Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-10-18
REPLY TO MR.. BONAPARTE.
Mr.. straus Exposes Republican Record.

Mr.. Stratus Exposes Republican Record.
Mr.. Straus was given rousing welcome
and made speech which stirred the enthu-
sIasm of the throng to a high pitch at Baltl-
more recently. When the cheering which
greeted him after General Latrobe had In
troduced him as "the next Attorney General
Of Maryland" had ceased an ardent Demo-
crat from the Tenth ward arose and, waV'
ing his hat, crowed three times after the
fashion of the Democratic rooster.
Taking his cue from this incident, Mr.
Straus, who apparently knew the man, re-
ferred to him as one of the warriors oil the
old Eighth ward Democracy, which, he saiu'
had strangled to death the old Know-Noth'
ing conspiracy against the ballot and iair
elections and also to the fact that the Know
Nothing party was the progenitor OF the
Republican party in Maryland.
"And yet" said Mr.. Stratus, tive are told
that the Republican party is the champion
of fair elections In Maryland. It was this
same Republican party which fastened upon
the State the Infamous Constitution OF 1854,
with its test oaths and other noxious pro-
visions to prevent a free and honest suffrage
"a constitution which was pinned to the
throats OF the people by the bayonets OF
Federal soldiers quartered within the State
aided by the fraudulent ballots OF other sol.
diers alleged TO be qualified Maryland
voters, scattered through the Republican
armies from the Potomac to the Gull OF
Mexico. And yet some persons have the
intrepidity to tell rs that the Republican
party has always been the party of fair cleo
tons.
"From 1867 to 1870 the same Republican
party by the sheer and sole power Of mill.
tary despotisms in the South erected negro
and carpetbag governments to humiliate
and punish the white people of all the
Southern States, and also TOR the express
purpose of torturing from each of those
States an alleged ratification of the Four
tenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the
Federal Constitution In order to make uni.
versal negro suffrage the unqualified law Of
the South. And with the dark history of this
reconstruction period and those two amend
ments conceived in fraud, brought forth by
force and nurtured in the lap of tyranny
and revolution, before US the Republican
party OF Maryland still claims to be the
champion of fair elections.
"In 1870 they passed the Force bill Of
that year and sent swarm OF Federal su-
pervsors and marshals, supported by gilt
tering steel and rounds of powder and shot
into every polling booth In the Southern
States to take forcible control of their cleo
tions. Yet this Is the party OF the honest
ballot.
ain 1876, when the electoral votes OF the
Southern States were rolling in like an in
undation in favor OF Tilden and Hendricks,
they plundered the ballot boxes and fasl-
fed the returns OF three States and stole
the electoral college away from the people
Of the Union. And these are the votarles
of fair elections.
"In 1890, they attempted to pass second
force BILL and to still further subjugate the
ballot beneath the power Of Government
marshals and supervlsors-a reasonable
plot against the suffrage and the liberties Of
the country which the parliamentary lead.
ership of a great Maryland Senator left
wrthing in It's last agonies. Yet the people
Of Maryland, against whom this deadly
blow was aimed, are invited to hail the au.
thors of it as the sole devoted protectors of
the right of the people to rule themselves.
"And finally, when in the last session of
the General Assembly a Democratic mea-
sure was passed by the Democratic Senate
providing specific amendments going to the
administration of the election law, In
accordance with the demands Of enlighten.
ed opinion and that measure was supported
by every Democrat who was present in the
House OF Delegates, the whole OF the Re-
publican vote of the House was cast solidly
against 1t, and the reforms they are now
crying for were deliberately defeated by
their own votes.
"The present election law is intended to
accomplish discrimination and independ-
ence In voting. 1t was intended TO restrict
and repress the evils of an ignorant and par.
tisan negro suffrage in the State. II was
intended to elevate and purify the ballot
1t Is substantially the same election law
which exists IN Massachusetts, and other
States in both the North and the West
There are some details in which 1t ought to
be modified.
"The Democratic party has shown dis
position to so modify IT, The Republican
party itself In the last Legislature prevented
these notifications. But the principle of
the law, excluding the emblem or device, is
good. and undoubtedly has the sanction
and approval OF all thoughtful and nom
partisan citizens who regard the suffrage as
subject of patriotism and intelligence, and
not as subject Of mere prejudice and
blind partisan ZEAL"