Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-08

parties would continue equally represented
as they are now on the board of registra-
ton. Those who prepared the platform
knew perfectly WELL no one else could
possibly know well, that the adoption of
the Poe amendment would have been as
sured by the passage of bill abolishing
this equal representation and substituting
the old two-to-one boards. had they not
despaired of passing this bill over Governor
Wartield's veto, just as they despalred OF
obtaining second time the necessary
three-ifths vote for the constitutional
amendment itself, and therefore wouldn't
tender 1t to him for signature and took
their chances with the court of appeals.
The bill was not only prepared. as 1t had
been for the special session and in 1902,
but this time actually introduced; and only
the governors attitude and the ''wobbiing'
of their own majority, unde" universal
public criticism, led them to reluctantly
abandon IT. For their purposes the adop-
ton of the amendment itself will not only
be half victory, but a scant return for
all the time and money it will cost, if they
haven't sufficient majority in each house
TO pass, and pass over the governors veto,
the same measure, which only the fear of
that veto and the certainty that 1t would
prove fatal prevented their putting
through at the last session.
When, therefore. Mr.. Furst tells us that
''the hair will go with the hide if they
can't give the amendment, he means that
the ring has no help to give and no money
to waste on any candidate or any party Of
ICtG VINO may retain SuI1CIeHI respect
either for himself or for public opinion TO
let consistency or decency or anything else
outweigh, even for moment, the orders of
the ring.
Vital Facts of the Situation.
Some time since l was shown by one of
the democrats in Baltimore city who are
working with all their strength to defeat
the amendment a letter from a respectable
democratic lawyer of county adjoining
this, in which the writer said he and his
neighbors were but little interested in the
amendment, because in this part of the
state there were but very few colored vot-
1t is on such a careless or stupid nnisun-
derstanding of the vital facts of the situa-
ton as this letter disclosed on the part of
men as respectable as its writer that the
ring relies to make the amendment law
Had he read it with any care he must have
seen that the right to vote of every white
man in the state is made to depend on his
establishing, to the satisfaction of partisan
and INSCRIPTIONS officers of registration
one or the other of two things-namely
either that he understands or misunder-
stands section of our constitution as two
out of three of these men (who will be, ac-
cord1nS to all our past experience about
as well yersed in constitutional law as in
Chinese metaphysics) themselves under
stand or misunderstood the same section.
or else that his ancestor or himself was a
legal voter of some state in the Union on
January /. 1859.
Any one can understand. and all do what
this kind of civil service examination on
the constitution will mean but ii is not
as fully and generally understood that every
young man who comes of age after the 1st
OF next January-every such man, white or
black, native born or foreign born-must
submit TO 1t. Still less is 1t generally recog
nized that the rights of those with Ameri-
can grandfathers are almost as wholly at
the discretion of the officers of registra ton.
subservient to the Ring.
Ii the applicant for registration be DO
hucaIly orthodox, that is to say If he be
as subservient to the ring and as docile as
the KIND OF candidate or ward executive 1t
wants in the city, no doubt any sort or
proof or no proof at all will satisfy them
of his grandfather's qualifications: but II
he be in anywise tainted with or suspecteo
OF republicanlsm or independence or a mu-
unous spirit, they will become hypercritt-
cal and hard to please as to the old pentle
men S status, to degree which would put
TO shame the Colonial Danes and leave the
Sons of the Revolution nowhere
Let each one of you now think how he
could clearly prove. by evidence which is
not hearsay or in anywise imperfect that
ms grandfather was legal voter of some
American state, and he will understand
how completely the rights of those even
most favored by the terms of the amend
ment VIII be at the rings mercy II 1t be
ADOPTED; how thoroughly, even for them
its pretended safeguards against the dis
franchisement of white men are a mock
cry, delusion and a snare"
Fellow citizens. only one class of peo-
pie will be assured of their votes IL this
amendment become law-those men. black
as well as white. who are owned body ana
soul uf they still have souls) by the ring:
In other words, those men who are OF ali
others unworthy of American citizenship
and a disgrace and danger to our Chris
tian civilization.
Mr.. Parran closed the meeting with one
of his characteristic addresses and KENT
the big audience in continuous uproar.
He poured some hot shot into the Poe
amendment.
At the conclusion of the meeting several
hundred people made their way to the
stage and shook hands with Secretary
Bonaparte
The speakers were afterward entertained
at dinner at the Conococheague Club All
three spent tonight in Hagerstown, stop
ping at Hotel Baldwin.