Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-26
TALKS OF AMENDMENT
George Alfred Townsend on
Disfranchisement
OUT IN MARYLAND
DENoUNCEs PROPOSED MEASURE
IN STRONG TERMS.
Tells of Motives for Wanting to Get
Law on Statute Books
His Comparisons.


IF ! am familiar with Maryland history.
the itch to dsfranchise some useful ele-
ment is as old as the province. The Cath
olics were put down for seventy years until
they were reduced, says McSherry. to one
thirteenth of the population. The Jews
were not allowed to be citizens OF Mary
land till 1886. and every humane legislator
who tried to help them to the suffrage was
defeated for reelection. Yet the Jews
sold out of Baltimore last year twenty mil
lion dollars of manufactured clothing. said
to be the chief article Of that city's wealth.
Is Sena tor-elect Rayner. of Jewish stock,
going to be the Maryland Pharaoh? What
Catholic, Dragging about Maryland and toll
GRAFTON, is going to take away from another
element the safeguard of all his rights?
What says the liberal Cardinal Gibbons?
The Quakers, who produced Johns Hop
kns, were declared to be unlawful as
sembly in Maryland from 1852 to 1902, till
the British restored them rights. The city
of Baltimore was disfranchised or refused
its legislative quotum of delegates till
revolution in 1887 forced republican con-
stitution Next, all foreigners were driven
from the polls in Baltimore and riots, muir
der and manning continued till 1860 when
the legislature made a police board to turn
out Mayor Tom Swanns police. Said the
Methodist, Rev. Francis Asbury, in 1915
1 fined near Baltimore five pounds for
preaching the Gospel The anti-federal
riots of 1872 killed Gen. Lingan and gored
out the eye of the father of Gen. Robert
+. Lee SO that he died from his injuries
The riots against the sodiery in Baltimore
at the opening of the war had a recipro-
cation in the state constitution which
caused the very men to wall at their dis
franchisement who now have no other issue
than TO disfranchise.
Rights of Others.
ba conclusion Of tbe oh
server must be that Little or no progress
has been made in respecting the rights of
others; while intolerance to religion has
been the custom of all nations, deprivation
of citizenship is unusual and contrary to
the humane process of all the nations. for
the empires and kingdoms are now demo-
cratic while the democracy of Maryland is
despotic and re-enacts the bred Scott de-
cision for the twentieth century, that black
men have no rights which white men are
bound to respect. They say fancy did not
say that but they do now say it, and take
away from the electors of 235 600 colored
people in Maryland their only right which
Identifies them with representation. For
what? Has there been a negro insurrec-
ten? Cannot the negro learn to read? The
Ger sus shows that negro illterates in this
state only six to four illiterate whites.
The entire number of Maryland illiterates
is 49, 600 less than all the blacks in the
state. So there must be $4,000 educated
L
would decitizenize that number of his
neighbors is black himself; he belongs to
the dark ages"
The Motives
What is the motive for such late move
in our state history?'
ITO keep the offices. Maryland had be-
come a debatabie state and TO issue was
left but race prejudice. The corruptions of
the democratic party in Baltimore had
driven German from the Senate and Rasin
and others from the spo. Is. A republican
governor and Legislature and two repub-
lican senator's. two or more republican may
ors of Baltimore. a republican congress
Sionai delegation sometimes, alarmed the
coterie with the fear that the great north
would settle Maryland and the growth of
Washington city would assimilate BaIti-
more, also, to modern thoughts and en-
IGhtened mutually of kindness. The late
slave must be deposed from his forty years
| OF the enjoyment of the ballot. a meditated
crime the grta test of all the crimes of the
party which for years crammed the ballot
boxes and miscounted the votes. History
must be searched far back for such a per-
secution"
What are some such caeAs in hietnr--?''
Il can think of two: The Jews in Spain
| and the Protestants in PJ-and Tn jews
| had been tolerated by the Arian Goths till
| they turned orthodox and took away ALI
the reasonable rights of the Jews. The
I jews opened the gates OF 1OleQO TO the
Moors, who conquered Spain for 800 years.
| There is no Spaniard who does not feel the
! disgrace of that era. To deprive the Dissi-
| dents of Poland of their rights the d,ssatis-
! faction was sown which ended the indie
| pendence and glory of the Polish kingdom.
| But l can come to Maryland. also, with an
example. In 1914 the fear of negro in
surrection in the old slave peninsu,ar, at
| which is aimed the present disfranchIse-
ment. so paralyzed the militia of Maryland
that they would not fight and ran away
from hardly two regiments of British SOL
diers and sailors Yet the negroes of Bal
timore helped to defend IL very little later
| and were found in the ranks. We have
negro regiments in the United States army.
and l have heard that our most invincibie
| cavalry regiment is a co'ored one. The
man defending his country. and facin g
pestilence in the south. 70" r. 49, ="
an immune can come back to Pennsylva-
MIA or Ohio and be an Anrrlc "a,
to Maryland. where he will be legal dead.
Thus. setting Maryland to the ont
as foe of service and labor. and already
we are scarce of laborers, who are drawn
away to Pittsburg and West Virginia. with
no immigration to make up the deficit
Securing Canada for Laborers.
Baltimore Is now securing Canada for
laborers and discouraging that coored
labor which the late Judge Frederick
Stone of the court of appeals told me was
the best peasantry in the world The
| colonel of the I'd Maryland Regiment in the
| confederate army. Judge Crane of ST.
| Mary's county, has been on the bench for
| twenty years in that so-called black belt,
| elected by the cheerful amnesty of his dark
| constituency. If the negro had 1t In his
| power to dsfranchise the white race he
| would not do 1t. for he has neither political
| revenges nor plots. His is the politest race
! In the state. He never starts strike when
| he hears of his employer getting too much
| work. He likes to see the man above him
| thrive His opportunities are few and
| small, but he has a native happiness we
cannot match.
| Where / live, on a mountain top. II
| never occurs to me that any black man
| will injure me. II he had the pride and IN
| gratitude OF the other race, we could rot
! live with him at all. His is the only race
| In America all native born. He numbers
| nine millions in our country and o.ia-
| fourth OF the people OF Maryland. The
! blow is not aimed at him, but at the pro-
| portion of republican whites in Maryland
! who are supposed to have the aid of his
| ballots and 1t. therefore, Is equivalent ia
| disfranchising US. The effect. II successful
| will be to remand Maryland to the column
of slavery till the next revolution, and
| make Mason and Dixon's line our Chinese
! WALL
Looked Gift Horse in Mouth.
! ..rrt. sxraot pnrfh hocLod hy E,,s1o. !. 4