Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-09-10

amendment, and all tie des, n b.
Ell 81. then IRE absouteis secHn Jail
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lhe 0rendmsHs iurt52g q jas9y Pfo-
vides. in order 70 make me rights Of all
a hitr citizens acrhn veanr -eitn-
cure, that they shall have the right to
register upon their own statement to the
registration officials that they areas the
case may be-native or naturalized citizens
who were entitled to vote in this or any.
other State on or before January 1, 1859.
or that they are descendants of such per-
sons, or that they have been naturalized
since January l, 1859, or are descendants
of persons so naturalized. 1t goes on, too,
expressly and particularly to provide that
persons who are the descendants of any
native or naturalized citizen entitled to
vote on or before January 1. 1869, or de-
scendants of persons naturaliZed since
then, need state only on information and
belief that they are such descendants. All
these statements must be taken by the
registration officers as prima facie true
and as sufficient to entitle to register.
THE property qualification which the
negro must comply with is but $500, and
the educational or mental test is one re-
| lating to simple things citizen should
know and which negro who can write
and who will make an earnest effort ought
to be able to pass.
This amendment was drawn with par
ticular care to secure to the foreign-born
and naturalized citizen, in the firmest and
safest manner, his right to vote and so
that he could have no ground for fear or
doubt upon the subject. His right to vote
is secured by this measure by every means
human statute can provide, and the
courts are required to protect and guard
him in his right. There is no possible way
to deprive him of the suffrage if this
amendment is adopted. because his right
to it will then be written so plainly and
deeply in the Constitution itself that nei-
Their the Legislature nor any official could
|
his right to vote, as well as that of the
native citizen, will, undoubtedly, be safer
under the amendment than at present, be-
cause the amendment affords improved
and fuller remedies in the courts for the
security of the suffrage than now exist,
and also because under it there would not
remain the least shred or vestige of dis
cretion in any registration officer in put
the registration books. Every man denied
registration is amply furnished by the
amendment with an easy, simple and in
expensive means of obtaining his rights
any court of first resort an appeal is Sc
cured to the Court of Appeals upon the
original papers, without the expense or de-
lay of a printed record, and the Court of
Appeals is directed to decide the case as
soon as practicable.
las to the constitutiOnality of the meas
ure, shall only stop here respectfully to
submit that the people are justified in ac-
pressed opinions of the leaders of the bar
who joined in preparing and in presenting
the measure to them and in advocating
its adoption. that it is not in conflict with
the Fifteenth Amendment. and is legal
and valid. AS to the statement that the
amendment will make Maryland one
party State, think it conclusive answer
that the free and intelligent white voters
of this State do not need 10000 negroes
to stand guard over them at the polls to
secure to them good government. At pres
ent the white voters of Maryland have
been so trained to independence and dis
elimination in the exercise of the suffrage
that it is idle to suggest that they would
permit the State to be controlled uncondi-
tionally by any one political party. The
only duress that rests upon them now, re-
straing them from complete independence
at the polls is the large unrestricted negro
vote in the State. If that duress were re-
moved thousands of white men now con-
strained by it to vote the Democratic ticket
elections independently of party for the
best men and the best measures.
Conditions in the Democratic party are
now such as to make this vast and mo-
mentous reform peculiarly opportune. The
last convention demonstrated that there
was no machine or boss in the Democ-
racy. The party is ruled by the best pub
lie sentiment so far as it can make it out.
The city Democracy. for example. declared
for the nomination Of a Republican judge,
whose reelection to the bench it thought
was for the public good. 1t invited and
tried to get the best men in the city to go
to the Legislature. 1t fought for just repre-
sentation and public utilities commission.
If the spirit of independence at the polls
of Maryland were extended by the passing
of the negro cloud from the political sky
the Democratic party would have to be
still better in order to command the sup
port of an absolutely independent and