Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1907-10-31
COMMUNICATED.

BALTIMORE, MD. October "a, 1907.
All the efforts OF the Republicans
now seem to be directed toward saw
ing as much of their local tickets as
possible, especially the Legislative
candidates. Even in the Western
Maryland counties where their
strength is greatest, the average
Republican politician is working
overtime for the legislative tickets,
and practically ignoring the State
candidates and the other nominees.
There have been instances in the
history OF Maryland politics where
avery few voters, carefully distribut-
ed, changed the result OF the cleo
ton. This was the case in 1897,
when the issue was the return OF
the late Senator German TO the United
States Senate. The Republicans,
who were then in control of the
State government, won, and Mr..
German was defeated, while a change
OF forty votes would have resulted
In his victory, this too in the face of
d Republican popular majority we'll
up in the thousands. Several coun-
ties were carried by the Republicans
by majoritieS ranging from three TO
seven, and a total of forty votes,
properly distributed would have
given the victory to the Democrats
and Mr.. German would have been re-
elected and Mr.. McComas would
never have represented Maryland in
the upper house at Washington. A
few votes often change matters, and
q governor of Massachusetts, was
once elected by a majority of one,
While it very frequently happens
that men are chosen TO important
positions by small, very small mar
gins. In close and hard fought con-
tests every vote counts, and every
vote should be carefully looked after.
The hullaballoo kicked up over
the anti bribery question is becom-
ing ludicrOus. Both sides seem
afraid to trust each other, and both
sides view the proposition with
suspicion. Democratic leaders,
many of them openly, assert that the
Republican leaders are not TO be
trusted, and that their pledges are
worthless. The chances are there
fore, that Notwithstanding all the
fuss, and all the solemn palaveriug
and promising, the workers of both
parties will use all the money they
can get. The Democrats have every
thing TO gain and nothing to lose by
stringent abstinence from the use
of money for vote buying, if the Re-
puolicans could be trusted TO keep
their agreements. Without money.
tbs Repu blicanS would lose about
one third OF the negro vote, for it is
notorious fact that large proper
ton of the negroes will not vote even
the Republican ticket unless they
are paid for it. A colored man of
some intelligence defended his race
for its course in demanding money
for its votes, even from it's ow party,
by asserting that it was all the
negroes ever got out of politics, and
that it his party used money he did
not see why the colored people
should not get some of it. Without
the use OF money on election day,
the Republican vote in Maryland
would fall off at least twenty thous-
and, probably more. Until they be-
gan 10 use money for vote buying
the Republicans were in a hopeless
minority on Election day. Since
they began its use they have had
some chance, and it is absurd TO be.
lieve that they will give it up. The
belief Is generally that they are only
trying To deceive the Democrats and
hoping to catch them unawares, and
as much money will be used on cleo
ton day this year as the workers of
both parties can get hold OF their
expenditures will only be limited by
what they may have. aud both sides
Will raise as much as they possible
can. The political millennium has
not come, the African has not changed
his skin, the bigger is still in the
political wood-pile. The Repu blican
politicians are only four flushing. as
they have so often tried TO do before.
They will use all the money they can
get no matter what pledges thew
make. They are only trying
one OF the old tricks of their trade.
The Republican party has always
Claimed To be the party of great moral
IDEAS, and it is trying to make peo-
pie believe that it is living up to
this old claim. AS the party OF
great moral ideas, it has looted
ballot boxes, disfranchised white
voters, stolen the presidency of the
United States, bathed the country
IN blood. and gone TO the limit of
political immortality. 1t has bought
whole States in National elections.
and now lot of small fry, second
rate county Republican politicians
rise up and oppose bribery in cleo
tionS. and want their opponents to
take them seriously and believe what
they say. The whole situation is
absurd. and is SO looked upon
by every sensible man.
PAUL WINCHESTER.