The Washington bee., 1909-10-30
MGrDanSuppOrtS Mr,Ryan
Ryan Against Amendment

his former friends and neighbors at
Laurel, Md.
Washington. D. C., October %. 1909.
DEAR SIR:
For several years since my removal
from Laurel | have had the pleasure
of addressing my former neighboTs up
on the issues of the campaign preced-
ing an election, but circumstances over
which / have no control deprived me
Of that pleasure this year, and l there
fore take the liberty of addressing you
personally upon the subject of the
present campaign, which will culmi-
nate with the election on Tuesday
next, November =.
So far as the State issue is con-
cerned, it is plainly drawn, and is the
pTODCsad amendment to the State Con
stitutiOn Whereby it is sought to dis
franchise the COlOred voters of the
State. but a careful reading of the
amendment will snow that it is pro
posed 10 defeat not only a provision
of the Constitution of the United
States but to do more than its friends
claim, as it will disfTanchise many
other persons who now seem to feel
secure in their rights as citizens; and
again il is unWise, unsafe. and exceed
ingly dangerous to manipulate, alter
or change State Constitution for pO-
litical purposes, and particularly in
the interest of a political party which
seeks by the amendment to weaken the
minority party beyond sufficient
strength to even force upon the dOmi-
nant party honest administration of
the State affairs or a due regard for
the ordinary rights of the people.
again, the amendment, if passed,
viii for a while at least, insure the
success of one party and then the
State, deprived of the blessings of
strong minority party, which alone can
compel even a fair administration of
public affairs, may be prepared for any
sort of fTenzied legislation, increased
taxes, eXtTavagant expenditures of
public money, and a further infringe
ment upon the voting power of the
citizens Let me then urge you as
iaiT:ninded citizen and one who has
the welfare of your State at heart, to
consider well the provisions of the
lroposed amendment before voting
newt Tuesday, and if you do you VII
vote against it.
the Constitution of your State # 1t is
aCt solely to make the defeat of one
Darty impossible? And who will get
the benefit of this success? Not the
rank and file, but the men at the top
Of the class. who get ali of the fat of
fees, who ride in carriages While you
walk, who sit on the stage at political
meetings while you walk and crowd to
or nDl- in. r Tcr oil Il
meeting. Where do you come in? |
mean the rank and file, the men who
are expected to carry elections, and
who are expected to carry the amend
ment. So nue. for the amendment,
now a word for the ticket:
| regret that | have been deprived
= OF the opportunity to meet my former
friends and neighboTs of Laurel this
year on these subjects, but my time
has been so much taken up with my
professional cares that even this letter
is written hurTiedly and without the
[ suppose that both tickets in the
field, Democratic and Republican, con-
tain some names of very worthy men,
but, as citizens, the time-wOTn idea of
voting the Democratic ticket or the
Republican ticket, even if the ticket
contains a lot of yellow dogs, simply
on party principle, is a delusiOn and
a snare, and yOu will find if you have
any way of knowing, that even the
bosses of both parties do not hesitate
to split their tickets when it suits
their convenience-Nu nut more frequent
ly when it suits their pockets to do so;
but as humble citizens, wishing TO do
your level best for the County or
State, and not expecting any reward
or compensation for doing that duty
which devOlyes upon you as a citizen,
YOU will naturally want to vote for
the men best qualified for the offices
for which they are nominated, whether
they are Democrats or Republicans.
And to ny Democratic friends and
former neignbOrs, l want to say, for l
feel particularly close TO them, that in
addition to voting against the amend
ment, look over the Republican ticket
anu ser If you can find the names Of
men particularly qualified for the Off
ces Tor which they are nominated, men
who have been tried and found equal
to the emergencies placed before them.
| have in mind Richard n. Ryan, can
didate for clerk of the court at Marl-
boro. To nominate his equal for the
office the Democrats might have nomi-
mated Mr.. Stephens, the present clerk,
or Dr. Griffith, of Marlboro, but they
passed them up, and Ryan is therefore,
in my opinion, the man the people
ought to elect
Your own fellow tOwnsman, Mr..
Frye, you know better than / can pos
sibly know him, yet l know him to be
capable and worthy of your confidence,
and you ought to elect one man from
your district and the Office of sheriff
is more important to you as a com
munity than any other Office for which
you have a candidate this year
The election of a judge should not
be measured by his political afiliatiOn,
but by his experience in public life
and as a trial lawyer. While both the
candidates from Prince George County
are excellent gentlemen and good
lawyers, yet it is claimed that Mr..
Snowden Hill has had more experience
in matters judicial than his opponent,
and is regarded by many members of
the bar of the county as the best
g., . h 81 Sou