Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-10-15
For Surveyor.
CHARLES j. MADDOX.
THE SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT.

IHE SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT.
Three weeks hence the people of Mary
land will pass upon question of momen-
tous Importance, involved in the adoption
or rejection of the proposed amendment to
the State Constitution affecting the right
of suffrage. 1t isreadily conceded that the
right of suffrage should not be restricted
without good and sufficient cause; and the
Democratic party appreciated the RESPONSE
bility it assumes in going before the people
upon the proposition now submitted. From
the party standpoint it could not, without
subjectine itself to the charge of cowardice
and bad faith, do less than present the
question for the decision of the voters of
the State, since it was main issue of the
last campaign and received the substantial
endorsement of the people
The general principle involved has, there
fore, been already adopted as the expressed
opinion of the citizens of Maryland and
the only question is how far the Leeisla-
ture succeeded in carrying out the instruc-
tons it received from the ballot-box Those
instructions were to eliminate from the
qualified voters of the State the illiterate
and vicious negroes, and at the same time
to fully protect the right of everv white man,
native and foreign born, to VOTE We claim
that the instructions have been literally
carried out, with liberality toward the
colored men which was not necessarily
called for, and with due regard to the Fed
eral Constitution.
The purpose of all law, fundamental or
statute, is the establishment of good gov
eminent 1t is perfectly clear that this OBJ
ject could not be attained by universal and
indiscriminate suffrage. and every consti-
tuition that ever was written has prescribed
the qualification of voters, and restricted
the right of suffrage to those who could
meet the test. The power to prescribe the
qualification in the first instance, implies
the right to change it if circumstances and
developments indicate that wrong and in
jury are the outcome of existing condi-
tons, and this power is proclaimed in the
Declaration of Rights.
There are few men (south of Mason and
Dixon's line, at least) who will say that
negro suffrage has been productive of good
in any direction, while most men will agree
that it has been productive of evil in many
directions, and this fact brings it within
the right of the people of the State to cur
tail it, by appropriate means. so far as may
be necessary to protect the general welfare
The proposed amendment restricts the
right of suffrage just so far and no farther
The only class of people affected by it are
those negroes who are unworthy to exer-
else the right to vote, by reason of their
idleness and vicious habits and their indif-
ference to or inability to acquire the edu-
cation which the public schools afford with
out cost to them.
Montgomery county has not suffered
from the blight of negro suffrage as keenly
as some of the other counties of the State,
but few of the counties have deeper inter
est in the adoption of this amendment
than our own. The influence of the ruff
fan negro element of Washington, which
is VIGOROUSLY the worst in the country, is
felt here as it is felt nowhere else in the
State. with the possible exception of Prince
Georges county, and the leaven of evil is
spreading with increasing rapidity among
the young and irresponsible colored men
and women. Neither precept nor example
has any effect upon them; and it is mat
ter of public necessity to limit to the ut
most their power to do harm. Plainly. the
situation calls for determined and unani-
nous action by our people. They know
the conditions that exist, and they alone
have the power to correct them.