The Washington herald., 1907-08-16
The Maryland Campaign.

Fortunately for the people of Maryland.
their choice in the gubernatorial CAM
paign Just begun lies between two men
of acknowledged probity and worth.
Neither Judge Crothers nor Mr., Gather
Is a mere politician, and both have
records Of public service which offer no
opportunity for adverse criticism. OBJ
lection 20 them as candidates, as voiced
by the partisan press. relates wholly 10
the persons and influences behind them.
Each, II we are TO believe the opposition,
is a mere stalking horse for the malgn
and dangerous ambitions OF politicians
who are trying to hide their designs
under a mantle OF respectability and
virtue. Putting a clean collar on q dirty
shirt" is the way the Baltimore Sun ex-
presses it. Gather may be all right, II
admits. but what of the fellows who
are running the Republican machine?
Crother is an upright citizen. respond the
Republicans, but how about the politicians
who selected him as a candidate?
There is doubtless something in all this,
but not so much as partisan feeling would
have US think. A strong man is not as
likely to become the tool Of disreputeSle
elements in his party as a weak one. and
We are not ready 10 admit that men OF
the stamp OF Crothers and Gather would
be mere automatons IN the executive
office. II is a good thing when politicians
recognize the necessity Of placing in nomi-
nation honorable men. since It by no
means follows that such men viii weakly
surrender themselves 10 the control OF the
unscrupulous. There are numerous cases
in our political history where they have
bitterly disappointed the hopes OF the very
bosses who expected to reap advantage by
helping 10 place thenDin power.
The issues OF the campaign are wholly
local. It may or may not be significant
that the Republican platform contains
no reference TO the tariff or the trusts,
nor does it commit the party TO any par
ticular Presidential candidate. although
declaring for somebody who can be
trusted 10 persevere IN the Rooseveltian
policies. National questions being In the
background, therefore, the paramount is
sue is the purity Of elections and the
question Of the franchise II IS easy TO see
why this is so. For some years the
strength Of the two political parties in
Maryland has been evenly balanced. A
few thousand votes either way may turn
the scale in any election, The Democratic
party has sought TO make It's position
secure by disfranchising negro voters.
while both parties have resorted so openly
TO bribery and other venal practices at
elections that the matter has become a
grave scandal Both parties are com
mitted, by their platforms. to the passage
of corrupt practices act. designed 10
bring 10 an end the degradation of the
electorate. On the question of disfran-
chisement, however, the parties differ
radically. The Democratic party declares /
for the disfranchlsement Of the illiterate
negro voter, while the Republican plat
form disapproves that proposition. Dis
franchisement has not proved as popular
an issue in Maryland as in States farther
South. With a large and increasing for
eign population, It has been found innpos- |
sible so Tar 20 frame q disfranchisement
measure that would shut out iIliterate
negro voters without deprlving illiterate
whites Of the franchise, and there is
strong opposition, even within the Demo- /
cratic party to any measure Of disfran- |
chisement that would have that result.
The Baltimore Sun. the most influential
Democratic paper in Maryland. warned
the convention against making any
declaration on the subject Of disfranchlse- /
ment, but its advice went unheeded, and
that paper is decidedly cold toward the
disfranchisement plank. which promises to /
find some way of framing a measure that
VIII both meet public approval and cir
cumvent the Federal Constitution.
Much interest has been aroused in the
declarations Of both platforms for the
election of United States Senators by |
popular vote. The Democrats propose
that members of the legislature shall be I
instructed in local primaries as TO whom !
20 support for the Senatorships. a pro- |
posa! which is held up to scorn by the |
Republican platform as a false pretense
and fraud" That platform comes out /
for the more democratic method Of hay |
ing the Senator chosen az a State primary. |
a method more in accord with the present /
trend Of public sentiment.