The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-23
WARM FIGHT
In MARYLAND
Franchise Amendment
This Winter.
TAFT MAY AID THE NEGROES
Country People Serve Notice o.
Baltimore.
Uniess People Of Big CITY Heip Pst
Through Coustisutisasl Pro- 3
vision They WIN Hav. to
Fight Presisitsen.
TAFT MAY AID THE NEGROES
BY ALFRED J. sroFnR.

BY ALFRED J. sT0FER.
Washington, Aug. 22.--tSpectaLl--So
far as possible the power and influsnes
OF the Taft administration win BE- sx-
erted this year to prevent the Demo
Gratis from having adopted the consfi-
tutionai amendment to-festrict the fran
chiss. In Maryland by which the bulk
OF THE negro vote would lie eliminated
Although Maryland 10 one Of the
smaller States, having only eight vctes
can politicians do not know how badly
that numb OF votes may be needed
at the next presidential election. Then.
too, there is going to DO O big battle
next year between the two parties for
control of the national House Of Rep
resentatives. and the Republicans are
anxious to retain all three of the Mary
land districts from which Republicans
are now returned. They have three OF
the ak districts at present.
II this amendment IL adopted about
all they can hope for 10 to hold*one Of
the districts the Sixth, which starts
Just outside OF the limits Of the Di1-
trict OF Columb ia and runs like a shoe.
string clear UP beyond Cumberland TO
the farthest western part OF the state.
Comparatively few negroes live IN that
district.
Then again In view of tbs fact that
former President Roosevelt ana form-
err Secretary OF War Taft were fhs
chief persons In shifting the negroes on
account Of the Brownsville shootinG II
would be q handy thing to have u said
that President Taft and the ginning
lights of his administration did what
they could TO prevent the nssroes froni
being deprived of the voting privilege
In Maryland, even thouEh tha fAct -
A.. IL. .( Tan IA % M
qualification for the right OF franchise
than a monkey In the wilds Of Africa
Amendment 0nce DsfsnteA.
Several years ago there WAS q cons
test over this matter in Maryland au4
the amendment was defeated by de-
cisive majority. That was because the
Democrats thdmselv were then de
vided. even former Governor Edwin
warhsld and Senator Raynor oppoEing
| the pfoposition. But than GenAtcr Cor
lman war In thu land Of the uptuHS 2u&
1smany OF the Democrats wefS - SUITS
\ with him. and AZ efdsr ~ pFsF gs4t aisn
from gaining toe mrch power snex Qp-
posed whafsysr he proposed. and ne
was very much In favor " the amend
| ment. II received the body blow IN the
| big city OF Baltimore. 80 this counties
were for IL by q tremendous majority
SO far as the white people had the say.
In Baltimors 1t was claimed that
large per centaGe OF the forel9n ootn
voters would be knocked out--not that
| they were specially ignorant. but boz
cause they had not suficiantly acquired
| the English language. Modincationn
have since been made. tise Dem ocrata
are apparently solid, and 1t looks ~
| II the amendment will be adopted Ia
November.
| oitv people have claimed for many
years that they do not have proper
fermentation in the Legislature -
Annapolis. According to the last cafi-
sus the population OF Baltimore was
50y,000. The counties had popuiafion
OF s77,s00.
A. nresent Baltimore has only twen-
| ty-eight members of the Legislature
| twenty four members OF tine House and
| four State Senators. Under an are
ran cement recently entered into be-
| tween the city and county Democratic
| leaders at the State convention held In
Baltimore the city. II everything goes
right, will be, allowed a total OF ATTY
| eight members OF the Legislators. but
| they get only six Senators In this new
| deal, although they tried 20 secure rei-
atively as many as are given 10 tns
counties,
The counties have a total of seventy
eight members of the Legislature there
being one Senator for eacn County OUT
| side of the city of Baltimore. ths Mary
| land Senate being composed or thirty
members But even this arrangement
is not going through IL the constttu-
| tional amendment in relation to the
franchise IL defeated.
Rests with Baltimore.
II the talk heard In Washington
among the politicians from Maryland
means anything the country Demo-
cratic leaders have said In effect to the
leaders in the big city OF Baltimore;
| THE thing Is now up to you. You de-
feated the amendment before. and X
you do it again we are going 70 make
YOU smart for II. II you stand BY "
| and help us knock out the ignorant ne
gro voters we will see that you get
| the increased representation asked for,
and II you don't there IL probably
| new rod in pickle for you Baltimoreans.
The prohibition feeling 10 very
strong in Maryland. Heretofore we
countrv Fellows have kept that issue
| down as much as possible. We have
| certainly prevented any action by the
Iegialature on the subject, and II has
| been impossible for the ardent PROM
| bitionists to force through the Legs
| Iature any proposition looking 70
| subnission OF the matter to the peo-
| ple of the State. We have Insisted tnAx
| local option was the thing and have
heen content to let II rest there.
Counties that do not want the saloon
can have their way, and there are sew
| eral counties In the State which grant
no licenses for the sale OF whiskey or
| beer. That does not interfere with
you In the slightest in Baltimore But
| IL you beat the suffrage amendment
| again the leaders In the counties are
| going TO get hot all over, they VIII
| turn against you in savage fashion. and
II you do not watch out the prohihi-
ton question will be submitted to the
people Of the State. and with the votes
| of the church people in the city you
know what will happen when that Is
united with those out in the counties
| who are against the saloon"
Baltimore has many large breweries
, and as rs we'll known IL IL an Eastern
center for the distillatioh Of whisltey
and one of the biggest iobbing places
in wines and liquors in the United
states. Many firms formerly doing
| business in Georgia and North Carols
ma moved 20 Baltimore after those
| States went dry.