Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-28
REPUBLICANS HOPEFUL
Believe Maryland Disfran-
chisement viii Be Defeated.
HAVE WELL LAID PLANS
Intelligent Ballots Depended Upon to
Kill Measure.
FoREIGN.B0RN VOTERS AIDING
Democratic Leaders, However, &C.
mented in Desperate Fight for
Elimination Of Negro.
VOTERS AIDING
Special From a StafY Correspondent.

Ing handicaps under which they labor,
the republican managers who are direct
Ing the state campaign from headquar-
tiers here are positively confident that the
proposed DISTINGUISHING constitutional
amendment will be defeated by the voters
Of Maryland next November. I had
heard echoes Of this confidence ~ I work
ed along the peninsula. up the eastern
shore. and was curious to know upon
what It is based.
1t Is the purpose Of this letter to detail
the conditions which give rise to that
confidence that undoubtedly exists In
marked degree among the republican
leaders Of high and lesser rank. OF
course, to begin with. there Ii their be-
lief that the amendment is wrong in es-
sence and intent and therefore must fail
at the hands Of an intelligent electorate
sharing that opinion.
But the managers do not let 1t 90 at
that. by long shot. They arc taking no
chances on theories Of ethics. but arc
looking for votes. They are not depend
ing upon prayer, that the right may pre-
vail, but are taking Napoleon's maxim
that to the side which has the heaviest
artillery will fall the victory. They are
setting out to win this fight by the hard
est kind of work and by keeping everlast-
tnsly at it until election days sun sets.
Plans Well Laid.
1t was in such a spirit that Col. Will
liam f. Stone, the acknowledged master
spirit OF the republican party in Mary
land. began the work last November. And
right here it will not be out of place to
say that this same Col. Stone has proven
ca - hA yAvH,, 80 1o
cious party leader and Internationally is
at tho head OF his party in this state and
eventually to be recognized as q COM
manding figure in national politics.
No sooner had the national campaign
closed. In which Col. Stone gave his party
invaluable service for both the presiden-
tial and congressional tickets, than he ad-
dressed himself to the task Of beating
this amendment. He realised the impor-
lance Of the coming issue, though he could
under which the republicans would have
to labor, compared with their successful
fight against DISTINGUISHING amendment
in 1905.
the foreign voters, a large proportion OF
whom have hitherto voted the democratic
ticket. He invited to a meeting at the
Union League about 135 citizens. repre-
senting in birth some fourteen national
tiles. To them he pointed out the effect
Of foreign birth who should desire to be-
come naturalized Americans and voters
after next November. 1t was shown that
the amendment will certainly submit these
would-be citizens to the same property
holding and trick-educatfonal tests that
will be applied to illiterate negroes after
that date. although they may have con-
formed to the strict naturalization re-
quirements of the laws of the United
States.
1t is estimated that there are some
900 foreigners whose hve-year term Of
probation Is drawing to close and who
will soon demand the franchise. The for
eign-born citizens At the meetings were
asked il they cared to supplement the eff
forts of the republican party, regardless
Of their party affiliations, to defeat this
amendment, which operates SO dertiment-
ally to their compatriots. There was
prompt response in the Affirmative. Among
those vuicing it most emphatically were
two very prominent democratic leaders.
Permanent Organization Formed.
Subsequently a mass meeting was held,
attended by foreign-born citizens in a
number which overcrowded the big hall
where they assembled. Out Of that grew
q permanent organization. the formation
of an executive committee upon which is
represented each Of the fourteen nation
alities This league Is sending out litera-
ture, printed in foreign language, and will
put speakers on the stump to explain the
working of the amendment.
over this campaign, which is directed at
more than 5000 votes, that they are un-
dertaking a man-to-man canvass OF the
foreigners in an effort to have each voter
seen individually and the republican
The next thing Col. Stone did was to
invite into conference the editors of the
republican country press Of Maryland
About forty county newspapers were rep
resented in this meeting, and each editor
was impressed with the necessity OF tight
ing the amendment In each issue.
The next effort was to harmoni1e thu
warning republican factions and unite the
party in this fight. In that effort Col
Mudd- Parran-Goldsb factions ART
working earnestly for the state ticket and
to defeat the amendment. The republican
party In Maryland has not been In such
good shape in q great many years as 1t IL
now. Moreover. Col. Stone has a strong
| organization in every county. with good
workers at the head Of 1t, and they real.
ize that this Is a battle for life.
One Of the most fortunate occurrences
for the republicans was the organization
of the Democratic League Opposed to the
Constitutional Amendment. This is not ar
organization auxiliary to the republican
committee, nor is 1t working with the
committee in any way It Is composed OF
when this fight is over. whichever way the
amendment goes. They are in sympathy
with republicans only in wanting to defeat
the amendment. and they are keeping
jealously on their own side Of the road.
Lifelong Democrat at Head.
The head Of that organization is Doug.
las NJ. Wylie. former president Of the
chamber of commerce. a lifelong demo.
crat and holding high position in social
| financial and business circles. Associated
with him in the leadership are Lee Bonsal
democratic ofliceholder. and such men
as Roger w. Gull and William Reynolds.
standing at the head of the legal profess
sion in Maryland. all democrats. More
over, Mr. Gull and Mr.. Reynolds were
called in to assist in preparing the
amendment. but when 1t was adopted
against their protest could not stomach
IT'S provisions.
There Is q committee Of fifty In charge
Of the league. comprising men who stand
who are supposed to WELD influence in
the city and state. There are John M.
Nelso, a leading banker. and Francis
X. Carey. a prominent business man. who
opposes the amendment for business rea-
CONS. with others, claiming that its
adoption will hurt the standing of Mary
land and Of Baltimore with the country.
They resent the suggestion that Mary
land shall be claseed as q negro-rioden
state, such as Arkansas or Mississippi.
and that the conditions OF citizenship in
agencies as have been applied to the
states Of JEFF Davis and Vardaman In q
previous dispatch I quoted some OF the
arguments which have been printed and