The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-10-17

Government may be induced to CO.
/ operate with the States in securing
agricultural training in higher schools,
which at the present time put too great
a premium on mere literary training as
a practical step in the improvement of
/ our schools. We advocate an increase
/ m the meagre salaries of the teachers
/ OF our State, and the lengthening of the
/ school year as far as our revenues viii
permit
1 There are some other features of
/ progressive State administration which
| might be properly referred to. The
| Inauguration of system of State Mar
/ ket roads and the restoration of our
/ oyster industry to its former prosperity
| are matters which should receive the
/ careful attention of the next admins
tration. My experience as a member
of the city government has convinced
me that every species of graft can be
eliminated from public contracts by
faithful adherence to certain fixed rules
and methods in awarding the same. If
l am elected to the high office of Cover
nor of Maryland | shall enter upon the
discharge of its duties with only one
purpose in view to give to the people of
my native State clean, honest, pro-
gressive and yet economical admins
tratlon of their affairs.
Mr.. Urner said, in part
The situation in this county is a stand
ing rebuke to those who are so inces-
sanity asserting the Importance of Dem
ocratlc success to the maintenance of
White supremacy, and the operation of
the extra session Jaw here shows most
conclusively that its DISTINGUISHING
effects are disastrous, even in an
exclusively white community In
your registration for state cleo
lions the number of colored voters
has decreased from 80 IN 1901 to "a in
1905. Your total registered vote in
those years has ranged from 1892 to
4,2lI; but the vote actually counted
was, on an average, l,64S short of the
registered vote. In the two state cleo
tons held in 1897 and 1899. under the
fair election law of 1896, the difference
between the vote registered and that
counted was, on an average, only 966.
These results, therefore, show a loss of
962 IN the counted vote of Garrett coun-
~ due to the extra session legislation
If this loss excluded the vote of every
colored man IN the county whose name
appeared on the registration books it
would still involve the Acknowledgement
OF at least 952 white citizens.
We have been cOntending with earn
estness and sincerity that the para
mount issue of this campaign is not a
partisan, but a popular, question. be-
cause the election law passed by the ex-
ira cession DISTINGUISHES our voters in
discriminatory, without regard to their
party, race or color. No one doubts
that thousands af reputable Democratic
voters all over the state lose their fran
chlse every year on account of the ar
bitrary eXactions of the present law.
In this county, with "a colored and
1000 white voters, the extra-seSsion
law has proven to be a much greater
hardship to the Democratic party than
to our own. While nearly a thousand
white voters have lost their suffrage at
the state elections since the extra ses-
sion, the Republican pluralities IN Gar
rett county have substantially increas-
ed. Under the act of 1896 our plurali-
ties in the elections of 1897 and 1899 av-
eraged 6O5, while under the act Of 1901
they have averaged 1872
Our appeal for a free and fair election
system is addressed to the intelligence
and conscience Of the people of Mary
land, regardless Of their party affilia-
ton. We demand that the law be re-
heved OF its present rigorous require
ments, in order that every party NAV
exercise, with ease and certainty. the
high prerogatlve Of the suffrage