Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-03-19
WHITE RULE ONLY.

ana vigorous statement, maze pain II
position on the suffrage amendment.
He was told that the Republican leader
have repeatedly stated that he intends
take no stand on the amendment and h
was asked what he intended to do about il
The Governor laughed at the intimatio
that there is any uncertainty as to M
position. He said he had seen the pub
lished statements and had no objection t
relieving the minds of those who entertain
any doubt as to his attitude. In what h
said he not only dispels this doubt, but h
gives to Republicans, as well as Democrat
and Independents throughout the State foot
for thought He said that the purpose O
the amendment is to lessen the ignoran
and vicious negro vote. To the statement
that its adoption would make Maryland {
one-party State he answered that at thi:
time, with the race issue, it is one-party
State, and that any citizen who is salts
fled solely to keep it one-party State Oh
wants to see the Democratic party win
regardless of policies, record or effort &c
meet the requirements of a progressive
public sentiment, should unquestionably
vote against the amendment.
The experience has been, the Governor
said, that the people will put up with the
shortcomings of the Democratic party and
overlook many things, because of the seri-
GUS consequences of the domination of the
other party with its large negro vote.
THE Democratic party" he said with
emphasis, can win and win handsomely
with the race issue eliminated, but it will
have to do it with its platform, its can
didates, its decency and its constructive
legislation. These will have to be of a
character to command the support of the
best people"
For SIMPLER BALLOT
The Governor urges his party, in the
coming State convention. to pledge itself to
repeal the Wilson ballot law and the other
election laws of the State passed to re-
strict the negro vote. If the amendment is
ratified, returning to a plain, simple, uni
form ballot, declaring that with the adoption
OF the amendment the last vestige of an
excuse for the continuance of these laws
will have disappeared. He contrasts the
attitude of the Democratic party upon the
vital questions now before the people in
Maryland with what he terms the unpro-
greSsive attitude of the Republicans and
urges his party to demonstrate its sincerity
by forging ahead on the lines and proving
to the people that it can be trusted.
THE Democratic party in the last cam
paign," he said placed in its platform a
distinct pledge to present to the people for
their approval suffrage amendment that
would be free from the objections made to
the former amendment. was nominated
on that platform and stood upon it. was
elected on that platform and am still stand
ing on it. The party was successful in the
fight and it promptly carried out this pledge
by passing through the Legislature the
caI IL. =.
from the objections made to the first one
In doing this the party has fulfilled its
duty to the people. 1t has made good its
promise. has done its part, and it is
now with the people to say whether they
want a change in their fundamental law
that will eliminate the mass of ignorant
and vicious negro voters who have for
years clogged the wheels of progress, or
they want present conditions to
am for this amendment and
am for it without reservation.
WHERE He STANDS.
ITO show where stand let me quote
briefly from my inaugural address on this
subject
Another high and momentous obligation
which the election by which the people
call us to office has imposed upon us is the
vi anu ITTtSDOn-
sible negro voters from the electorate of
the State. In accomplishing this we are
bound by the terms of our pledge to keep
within theSprovisions of the Constitution
Of the United States, to secure and safe
guard the suffrage in the hands of our
white citizens, both native and naturaliZed
and to avoid the objection which was urged
by Democrats to the suffrage amendment
in 1904 and rejected by the peo-
pie in 1905.
In respect to the objections to the amend
ment last proposed beg to recall that il
was alleged by many Democrats that the
measure failed to protect the suffrage rights
Of our fOreign-born citizens, vested an un-
defined and arbitrary discretion in the reg
officers, failed to expressly furnish
a remedy in the courts for any abuse in
its administration, and was wanting in
definite provisions respecting the charac-
ter and quantity of proof required to estab-
lish the right of citizens to register
These objections together, possibly with
one or two others of subsidiary Importance,
should be met in any draft of a proposed
which the General Assembly
may submit to the people in conformance
with the pledge of the Democratic party
on the subject and in obedience to the
of the people delivered unequiv-
ocally in the State elections Of 1903 and
1907.
1t is for us to bow to the peoples will
upon this subject and to obey their SOW
ereign bidding. Let us execute unfiinch-
ingly the purpose of the Democratic pledge
by all lawful and constitutional means to
maintain the political supremacy of the
white race in Maryland. Let us not fail or
falter with this pledge. Let it be carried
firmly and fearlessly into effect, so that our
State may be rid Of the negro voter as a
political factor and an element of power
within our borders. To accomplish this II
will, Of course. be necessary for three-fifths
Of the members of each branch of the Gen
eral Assembly to agree upon an amend
ment to the State Constitution and to sub
nit it to the people, and il is my confident
belief that if an amendment is framed as
in accordance with the terms of
our pledge as above indicated it will be
approved by an Overwhelm-
ing majority of our people at the polls.
One Of the gratifying results Of the adop-
ton of such a constitutional amendment
would be the probability, amounting prac-
tically TO a certainty, of an ensuing change
in the election laws Of the State by which
we would dispense with features which
they now contain solely Tor the purpose OF
as far as is now feasible, evils of
the large body of illiterate and unrefiect-
ing negro voters in Maryland.
THAT is what said then and that is
what | say now--every word Of it, Does
that relieve the doubt about where stand
Now as to the amendment itself. may
as well be frank-the purpose Of the meas
ure is to lessen the unthinking and worth
less negro vote of Maryland. Upon this
question within the last year or so there
has been a wonderful change of opinion.
Men who blinded themselves to the facts
before have their eyes opened. They are
seeing the facts as they exist they are
the truth as it is.
WHAT PRESIDENT TAFT SAID.
Take the words of President Taft, the
most conspicuous Republican in the coun-
try, uttered few months ago at the ban
quet of the North Carolina Society in New