The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-08-11
Friday, August H., 1911
CONS TITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

So1Hk1 tAA y
THE ENQUIRER is now pub.
fishing the constitutional amend,
ments passed at the last session
of the legislature to be ratified
or rejected at the polls in Nov,
ember, next. One is a proposed
addition to the first or franchise
article of the Constitution. Il
limits the right to vote at State
and municipal elections to two
classes of citizens.
First---Every male white citi.
zen possessing the qualifications
of age and residence and not dis.
qualified by conviction for infa.
nous crime or bribery.
Second---Every other male cit
izen not disqualified by convic-
ton, possessing the qualifications
of age and residence, who is the
owner of property assessed at
not less than $500 and upon
which taxes have been paid for
the previous two years.
1t is further required in the
proposed amendment that there
shall be uniform ballot through
out the State, with the party
name after the name of each
candidate, equal representation
of the minority party among
judges and clerks of election and
officers of registration, and that
elections be conducted by the
Australian system, these things
not to be changed by the Legis-
lature except by the vote of four
fifths of all the members of each
house. This amendment would
not apply to Congressional cleo
tons, but only to the election of
State and municipal officials.
One object of the amendment
was to do away with Wilson bal
lot laws, all of which it repeats.
But careful provision is made for
the revival of all laws repealed
by the amendment, should it be
ratified, in case any person other
than those in the two classes
shall become legally entitled
to vote. The meaning of this is
that in case the Federal courts
should decide that this amend
ment is void because of conflict
with the Federal Constitution, OF
for any other cause, then the
Wilson ballot laws and other
laws repealed shall revive and
the present status be restored.
The other two proposed amend
ments which are advertised tc
be submitted at the November
election are designed to increase
representation in Baltimore city
in the General Assembly. The
first of these provides that, in
addition to the one Senator from
each of the four legislative dis
tricts, there shall be elected two
Senators from the city at large,
increasing the city's representa-
ton in the Senate from four to
six.
The second of these amend
ments provides that each of the
four legislative districts of the
city shall have lone delegate TO,
each one-sixth of the population
of the largest county in the
State. The largest county is
Baltimore county with popula.
ton of 122, 800, one-sixth OF
which is 20, 400. The population
of the city is $50, 495, and by
that rule the city would have
twenty-seven delegates, or three
more than it has now. But it is
provided in the amendment that
the representation of the city in
the lower house shall never be
less than thirty-fve, nor exceed
one-third of the membership OF
the House. If this amendment
should be ratified, the city will
have forty-one votes in the
Legislature and the same number
In the State conventions. This
would be thirteen more than it
now has, or as many as the city
and three average counties COM