The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-05-20
PROPERTY QUALIFICATION.
Special Report on the Abridgement Of Suffrage
in Rhode Island.

Special Report on the Arrangement of Suffrage
in Rhode Island.
Mr.. Wallace on behalf of the majority
Of the Senate select committee to inquire
into alleged frauds in connection with
the late election on Wednesday report.
ed as to the abridgement of suffrage in
Rhode Island. After quoting the four.
teenth amendment to the Constitution
and its definitions Of citizenship, the re-
port claims that underit Rhode Island is
not entitled to the two representatives it
has in Congress by the last apportiont
ment, naturalized citizens being required
by the Constitution Of the state to possess
property qualifications as voters, from
which other citizens are exempt. We
conclude, upon the basis of an analysis
and comparison of vote and census re-
turns, that the number Of disfranchised
citizens in the state is about 10000, The
committee claim that Rhode Island was
not entitled to its fourth vote in the cleo
toral college, and yet that vote turned
the scale in the election of 1877 and
might do so again in 1881. The real es-
tate qualification is denounced as being
a peculiar hardship in Rhode Island
where population is so4dense, and there
is so little land for sale, the total number
of dwelling houses in the state being but
1885 in 1875. The registry laws of the
state are such, and are so arbitrarily ems
forced as to add to the number of citi>
zens DISTINGUISHED. All native voters are
compelled to register personally in De-,
cember and pay their 81 poll tax in Jams
uary or be disqualified. This includes
many voters and corrupts still more,
The poll tax, as a voting preliminary, is
denounced as vicious by the committee
'whereverit exists The committee call
attention to the determinations in the
constitution and laws Of Rhode Island
besides those enumerated, and sly that
the government Of the state to-day is an
oligarchy rather than a democracy, only
one in every twenty of the people vot-
ing. even in the most exciting elections,
They contend that the people of the
state ought to have relief, but there is
still nothing in the provisions of the con
stitution Of Rhode Island enough to con.
hict with the constitution of the United
States to authorize Congress to interfere
with its domestic concerns. The suffrage
is a subject for domestic regulation, and,
while the committee deplores the dis
crepancies shown, which it does not
think waste time to point out, it holds
that the remedy for the disfranchised vo-
tiers of the state lies in another field than
that Of Congress. But while Rhode Isl
land may have its own peculiar consti-
tuition and laws it ought not to have a
second representative in Congress, and
its fourth member in the electoral college
upon a basis of population which is not
allowed to vote. The committee con-
clude that the right ofsuffrage of foreign
born citizens in Rhode Island is therefore
abridged; that the XVIII amendment to
the constitution does not extend the same
protection to naturalized citizens it does
to colored persons; that a remedy could
be found in another amendment to the
constitution, the wisdom and expediency
of which, however, while submitting
the whole matter to the judiciary com
mittee Of the Senate the committee
question, as it would tend to the further
consolidation Of the powers Of governs