The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-10-07
IS THE PROPOSED sur
FRAGE AMENDMENT IN
ANY SENSE A NECESSITY?
A Serious Question To Be Considered
BY Garrett County Republicans.

BY Garrett County Republicans.
To the Editor of The Republican,:
Through the press, in the political
circles, on the street corner and by the
wayside, where ever men meet who are
alive to their own interests and the In
terest to their fellow man, we hear long
drawn out and sometimes heated dis
cussions of the proposed suffrage
amendment. The energy manifested
. by the opponents OF the proposition, IN
their strenuous efforts to thrust upon
the people Of Maryland measure so
evidently distasteftl to them, proves
that the ratification Of the Amendment
by the voters Of the state at the No
vemher election is a matter Of grave
importance to the instgaturs and promo
tiers OF the scheme The equally vigor-
Gus pronunciation Of the measure by its
patriotic opponents proves also that the
defeat of the amendment by the vote of
the people is matter Of vital mpor-
tance to them. and all this state wide
agitation Is bringing before the people
the real live and paramount issue in the
political campaign now opening 1t is
therefore proper that the proposition be
openly and fairly discussed in order that
the voter may understand his position
and be able to meet the issue intell-
gently.
When ever a real need Of any people
could be supplied by the enactment of a
new law, or the repeating OF an old one,
remedial Legislation becomes d real
necessity; whenever the moral, social or
civic condition of any people can be i'm
proved by the modification of an estab-
iiShcd law, it becomes the absolute duty
of the people representatives to suta-
bly, amend that law, but in all cases
where these ends cannot be attained
legislation becomes a dangerous and I'M
warranted experiment. That bevy of
ignoble politicians, VINO propose to
amend the Constitution of the State of
Maryland and at the same time virtual
~ annul portion of the Constitution of
the United States, which. since its
adoption, has been regarded as the su-
preme law Of the land, cannot reasona-
bly, expect the citizen Of the state to
adopt their suffrage amendment until
they have shown that an absolute need
of the people demands such a measure
and can clearly show that the amend
ment will supply that need
Since the politicians have not, cannot.
and will not produce evidence to prove
that the needs of the people of Mary
land demand that their right of suffrage
be restricted, it is up to the individual
citizen to determine that matter
for himself, task which will be easily
and quickly accomplished if every citi-
zen of the state will ask himself the
simple question, 'Do enjoy too much
sovereign right or civil liberty as a vot-
ing citizen?" and until at least major
ity of all the voters in the state are will
ing to answer that question affirmative
ly there cannot be said to exist need
for restricting their civil rights, and the
proposed suffrage Amendment is there
fore not necessity in any sense of the
word
Prior to the last session of the Mary
land Legislature, ninety-nine per cent.
of the citizens of the state never
dreamed that they were oyer burdened
with civil rights, and an equally large
percentage of the people were not
aware that their representatives were
in favor of restricting and hampering
their liberties by the enactment of
DISTINGUISHING measure, hence when
that band of professional inventors of
auxiliary political machines came rush
ing out of their diabolical work shop and
thrust into the face of the people their
latest invention in the shape of the pro-
p''N' 'hiilNiHilISilI, VIC INOBlS blotONtI-
ed for the first time that God had given,
and the supreme law of the land had
guaranteed to them, more civil rights
than they could properly digest, at least
that is what few political quacks
would have them believe. Now these
same crafty politicians, posing as bene-
factors of mankind, are assuming wise
airs and propose to administer an ante
dote in the ratification of the suffrage
amendment labelled, "A cure for the
black peril, and yet with all their fiery
eloquence and the buster of their vas
sails beating about the bush. have found
it utterly impossible to show the voters
of Maryland that their proposed meas
ure is in any sense present necessity,
which would be the only real logical
reason for its adoption.