The National tribune., 1909-10-14
THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTIONAL.
AMENDMENT.

more thar any State north of the Po
ltomac and Ohio from the doninatio
of corrupt ring. which has held itsel
in power against the majority of th
people by the worst methods learne
from the States farther South. Like a.
of tie Southern States. the GovernnIen
IF Maryland was organized with viev
to keeping the control of pubic affair
in the hands OF narrow little ring
and while allowing the people to mag
line that they were exercising theil
power. to subject them to the despotis!T
Iof an oliearchy. In all of the Southern
States an inordinate amount of power
in the way of appointments is lodged il
the hands of tie Governor. who exer-
cises this power energetically and un-
iscrupulously TO retain his faction IL
power. 1t was in this way that we saw
the Southern States forced into rebel
| lion by little clique of Secession s!
conspirators and against the wishes oi
an overwhelming majority OF the peo-
pie. The proposed constitutional amend
f1ent would indicate that the people
have learned nothing from the awful
experience of the past. 1t proposes to
nut all the power of the State in the
hands of a. little clique in manner
more frnfsy Fastened tiIangever before.
should it be adopted II would be abso-
lufely impossible for the majority of
the people OF Maryland to carry their
wishes INTO effect. no matter how deter
mined they were in this and how much
they felt was at stake. We. will repeat
the conditions for registration as stated
in the Governors proclamation placing
Tho, cPnstftgtions1 am amendment before
the .peeple:5 81 =
Every male citizen Of the United
States having the above-prescribed
qualifications of age and residence shall
l,e entitled TO be registered so as to
become qualified voter il he be. first
a person who on the 1st day of jan
uarv, 1863. or prior thereto. was en-
titled to vote under the laws of this
State, or of any other State of the Unit
ed States wherein he then resided: or.
second, a male descendant of such last
mentioned person: or. third, foreign
born, citizen OF the United states nat
uralized between the 1st day of jan
Hary. 1859, and the date of the adop-
lion of this section of this article: or,
fourth, a male descendant of such last
mentioned person; or, fifth, a person
who. in the presence of the officers of
registration. shall, in his own handwrit-
ing, with pen and ink. without any aid,
suggestion or memorandum whatsoever
and without any question or direction
addressed to him by any Of the officers
of registration. make application to reg
ister correctly. stating in such applica-
ton his name. age, date and place OF
birth, residence and occupation at the
time and for the two years next preced
ing, the name or names of his employer
or employers, if any, at the time and
for the two years next preceding, and
whether he has previously voted. and,
Z 80 the State. County or city and dis
t'ic; Or precinct in which he voted last,
and also the name in full of the Presi-
dent of the United States of one of the
Justices of the Supreme Court of the
United States, of the Governor of Mary
land. of one of the Judges of the Court
of Appeals of Maryland and of the
Mayor of Baltimore City, If the appli-
cant resides in Baltimore City, or of
one of the County Comm 'ssioners of
the County in which the applicant re-
sides; and any person who is unable to
comply with the aforegoing require
mei,ts as to making application for reg
istration in his own handwriting. sole
ly because he is physically disabled
from so doing; or. sixth, a person, or
the husband of a person. who at the
time of his application for registration
is a bona-fide owner of real or personal
property in an amount of not less than
$500. is assessed therefor on the tax
books of the city of Baltimore or of
one of the Counties of this State. has
been such owner and so assessed for
arg rnax L.
ton for registration, shall have paid
and shall produce receipts for the taxes
on said property for said two years. and
shall at !, the time of his application
makes affidavit before the officers of
registration that he is. or that he is
the husband of the person who is the
bona-tide owner of the property so as
sessed to him or to her. as the case
may be. and that he or she has been
such owner for two years next preced-
ing his application"
Anyone who studies this astonishing
schedule cannot help seeing that 1t will
put the right to vote of every man in
Maryland completely at the mercy of
the registering officers, who are either
appointed BY the Governor or the little
ring which has made him Governor
These registers can say absolutely and
without question whether any man shall
be allowed TO regilter or not. If they
want him to- register they can interpret
the law so as to allow him to do SO.
and IL he is Objectionable some way can
be found to prevent his registering. All
the verbosity in this amendment is in
tended to cover tricks by which men
can be deprived of their vote or per-
mitted to vote as the registers wish
Probably not man in Maryland, after
most careful preparation. could satis-
factorily answer all of the requirements
II the registers had made up their
minds that they did not want him to
vote. 1t is hardly possible that any
great number of men in any community
would be able to state offhand the full
names of their employers for the last
two years. the full name of the Presi-
lent of the United States. of one of the
Justices Of the Supreme Court OF the