is said to be the
IL ! its fste will have upon the cleo
\ III" the Legislature in the fall of
hich Legislature is to choose
& mans successor in the United
Ell = Senate. That Mr.. German is
Y DIV, and will be then, candidate for
q reelection is not doubted by any of
lis friends, and this, it is declared. is
the main cause why he proposes to
make the fight for the amendment a
winning one if it is possible to do so.
1t is asserted by some obser vers of
political happenings that it is Mr..
Germans rule not to interfere nor ac-
lively participate in political fights
in which he has not personal stake,