Saint Mary's beacon., 1909-05-13

from ne baltimore 9nn
Ip the considerable amount Of talk
concerning the Maryland suffrage
araendmsnt, Mr. Stone. Mr.. Bone
parte and the other Republican, lead
ers indicate, as their principal OBJ
iection TO IL. that It will, according
TO them, make Maryland a one party
State. Indeed. IL may be said this
Is almost the only reasonable objec-
tion urged by them, for tbs others
are mentioned as of merely second
ary importance, Is this not hui
initiating confession for the Repub@
lican party Of Maryland2 Is 1t not
complete acknowledgment OF It's
absolute dependence on the iguor-
ant negro vote and Its unwilIingness
to stake its fortune on appeal TO the
sentiment OF the intelligence and
substance Of the State2
Now gentlemen CRY out In alarm
over the anticipation Of one party
State as II IL was something new.
There are now and have been for
long years many one party States,
some OF them the largest Ia the
Union. All the New England
States. Pennsylvania, Iowa, Mlchi-
gan and numerous others are one
party States. But they elect Re-
publicans for office, which makes ii
all right. However, one-party pre-
dominance would not be q novelty
IN Maryland. From 1854 ID, 1860
Baltimore was a one-party city.
The affiliated rufiian clubs OF Know
Nothingism. with the pistol and the
dagger. took entire charge OF the
elections and put ia Office whomever
they pleased. They needed no con-
stitutional amendments, no forms Of
law, for disfrsnchising thousands
upon thousands of'white men. No
doubt II these worthy gentlemen
were alive today they would lift up
their voices and weep with Mr..
Stone over the proposed peaceful
and lawful disfranchisement OF the
negro. They were the political an
cestors Of Mr.. Bonaparte and Mr..
Stone. Maryland was q one party
State from 1861 to 1867. The politi-
cal friends OF Mr. Stone, through
unconstitutional test oaths and
Federal bayonets, disfrauchised the
body OF the flower Of the white man
hood OF Maryland. In one of those
years the entire city government of
Baltimore was put into Office by vot-
ers aggregating scarcely one. tenth
Of those legally qualified to exer.
else the elective franchise. What
did the Republican party leaders OF
Baltimore and Maryland do in 1867,
when large majority Of the voters
OF the State who had been so long
deprived Of their rights were about
to come into their own2 They rush
ed down here to Washington and
besought General Grant, then In
command OF the army, and the Re-
publican leaders In the Senate and
the House. to give back to them the
bayonet. so that they--one fourth Of
the voters--could once more put
their feet upon the necks OF their
fellow citizens who were three
fourths. To the credit OF those in
authority here at that time, they
met with cold comfort, They we're
told to go home and fight their poll
tical opponents with constitutional
ANA. legal methods. They had no
resource but TO follow this advice.
What was the glti1l WJAh no
bayonets aud no Ii tJ9mpede
their progress, the 10 1cen { white
electorate Of Maryland marched to
the polls and rolled up majority Of
forty thousand. II does not seem
so very unlikely they may do Ii
again.
Mr.. Stone appears 10 be profuse
in his threats Of what the Republi-
cans Of Maryland are going to do In
case OF the adoption Of the suffrage
amendment, They can no longer
come to Washington and plead for
bayonets, so they will look for puni-
tive legislation-to Congress and for
the annulment Of the amendment 10
the United States courts. This Is
oil blum They will yet no punitive
Legislation from Congress-. and they
will get no annulment from the
cohrts, Just so sure as the sun
shines, should the people OF Mary
land adopt the suffrage amendment
II will stand. Mr.. Stone will get
the same practical advice from here
that his friends got In 1867. Give
up depending upon the political
slaves now forming the backbone OF
the Republican party in Maryland
and fight white men with white men
for the approval OF an Intelligent
electorate. This is sound counsel,
and toStake itwould be q noble am
bi.lon, What say YOU Mr.. Stonea