The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-06-15
BRYAN AGAINST THE
FRANCHISE AMENDMENT
Attorney General Explodes Political
Bomb and Numerically
SCORES POE DISFRANCHISGNG ACT
Says That He Not Only Hopes for Its
Defeat, but Will Vote Against 1t
One OF Host Obnoxious Treasures
Ever Presented.

One OF the most convincing argu-
ments against the passage of the Poe
DISTINGUISHING amendment at the
polls in November was that given in
an interview Monday by Attorney
General William Shepard BRYAN. Mr..
Bryan has always been unalterably
against the amendment as passed by
the General Assembly, and his
clear-cut and straightforward asser-
tions of Monday prove without doubt
his continued hostility to the obnoXi-
Gus measure.
Mr.. Bryan, among other things, in
his interview, said:
While l wish to see the Democratic
candidates, and all the Democratic
candidates, win at the approaching
election, am, as l have often stated,
unalterably opposed to the proposed
constitutional amendment for the re-
striction of suffrage.
see no constitutional or moral diff
ticulty about DISTINGUISHING those
citizens possessing the attributes
which distinguish our negro popula-
ton, .other than conditions of servi-
tude
The constitutional power to do this
is clearly stated by that sound copsti-
tutional LAWYER, the late Senator
HOar, of Massachusetts, in his auto
biography Volume ?, where he says:
This is not q sectional question.
1t is not a race question. The suf-
frage was conferred on the negro by
the Southern States themselves.
They can always make their own
rules. If the negro is ignorant you
may define ignorance and disfranchise
that. If the negro is vicious you may
define vice and disfranchise that. If
the negro be poor you may define
poverty and disfranchise that. If the
negro be idle you may define idleness
and disfranchise that. If the negro
be lazy you may define laziness and
disfranchise that. If you will only
disfranchise him for the qualities
which you say unfit him to vote, and
not for his race or the color OF his
skin, there is no constitutional obsta-
Gle in your way
Nv objection to the proposed
amendment is, and has always been,
confined to the method by which dis
chisement of the negro is sought to
be accomplished. think that that
amendment, if passed, will give a
dangerous and unwarranted power
over both white and black voters to
the election officials, a changing body,
incompetent, as a class, from lack of
training, to exercise such power with
either fairness or intelligence.
1t is a fundamental principle Of
constitutional liberty, older than
Magma Charta, that mans rights
should depend upon definite and as
certainable facts, and not upon the
discretion, opinions, whims or caprices
of any other man or set of men. And
when the discretionary power to pass
upon the political powers and PRIV
ileges of any portion of the people is
sought to be given to set of men no.
toriouslY and scandalously unfit to
intelligently exercise that power, it is
difficult to discuss the measure in the
language of moderation The leave
to live by nc mans leave" is the char
acteristic which distinguishes consti-
tutional liberty from despotism.
Apart from this, | do not think
that any declaration of any political
convention on this subject can, on
any sound Or logical theory of party
loyalty, bind the members of the
party, because the Endorsement of
the amendment is not within the
scope of the authority of the conyen-
ton. The convention has had dele
gated to it power to select candidates
and to frame platform declaring
the principles which will guide the
official conduct OF the candidates
nominated by the convention, if
elected. But no candidate nominat-
ed by any convention in this State
this fall will, if elected, have anyofficial
duties to perform in relation to the
adoption of the amendment The
amendment will be either rejected or
adopted before any nominee Of any
convention takes office.
hope to see the franchise amend
ment overwhelmingly defeated. l
shall vote against it,
How 70 90 10 California.