Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1909-10-02
RAyNER, CROTHERS AND
Herring.

addressed by three of the most
eminent men in the State Hon.
Isidor Rayner, Governor Croth-
ers and Comptroller Herring.
DIR. Herring spoke first and in
the course of his remarks said :
1.-The Democratic party repre-
sents the intelligence of the
State. because the great mass
of the white people belong to it.
The Democratic record and plat
form entitle it to be returned to
power. 1t has given good, or
derby government, fostered the
public schools and given all
children, white and black, the
advantage of good public
schools, the taxes being paid
largely by Democrats.
'"The Republicans he said,
"are raising a great hue and
cry over the Acknowledgement
of the negro, but they forget
that their party once disfran-
chised nearly the entire popu-
lation of the State.
"The trainers of the Consti-
tuition of 1867 were the flower
of the State, and though they
had good reason to be vindictive
they were not, and took no re-
taliatory measures. The Demo
Gratis have built public build
ings worth several hundred
thousand dollars and nearly
paid debt of $4,000, 900. True,
our State House did not cost
as much as the Pennsylvania
Capitol and is not as large, but
it was built without a suspicion
of graft"
DIR. Herring said the suffrage
amendment is the paramount
issue of the campaign. On it
the Democrats join issue square
ly with the Republicans. All
the white people of the South
were disfranchised so that the
negro could have a vote, yet the
Republicans held up their hands
in holy horror at the idea of the
negro losing his vote. The his
tory of the Democratic party
shows that it will not disfran-
chise a single white man foreign
born or otherwise. When
ACKNOWLEDGMENT was rampant
the Democratic party threw
itself into the breach and saved
to Catholic and foreign-born
voters their suffrage. Loud ap-
plause greeted DR.. Hering's
plea for a Democratic Legisla-
ture to hold up the hands of the
Governor and send back Isidor
Rayner to the Senate.
Governor Crothers made one
of his telling speeches in which
he justified the Amendment and
showed convincingly that the
State would be benefited by
its adoption.
Senator Rayner said, among
other things "You have now
the issue plainly drawn, and
that issue is, shall the State of
Maryland have the right, in
obedience to the Constitution
of the United States. and even
in obedience to the unlawful
Federal Amendments, to deter
mine upon the suffrage of it's
voters, or shall it be denied this
right Are we to be dominated
in the future by ignorance and
illiteracy? Are fifty thousand
voters, voted as a unit by the
Republican party, who, as a
rule, do not know what they
are voting for, to hold the bal
ance of power and to determine
forever upon the destinies of
Maryland In other words, this
is a contest between those who
believe that this condition must
absolutely be changed and those
who are stubbornly contending
for the continued right of the
ignorant negro to exercise the
right of suffrage. This issue is
plainly drawn, and we are on
the right side of it, and we are
on the just and the moral side
of it. We will advance our
State in every way by promot-
ing its intelligence and offering
an inducement to the ignorant
and illiterate negro population
to at least acquire some degree
of education and intelligence
in order to qualify themselves
for the right of suffrage.
81 have no fear of the out
come. The counties are with