The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-01-13
THE MINORITY AT ANNAPOLIS.

As a result of the ballot trickerv that
was perpetrated in the eleven Wilson
law counties of this state at the last
general election the party that is re-
sponsible for the placing of the trick
ballot law in the statutes is in control
of the legislature which organized last
week. The powers that protited by the
trick ballot law are not only in control
at Annapolis, but dominate in both
branches of the legislative assembly in
such a way that any opposition on the
part of the minority in either branch to
the further extension CT the ballot-law
trickery or other forms of legislation
designed to accomplish political unfair
ness seems well-nigh hopeless. But
one man, unafraid and fighting stead
tasty for the right, is a power. The
people of Maryland will be taking note
the session which has just begun. The
minority representation, small though
it be, is yet in position to perform a
most valuable service to the state. For
one thing, it can make it certain that
nothing at the state capital shall be
done under cover The fight which the
minority will have to wage may seem to
be losing one at short range, and yet
it may prove to be winning one at
long range.
1t is safe to say that never before in
Maryland history was there a legisla-
ture so completely controlled by outside
influences in the matter of organizing
its working machinery as this 1910 As
sembly. For weeks before the men,
bers of the two branches assembled at
Annapolis it was known just who was
to be president of the Senate, who the
speaker of the House and who had
been picked to fill the desirable APP
pointive places in both branches. The
majority members of the two branches
upon assembling at Annapolis last week
simply ratified the program that had
been prepared for them. This demon
stration at the very beginning of the
session that there is a power outside of
and superior to the legislature possesses
a significance which will be generally
noted Already there is talk of newly
devised statutory schemes for Juggling
the electoral system in this state. The
apparent assumption of those who are
responsible for the forecast that the
electoral system is to be further tam
pered with is that the majority repre-
sentation in the two branches can be
depended upon to push through what
ever political legislation the outside and
controlling powers may demand. The
manner, of course, in which the two
branches were organized from outside
is, to say the asst, unpleasantly sug
gestive of legislative procedure that
may be directed and controlled from
outside.
The Governor S message to the legis-
lature suggests that another attempt
will be made to frame disfranchise-
ment scheme aimed to deprive one par
ticular race of the rights of citizenship
granted to other races. Twice the
people of this state have rejected the
proposition to segregate and discrimi-
nate against the negro race by spe-
cially formulated DISTINGUISHING scheme.
The people will never by majority vote,
in any election that fairly records popu-
lar opinion, approve any such deforma-
ton of tbs states electoral system as
was aimed at in either the Poe or the
Straus disfranchisement proposition.
If third DISTINGUISHING amendment is
to be prepared and pushed through the
1910 legislature, it will have no chance
before the people unless the electoral
machinery is in advance more extern