The Washington times., 1905-10-18
The Fight in Maryland.

A new face has been given the
campaign in Maryland The fight
that was once thought to be all in
the hands of the Democratic organi-
xation is now in the air Today Of
fers as many different prospects as
there are politicians to expannd
them. All this has been precipitated
by an amendment to the State con-
stitution-designed to remove the
colored and purchaseable vote from
the register-in which the whole
State was once expected to concur.
Secretary Bonaparte gave the op-
position to this amendment It's first
thrill Of hope. He pointed out, or
rather he contended, that the pro-
posed legislation threatened not the
negro vote alone, but 10000 white
voters and every white voter in the
State whose construction of the Con-
stitution did not satisfy the agents
OF the Democratic machine The
answer to him came from two
sources; from the counties an un-
varying opposition to the negro, both
as voter and resident, an opposition SO
strong that even Republicans waited
only the chance to enact it into law:
and from the Democratic headauar-
ters an announcement that support
or the amendment was in this cleo
tior the unvarying test of party
loyalty. Yet in this situation there
were so many Democrats opposed to
the amendment, either on the ground
that 1t was dangerously loose in
phraseology or dangerously evil in
purpose, that the issue began to be
doubtful.
Now new element has entered
into the calculation. The Democratic
party is divided against itself. On
the one side is the organization head
ed By Senator German, with 1.
Freeman Rasin as his Baltimore
deputy. Opposed to them stands
Governor Warfield, supported by a
certain group known as blue stock
ings." And to this latter wing Sem
ator Rayner, one of. the strongest
men in the State, has now thrown
his support.
The issue no longer depends on the
States decision as to the suffrage
amendment alone. 1t is easily pos
sible that the amendment may be
beaten while yet a majority Of the
electors OF the State favor the ex-
clusion of the negro from the polling
lists. For many will vote against
the present draft as fatally loose in
its form however meritorious in its
avowed object; many will vote
against it in order to dethrone the
present Democratic organization;
and many Republicans will vote
against it as impartially as they
would vote against anything else of
Democratic origin. The expectation
seems TO be that these several forces
will resolve the fight into a contest
of city with country, that tine anti
amendment influences united can poll
a majority In Baltimore. and the pro-
amendment forces united can poll a
majority in the counties.
In the view OF trained observers it
is regarded as possible, notwithstand-
ing the accommodating strength Of the
opposition, that the amendment will
carry. II 1t does. the effect will prob
ably be to join all the reform, inde-
pendent, and "blue stocking" ele-
ments in the State with the Republi- |
can organization-a union strong
enough TO carry the State several |
times in the past. If 1t does not, the
effect will probably be to rout the |
present Democratic organization ut
terly, 20 depose both German and |
Rasin, and to give independence and
reform new power in the State.