National Republican., 1880-12-11
Population and Representation.

| population and Representation.
1t makes Democratic politician shud-
der as the sight of water does the hydro
phobiac to contemplate the possibility
that the logical sequence of despoiling a
large portion of the people of the South
of the right of suffrage may yet be
reached by reduction of representation.
Whether this point of reform will be
reached is one thing; but that it should
be reached and made efectual until every
| citizen in the country is allowed free
exercise of the right of opinion and of
suffrage there is no doubt Simple JUS
tice demands this. When slavery was
abolished and the freedmen were made
citizens, the full measure of popuative
representation was recognized. Before
that five slaves were counted as three citi-
zens in fixing the ratio of representation.
Now, while the law counts the citizens in
full scope, the Democratic party makes
much larger discount on the part of the
colored population than existed under
the slave regime. While the South claims
its full representation in Congress accord
ing to the census, through varied strate-
gies and methods the colored disfran-
chised man counts less as citizen than
he did as slave.
This great wrong may not be
reached and remedied by the present
Congress, but justice will continue TO cry
for reform until some future Congress
shall lay its hand upon the glaring evil
with remedial force. The South will not be
permitted to continue the practice of dis
franchising the voters, and at the same
time enjoy the benefits which the census
Of these crippled and silent voters brings
to that section, The wrong is too grievous
to be endured and too outrageous to be
tolerated
But the defenders of the Southern
methods for suppressing the Republican
vote interpose the plea that the South is
no worse than some sections of the North
in the matter of abridging the elective
franchise. They contend that little Rhode
Island has property test which prevents
portion of its citizens from voting. That
Connecticut intcrposes an educational
qualification which abridges the right of
suffrage, and that Massachusetts, demands
the payment Of personal or poll tax,
such, perhaps, as is required in Virginia
before citizen is permitted to cast his bal
lot These are pleaded as an offset to the
multitudinous murders, outrages, intimi-
dations, and frauds that are perpetrated in
the South to suppress the majority and
enable the minority to rule. Now let us
see what the fourteenth amendment of
the Constitution has to say on this ques-
ton:
among the several States according to their rcspec-
tive numbers, counting the whole number of per-
sous in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.
But when the right 10 vote ut any election for the
choice of electors for President and Vice President
of the United states, Representatives in Congress,
the executive aud Judicial officers of state, or the
members of the Legislature thereof Is denied TO
any of the male inhabitants of such State being
twenty-one years OF age and citizens of the United
States or In any way abridged erccpf fDr pa1iri,a.
ton IN rebellion or Other crime the basis of reprcSen.
Iation therein shall be reduced in the proportion
which the number of such male citizens shall bear
to the whole number of male citizens tWCntyune
years of age In such state
We reproduce this section of the amend
ment entire in the spirit and interest of
common fairness, while we hold to the
view that the cases cited against two or
three New England States bear no ma
terial analogy TO the broad and glaring
wrongs perpetnted in the South under
the authority of no law save that of power
and modern custom in that section. 1t
is undeniable, under the terms of the
Constitution, that any State in this Union
which enacts laws the effect being to dis
franchise any of its citizens except
rebellion and crime, infracts the Con-
stitution and forfeits its ratio of represen-
tation just in proportion as its citizens
are DISTINGUISHED by its action.
These laws no doubt existed before the
fourteenth amendment, and have never
been repealed While it would consist
with harmony and justice to repeal these
laws, there is but q slight if any, analogy
between their effects upon the rights of
citizenship and the wholesale system of
bull-do2ing, intimidation, violence, and
fraud that have DISTINGUISHED ma
jority of the citizens of the Southern
States, and handed the political control
Of that section over TO the minority.
The country outside of the late confed-