The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-02-06
OF M1udd: and Pear.
ire are Sought BY
s. Democrats !.
An Educational Cla.ise, to he, Used
Z For. Congressional, Elections Only,
:: w i'll, 1t is Hoped, Eliininate 3.
3ss ,ss= Fo.trtcen Thousand ColOred
~" ~ Republicans. = rs ; .

+ Annapolis, Md, - Jan. 30.-With
the intention of trying to wrest the
ffth congressional district @fhom the
republicans. and make the f1rst. or
Eastern Shore district more assure
ediy democratic than it is' now, the
democratic, managers are preparing a
bill ~ addition to the constitutions
al amendment to be presented next
week In the legislature. -. =
Tho new scheme provides that the
voter must write the name, OF his
candidate for congress in the, space
In which the name Is already print
ed:~}Thc law in intended to apply
onay to congressional elections, the
object beingrto disfranchise all illit-
crates In the first, fifth and sixth dis
tricts. AS 1t Is the >colored vote
|>~hlch is most affected, It does not
seem clear why the Western Mary
land district is included. T.. ~.
&E Here there were registered at the
last con grestsonal election 4245 col
Fofed voters and Pearre's plurality
Yves 1904 or. nearly 700 without O.
eplored man voting. 1T is fair to- as
snme that there are as mary demo-
cratic illtterates as there gre repu bii-
cans. while quite number of the
sblaeks are weH@enough EDUCATED to
comply with the requirements Of the
proposed law. - ,.'' Z .j.... ~.
t%@ 1t Is the first and fifth districts
that the democrats expect to profit.
most, laB It is in the counties conn
Rrising these districts that the color
led vote is very heavy There are In
the EAfst about So 10000 whites and !IS,.
E2V0 e2lored3 voters The democrats
ra1E niate ja}'to = 11dfafrancnise II. nearly
ies sAfae ,sEtteeef lsesaaa
|ppDcedfng ali the blacks 30 .thug re-
publican party, this, In their Judge
Hent would mean net gain Of 5000
votes. ,,~ *, Z -.
In tho fifth districts there are reg
istered about $4,000 whites and a.
10 colored votes. Here 1t is
thought about 1000 blacks would 5hc
disfranc nised and perhaps e, about
$500 whites. Estimating the mum
ber OF white illiterates who are re-
pubhcans at about 500, they count
upon gaining 4 900. AS the normal
republican majority is about $500,
this, according to thcir count, would
insure therelection OF q democratic con.
gressman., ..-
l.. These estimates arc based upon
the assumption that one-half of the
Negroes are unable to write, and IL
this democratic contention. were true
the scheme they now propose would
undo btedly have tho deefred effeof
They will find, however, that there
is. far less iliiteracy among colored
people than they hive been led to
believe. Instead Of disfranchiseing
SO per cent Of them, they will not
freeze out more than about 40 Dor
cent, and these can be- instructed to
write out the name Of the candidate.
Ever since the, democratic party be-
gan the enactment Of legislation, tend
ing to make voting difficult, tho re-
pnbltcans have been instructing the
colorfd illiterates how to vote, until
now they have a perfect system Of
Schooling that enables them to reach
80 per cent. Of the colored mon, and
nearly all Of these can vote intalli-
gently as the whites. a..
Never before have the republicans
in the general assembly been SO har-
n1onious as now. They are absolute
ly united. The Steering committee,
Of which Delegate Pairo is chairman
has been authorized to formulate the
party. policy, and it's initial effort is
being directed against cxtravagance.