The National tribune., 1910-04-14
MULTIPLICATION IN MARYLAND.

which has so long ruled Maryland and
which was built up to its great effec-
tiveness by that astute manager, Ar
thur P. German, has become absolutely
desperate in its determination to hold
on to the State. Maryland is naturally
and normally Republican. as she was
naturally and normally Union during
the war; that is, the great solid middle
class of the State and of Baltimore is
solidly attached to the principles of the
Republican Party and hostile not only
Ito Democracy as party, but to the par
ticular clan which calls itself Demo-
cratic and which uses the machinery of
the party to get into power. Quite a
large number of the better class of
Democrats. including men of wealth.
Istanding and business connections in
Baltimore are opposed to the ring and
its operations, but their opposition has
rarely been such as to be effective.
Under the old regime the ring was able
to vote thousands of dead and fictitious
lpersons, so as to give them control of
THE State The number of these forged
votes has been placed as high as from
1000 TO 10000 in a single election,
/ which was, of course, too great mass
to be overruled by any honest majority.
The. ringsters went so far as to raise a
revolt among all decent people without
regard to party, which overthrew them
and carried the State for the Repub-
licans. Like too many reforms, alasi
this was spasmodic and short-liyed. and
the ringsters soon returned to power.
They have been working desperately
ever since to retain their hold upon the
State Government. OF course, they
have used the buGaboo of negro dimi-
nation to the uttermost, in spite of the
palpable righteousness of it. Accord
ing to the census of 1900 there were
only 60,406 negroes of voting age in the
State to 260,979 whites of suffrage age;
that is, there was only one negro to
every four whites in the State, and the
absurdity of that negro dominating the
four whites is too apparent everywhere
outside of Maryland. This did not, how
ever, prevent the ringsters working the
bugaboo most industriously, and it was
made the basis of outrageous ballot
laws that would have aroused a storm
of condemnation in any State north of
Mason and Dixonf line. Trick bal |
lots were provided for the different
Counties, each being cunningly con-
structed to meet the conditions in that
County and cut down as far as possible |
the Republican vote. In spite of this |
the Republicans have carried the State |
at times, and they have three of the |
six members from Maryland in the pres |
ent Congress.
Twice the ringsters have proposed |
amendments TO the Constitution to pre-
vent negros from voting. Last year |
such an amendment was presented and |
voted down by majority of 5000. |
Seven years before a similar amend
ment had been rejected by $4,000 ma
jority. The people saw clearly that |
the result of these amendments would |
not be merely the elimination of the
negros from politics, but also a large
percentage of the whites. The worst
feature was, however, that it put in the
hands of the agents of the ring the right
to say in every precinct who should or
should not vote, which would be a most
effective means of keeping the ringsters
in power indefinitely and preventing an
uprising of the people from overthrow
ing them. The ringSters became still
more desperate, and succeeded in hav-
ing the Democratic caucus pledge itself
to the following bill which was intro
duced into the Legislature and passed
by the requisite majority in both
Houses:
"All State and municipal elections
shall be conducted by the system com
monty known as the Australian ballot
system. and it shall be the duty of the
General Assembly to provide by law for
a form of ballot uniform thruout the
State, for use at all State elections in
this State. and to provide that on said
ballot. after the name of each candidate
thereon who may have been duly nomi-
mated as the candidate of any political
party or organization, there shall be
printed the legal name of said party or
organization. Equal representation of
the minority party among the judges !
and clerks of election, or other officers
performing similar functions, shall not ,
be abolished by the General Assembly
unless by a vote of four-fifths of all the ,
members of each House. The General
shall pass no law for the reg
of negros at any State or mu-
1icipal election in this State; but the
light to register and to vote shall for
ever be confined to white male citizens
If this State; and If any class of per- .
sons other than white male citizens
shan be or become legally entitled to q
De registered as. a voter at State cleo q
ions in this State. then this section 7
;hall null and void 10 Canaral
Assembly shall possess the same powers 4
Is if this section had never been adopt
I'd, and the laws of this State including 7
the local laws applicable to certain
thereof, relating to the form T
If ballot to be used at elections, in force
m the 1st day of July in the year 1910,
'hall revive or continue in force until
altered by the General Assembly, not T
any acts to the contrary
which may have been passed while the y
erms of this section shall have been in
orce or while the General Assembly | r
hall have believed or assumed the pro-
'ision of this section to be valid ;,
This is rebellion, pure and simple.
Article XIV of the Constitution of the p
United States reads:
Article XIV, Section 1. The right of
itizens of the United States to vote is
hall not be denied or abridged by the
jnited States or by any State on ac- ,i
cunt of race. color or previous condi-
ion of servitude.
Sec. 2. The Congress shall have e