The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-04-14
BONAPARTE SCORES
NEW FRANCHISE LAW
SAYS Members Who Voted for 1t Had
No Right To Places.

That large proportion Of the
members of the Legislature who
voted for the Digges DISTINGUISHING
bill have been holding Office and
drawing their salaries dishonesty,
and, furthermore, that they knew
when they took their oath of Office
that no honest man would have
accepted Office under such circum-
stance as attended their pretend
ed' election under the Wilson bal
lot laws, was the bold statement
made this morning to reporter
of The News by former Attorney
General Charles J. Bonaparte.
"Effrontery" is the word that
Mr., Bonaparte applies to the action
of the Legislature, along with
other terms little stronger even,
when he stated that the Demo
cratic party wants to make Mary
land a one-party State and make
cheating unnecessary on their part,
very much" says he, as if
piCkpocket should promise not to
steal any more provided those
from whom he had stolen would
raise a sufficient fund for his
benefit to enable him to live COM
fortablv on the income.
Mr.. Bonaparte also intimates
very strongly that there may be
no necessity to wait for the new
law to be put in force before pro-
ceedings can be instituted to nullify
the DISTINGUISHING scheme. Just
what opening there is for such
proceedings, however. he decline
to disclose on the ground that it
would be impolitic at this time.
He does not desire, he says, to
warn the Democratic party so that
it may call an extra session of the
Legislature and plug up some
possible holes in its pet measure.
In speaking of the DIgges plan
Mr.. Bonaparte said:
l saw the Digges bill only late
yesterday afternoon. For some
rather obvious reasons it was very
difficult to obtain, a copy. 1t is,
to say the least, an extraordinary
measure, and places the people of
Maryland in a far from fattering
light before the American Union.
To understand its astounding i'm
pudenCe we must remember that a
large proportion of those members
of the Legislature who voted for
1t had no more right, in good
morals, to the seats they occupi-
ed or the pay they drew during
the session than you or I had.
They were not elected by the peo-
pie of their respective counties,
but returned as elected through
the shameless frauds and gross
official perjury of superI isors of
elections III some of the Wilson
law counties, and they knew when
they took the oath and knew when
they voted for this bill that mo
honest man would have accepted
Office under such circumstances
as attended their pretended cleo.
ton. They practically admit in
the preamble of this bill that the
Wilson ballot laws purposely omit
all the essential guarantees of tair
election and that the people Of the
State desire to repeal said laws
and thus do away with what they
call the widespread decentralization
caused by the outrageous frauds
committed in the counties where
these laws prevail and to which
they themselves owe their seats,
and then they have the effrontery
to propose that our election laws
be SO changed as to make Mary
land a One-party State, and thus
make cheating on their part un-
necessary, very much as if a pick
pocket should promise not to steal
any more provided those from
whom he had stolen would raise
sufficient fund for his benefit to
enable him to live comfortabls on
the income.
Moreover, when the people of
Maryland have twice rejected by
large majorities proposals to
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