New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-28
TOTING ELEMENTS.

TOIING ELEUENTS.
Many of the greatest political and social
problems with which this Nation has to deal
depend largely upon the constituent elements
of the voting population in the several States.
| Colored suffrage, for instance, would never
have been accomplished had the white voters
been in a minority in as many as one-third o;
the States. The triumph of prOhlbltory legls-
| latiOn many years ago i'll Maine, and recently
in Iowa, has by many been ascnbed to the
small proportion of foreign-bom voters III
those States. Other questions OF the utmost
importance have been, OF probably will be- de-
cided in large measure, not by the mere nu-
mercal force of different voting elements in
the country as a whole, but by the distribution
of different elements in the States. Hence a
bulletin lust issued by the Census Bureau is of
the greatest interest ana importance, for It
states the number of males of the voting age
in each State, and gives separately the number
of native white iOreign-bOrn white, and cOorcd
males Of that age
The States may be arranged, with respect to
thervoting elements, in five classes, viz States
i'll which over 20 per cent OF the voting popu-
lation is native white; (2) States in which the
1
foreign minority; (3) States in whicl, the white
population prcdonnateS, with large colored
minority; (D States having plurality of for
eign-born voters 90 States having plurality
of coloIed voters.
Thirteen States are essentially white native,
the proportion of such persons Of the voting age
being as follows: West Virginia, 50 per cent /;
| Maine, ST per cent; Hampshire, 81 per
cent Indiana, So per cent; Vermont, 81 per
cent Kansas and Kentucky each rs per cent /;
Ohio, "A per cent; Pennsylvania, Tennessee
and Missouri each 70 per cent; Delaware,
| ~ per cent; and Arkansas, II per cent.
| Twelve States fall il the second class, the per-
! centages of white native and of fOrcign-bOrn
voters being nearly 20 and 20 in Colorado,
| 90 and so i'll Iowa, 81 and 81 in Connecticut,
| 65 and "a in Massachusetts, Go and 80 in Ne
braska, 81 and % in Oregon, 90 and SO in
New-Jersey 63 and 80 in Illinois, 60 and 80
in Rhode Island, 81 and 3S i'll Michigan. 60
and 80 in New York, and only IL to 80 III
| California.
The States Of the third class are seven in
number, the percentages OF native white and
| of cOlored persons being as follows 50 and
| u in Texas, 81 and q IN Maryland, 60 and
| SO in North Carolina, 50 and IS in Virginia,
| SO and 40 in Georgia, 50 and 40 in Alabama,
and 40 and 45 in Florida. There remain six
| States, of which three are essentially foreign,
and three essentially colored. Nevada has As
per cent of foregn-bom to 81 per cent of
| native white persons of voting age, Wisconsin
| SO per cent foreign-bOn and Al per cent ma
tive white, and Minnesota 80 per cent foreign
| born and ~ per cent native white. Louisiana
has 80 per cent colOred to 80 per cent native
white persons Of voting age, Mississippi 80
per cent colOred to AZ per cent native white,
and South Carolina 5S per cent cOlOred to 40
per cent native white.
| 1t will be observed that the native white
population has over two-thirds of the whole
number of persons of voting age in sixteen
States namely, the thirteen first named, Col
orado, Iowa and Connecticut. Three other
| Massachusetts, Nebraska and Texas
fall but slightly below that proportion. But
as against the fOreign-born population, assum-
ing that the colored vote would be Indifferent
| there is more than a twO-thirds majority
| Of native whites in twenty-seven States,
including Oregon and all the Southern
| States. On the other hand, rs against
| the colorcd element, assuming the foreign
| born voters to be Indifferent, there Is a ma
jonty of more than two-thirds for the native
white voters IN all except eight States. Thus
it is manifest that there is no reason to fear
prepondcrating influence of either class, as
against any measures upon which the native
white voters may be substantially agreed.
Many years ago, prohibitory legislation was
adopted in Maine, where the foreign born
voters are now only - per cent of the
| whole. Now a more stringent constitutional
amendment has been adopted in Iowa, where
the foreign-born voters are 1912 per cent, and
| their proportion is smaller than that in twenty
five other States But 1t does not follow that
| the voting population is equally disposed to
favor such a measure in all these States. The
| legitimate inference, and one worth serious
| consideration, is that anything like dlctation
on this subject by the forelgn-born voters
would only he likely TO hasten the adoption
of the measures which they oppose. Indeed,
1t should be observed that the proportion of
native white voters is everywhere larger than
Of native white persons Of the voting age,