New-York tribune., 1880-02-14
sDFTR iGF IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

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always be obscured; and as partisan excite
ment subsidies and the country realizes the
substantial facts of the case, public opinion
is aroused which the leaders of the shotgun
and tissue-ballot faction dare not con-
tnue to affront. Hence we find them
searching out devices to secure, by laws
or constitutional amendments, the perpet-
nation of the control which they have
won by violence and fraud. A direct assault
upon the ballot every year or so is both trouble
some and dangerous. In South Carolina
scheme of registration has been proposed III
the Legislature, for the avOwed purpose OF eA-
cludinc negro voters /" In no other way than
"by registration,n says The Charleston Ne'rs
and courier, and 10y permanently quailiyihg
{" the suffrage. can South Carolina, at one ana
the same time, cut out the dangerous ele-
"ment in the present body Of electors ana
Improve and elevate, year by year. the c"ar-
acter of those who as voters, hold the purse
strings aud determine the character OIL the
government of the State"
The bill now under consideration provides
that nobody shall be registered who cannot
write his name, unless he can prove that lie
has been voter for twenty-five years. 10
the imposition of an educational test OF ht-
ness for the suffrage there can be- on prn-
ciple, no objection. Such test is.applled IN
several Northern States, and might advan-
tageously be exacted in others. But what
an uproar there would be from the Demo
cratic party if an educational test were pro-
posed in New-Yorkl Shrieks of horror at the
Infamous attempts of radical mscreants to re-
strict popular suffrage would rend the empy-
rean. and Tammany would rave and howl like
den of wild beasts. Even n registration law,
without the qualification, Is tercely resisted
by Northern Democrats as an infringement
upon the privileges of the people; but then, OF
course, there is a great difference between
Northern Democrat and Southern Republican.
To vste in New-YOrk is the blrthrlght OF
every Irisbman. Niggers have no brthrights.
Passing over this point however, 1t must be
remembered that State which assumes the
right to fix an educational qualification for vot-
inc is bound to give all its citizens an oppOr-
tunity to acquire an education. lt cannot
claim the right until it has performed the
correlative duty. Until after the close OF the
war # was a penal offence in the South TO
teach niggers how to read and write Inc
only black voters in South Carolina who can
write their names are those who were young
enough to go to school when the common
schools were established in 1868, and the
very few who managed to get a smatering of
education in their mature Yeas 1t is sup
posed that at least four-ffths of the colored
voters would he disfranchised if this law
went into operation. So the whites, having
cruelty deprived these poor people OF the night
to an education, propose TO make that injustice
the excuse for committing another wrong.
The machinery of registration is TO be
wholly under the control of the Governor
He is to appoint one Supervisor OF ReCistra-
tion for each county, who il to hold Office for
ten years, or at tile Governors pleasure,
and the Supervisor appoints his own clerk.
The books are To remain continuously open
for several months prior to an election. Thus,
as there is no set time for the enrolment,
there can he no watch upon the proceedings
of the Supervisor, and that official will be
able TO regulate the making up OF the list
strictly in the interest of his party In case
of challenge three triers are to be chosen
by lot from the voters already registered.
Finally. the Supervisor and Clerk, just before
every election, are to constitute themselves q
Board of Revision. and to mark off the names
of all voters. who have died or removed from
the county. II these arrangements do not
suffice to wipe out the Republican party in
South Carolina, and prevent its reappearing,
we are much mistaken in our estimate of the
practices OF the Red-Shirt Democracy.
This, however, is not all. The crOwning
outrage is yet to be explained. The qualifca-
tions of voters are clearly defined by the Con-
stitution of the State, and it is stipulated in
that instrument that every male citizen of
" the United States of the age of twenty-One
"years and upward, not laboring under the
disabilities named in this Constitution
shall be entitled to vote for all officers that
ARE now, or hereafter may be, elected bv the
d" people. and upon all questions submitted to
the people mt any election" Lack of educa-
tion is not one of the " disabilities named IN
the Constitution" 1t would seem too plain
for dispute, therefore, that the Legislature
has no power to make the proposed restIic
ton. The party organs confess that the bill
is of doubtful" cOnstitutionality. They pro-
pose to enact it, nevertheless, and try it this
year. so as to give immediate relief" with
the understanding that it can be amended af-
terward if necessary; and meanwhile the Leg
islature is to prepare IA constitutional amend
ment. embracing the disfranchisement clause,
to be voted on after the Acknowledgement has
actually been effected! We do not believe that
ANYTHING quite equal to this has ever been at
tempted before even by South Carolina
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THE EXODUS.
poosonohla neonle mostly agree that the