The midland journal., 1917-01-05
REFORMS NEEDED IN MARY
LAND.
Corrupt Elections, Useless Offices
Taxation and Other Political
Problems Considered.
Series OF Articles BY Jackson HI.
RalstOn.
Article III

Article III
To the Editor of the Midland
Journal
| When We hear that juror has
been bribed to render an unjust
verdict, taking away a mans prop
erty or depriving him of liberty, we
feel as if the very foundation of gov
ernment were assailed, and the juror
receives speedy and severe punish
ment. When we hear that a man
has been elected or defeated to office,
or a measure has prevailed or failed
because of the use of money, we
shrug our shoulders and helplessly
say that such things always have
been and always will be and it is
hopeless to do anything about it.
When a man is a candidate for the
Presidency, or the Governorship of
Maryland, or the United States
Senate and he has excited the
suspicion or animosity of importan
business elements, he is condemned
in advance to defeat, for these e.e
ments will not hesitate to use their
pecuniary power to the last degree
and find sufficient servility on the
part of the electorate to win them
success.
i All this is not to say that the ma
jority of the voters are corrupt. 1t
is not necessary that they should be
to enable money to prevail. The
great parties in a general way arr
nearly equally balanced. The ma
jority of their usual followers do SO
from self interest, force of habit or
. conviction and will follow their &C,
customed leadership irrespective OF
money or any unusual consideration
The determination of elections
therefore, is left to the Independent
, and to the corrupt, elements often
! very different, although in men OF
the baser sort, the word "Indepen-
dent" is used when it is meant sim
) ply that the man using it is for sale
We will not have elections free
from the effects of money until the
public wakes up to the fact that it l:
as wrong to use money to contro
them as it is to employ it to contro
the verdict of juror. When th'
public conscience reaches the poia
) of appreciating that the rights o
: the public are as much the propert!
of the whole public as are the rights
: of a contending party in court the
/, property of an individual, then cor
: ruption in elections will be as rare
: and as startling as corruption in thf
jury box.
In electoral corruption, Marylan'
is probably not materially differen
, on the average from the majority o
! the States of the Union, in the IA
West. or on the Pacific Coast
Maryland, in this respect, is un
fortunate in its negro problem
y Without any training in real politics
he negro vote was at stroke addet
to the electorate and its politica
education since the addition ha
been unfortunate. Actuated by
: certain feeling of gratitude com
; mendable in itself, this vote ha
$ been cast with scant exceptions fo
: the Republican party and Republi
4 can leaders of small capacity and los
: political ideals have traded with j
20 their own personal benefit and d.
! so today. In the recent Congress
4 ional election so far was this tru
q that members of the Republican
: state Central Committee of two
counties offered to sell out the negr'
vote, as far as they were able to de
: liver it, to the Democratic candidate
L The negro himself is not so mucl
9 to blame for his present benighteC
q political condition as are the whites
9 Men of education. feeling the pre-
| judices of their surroundings, have
? hesitated to address the negro anC
try to educate him. They have no
pointed out to him the practices o
political morality. He has been ief
to acquire the tone of the basel
white element and to regard his vot.
as an asset a little more valuable
/ than a chicken, little less valuable
S than a hog
. 1t is sal gut the negro that he
/ may not Tht to vote the Demo
cratic 80 bought p sta,