The Washington herald., 1907-10-11
PURE BALLOT NEEDED
BOnaparte Makes Plea for
New Election Law.
MAKES DEBUT IN CAMPAIGN
Cabinet Officer Lodges Grave Charges
Against Political Opponents in
State-DecIares Individual Demo-
Gratis Protest Against Actions OF
Party Chiefs-Gaither Also Speaks.
special to The Washington Herald.

Special to The Washington Herald.
Baltimore. Oct. 10.-Attorney General
Charles J. Bonaparte made his debut In
the present Maryland campaign by de-
livering an address at Republican mass
meeting held tonight at Library Hall,
CatonsYllle. The meeting was also ad-
dressed by George r. Gather. the NOM
inee for governor, and other candidates
on the State ticket. Mr.. BOnaparte is
booked to deliver another speech to-mor-
row night at Enicott City. and from now
on will take an active part In the cam
paign.
Mr.. Bonaparte spoke as follows:
"FeIlow-citizens of Catonsville:
I ask you to take part in good
work; its end is to give. Maryland once
more an honest election law; to attain
that end we must elect George r. CATH
er governor and a Republican legisla-
ture. we must defeat a w0uld-be govern
or and a would-be legislature picked out
by such friends to fair elections as John
Walter Smith End our own Fred Tai
bott
I'VE want the governor and We want
the legislature: enc without the other
may indeed. save US from a worse
law than we have now; but, unless both
are Republican. there is no hope for a
better This is not because all Demo-
crats countenance frauds on the suffrage:
many thousands, probably a large ma
jOrity. Of our Democratic fellow-citIzens
I.
help us with their votes. as they did
In 1895, to drive from power in the State
men who control their own party, these
well-meaning partisans viii be helpless
and unwilling accomplices in the very
wrongs they condemn.
NThis has been illustrated by a sig
nifcant incident. The Democratic city
which assumed, as matters OF course.
that. under a Democratic mayor, gar
bage-men in Baltimore were Democratic
electioneering agents, and that the po-
lice force was a Democratic partisan
organization.
Individual Democrats Protest.
Individual Democrats by thousands
l
course of their party; but it is none the
! less true that. in Maryland, the Demo-
cratic party has stood for thirty years.
and stands to-day. for unfair elections.
IN those good old days when the regis
! tered dead voted the Democratic ticket
ten years after they were laid away IN
/ Greenmount; when scores and hundreds
/ Of Democratic voters we're registered
/ from Market Space novels, where they
couldn't have found foot room; when the
State was stolen by burning and re-
placing ballots, and men who had con
/ fessed their share in this exploit of
/ Democratic strategy, despite exposure,
obtained public employment from Demo-
| cratic officers. many Democrats cried out,
as sVe did, against these denominations,
and were with US in demanding a rem
( edy. but they were against the Demo-
cratic party.
when a Democratic supervisor Of
elections announced his purpose 20 choose
as judges in each precinct the two most
| astute and unscrupulOus Democrats and
the most nearly imbecile Republican he
/ could find there, and a Democratic gov
! ernOr said he would hear charges against
| this supervisor after the election; when
two Democratic judges Of election com
mitted a brutal and cOwardly murder
and another Democratic supervisor ex-
pressed doubts whether so trivial an in
cident disqualified them for service at
the polls: when the Reform League
brought to conviction and punishment =
large number OF election officers for
shameless frauds in the interest Of Dem
OcratiC candidates and when a Demo
cratic general assembly gave a legislative
pardon 20 a large number awaiting trial
for the Ike offenses; when confronted
with these iniQuities and scandals. and
with many, many more, which I have no;
the time 10 tell nor you 10 hear tonight
multitudes Of Democrats were more NOR
tilted and no less indignant than were
Republicans, but their party shielded and
rewarded the wrongdoers and made par
tisan profit from their wrongs.
Democrats Vote Against Party.
Democrats voted with US in 70 and s;
and 95 and 1905; Democrats protested
with us against the extra session, and
, the Wilson bill. and the Poe amendment
democrats stood shoulder to shoulder
with Republicans IN all the work Of tht
Reform League, and particularly In fran
ing the election law OF 1895: but in al
these services to the State they have
fought against their own party.
The Republican party In 1896 made Law
a statute prepared by the Reform League
intended TO secure. and which secured. tC
the people Of Maryland really fair anC
free elections. faithfully rejecting in thei
results the peoples Will
In 1899 John Walter Smith, the War
wick OF the late Democratic convention
was elected governor. In the platform OF
: which he ran there was no whisper Of
censure for the election law, no breath o.
a purpose TO change 1t. There was in tha
platform passage in these words:
I'VE distinctly pledge ourselves t.
equal and exact justice TO all. without re
gard to race, and to guarantee 10 tn,
cOlored people of the State the fulles
protection in all their rights
Il need not remind you of what fol
lowed the Democratic victory. ! do no
say. because I do not believe, that all, o
the most of our Democratic fellow
citizens approved the course of their par
Z ty or of its leaders. ! think too vel
Of them to credit such an aspersOn o.
, their honor and conscience; but ] do say
E because l thoroughly believe, that tn
{ course Of their party and of its leader
was one which nc honorable or con
{ scientious man could cOuntenance unles
( hopelessly blinded by race prejudice o
! partisan passion; and among those lead
ers none was so clearly responsible as tn
- especial hacker of the Democratic candi
date for governor to-day"