The Opelousas courier., 1888-12-29
Governor Thomas =. Watts.
Interview With the ATTORNEY General of the
Late COnfederacy IN til Congress
sional Regulation Kbf the
Voting POwG&

sional Regulation gDf the
Voting PoweA
The Nashville American publishes
an interview with Hon.M'. H. Watts of
Alabama, who was attq hey general of
the Confederate States5 1.-THE interview
is on Congressman Oa@ ~ proposition
to disfranchise the negroes. Mr.. Watts
says:
"Congress never had any right to
regulate the qualification of voters in
the States. Perhaps, under the power
to organize territorial governments and
it's exclusive jurisdiction I've the dis
trict of Columbia, congress could pre-.
scribe the qualifications of voters in
tie territories and in the district; but
it is too clear to admit of dispute that
congress has 10 power to prescribe or
regulate the qualification of voters in
the states in the election of members
of congress or of presidential electors.
"By The fifteenth amendment the
states are prohibited from denying or
abridging the right of citizens to vote
on account of race, color or previous
condition of servitude. The states are
not prohibited by it or by any other
clause of the constitution from pres
cribing an educational or other qualifi-
cation to vote !; they, if they see pro-
per, have the unquestioned right to
prescribe an educational, or property,
or tax paying qualification to the right
of voting, and such qualification if pre-
scribed in the state constitution, would
operate in state elections and in cleo
tions for members of congress and of
presidential electors.
eff Alabama were to prescribe an
educational qualification to the right of
voting it would necessarily apply to
the white its well as to the cOlored cit.
liens. Under the census of 1880 Ala
ioama had over "a, 1000 whiIIs over 81
years of age who could not write, and
over 10000 colored citizens who could
not write, 1t would, in my Judgment,
be almost political suicide for any
southern state so TO act No public
man advocating such IA change in our
state constitution as to make an edu
c%ational or property qualification to
the right of voting could politically
survive the just condemnation of the
people.
"Without the action of the states in
their separate sovereign capacity no
change in the qualification of voters
can be made. CONGRESSES without any
power on the subject except to propose
amendments to the federal constitution
or to call IL convention of the states on
the application of the legislatures of
two thirds of the states. and such
amendments as it PROPOSES, or as a
convention of the states proposes,
wonld have To he ratified and adopted
by three fnurths of the states Such IL
scheme is impracticable even if it were
desirable.
The increased political power which
the South has acquired by the freedom
of the negroes ought Dever to be relin-
quisll u. There is no policy of the
South which demands it or makes it
desirable. So long as Intelligence is
superior to ignorance, or brain power
superior to mere muscle i'll the policy
of ii state. the South has nothing to
fear from the presence of the negro
with equal right to vote,
THE northern states, being the con-
quernr in the war between the states,
unwittingly increased the political
power of the conquered in the congress
and in the election of presidential cleo
tors. That the conquerois should aug
ment the political power of the con
quered was never before done, | be-
~lieve, in the history of mankind.
IF the northern states could now end
their work, the folly which the expe
rience of the last twenty years so fully
shows. they would doubtless act
promptly and vigorously. Fortunately
for the Southern states, the constitu
ton of the United States presents an
insuperable barrier to the exercise of
such power, however much fanaticism
and the hatreds engendered by the
bloody conflict might prompt"