Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-05-05

Nortnern StateS......... .4,xl,6SV I550, ~
Southern States. ,eV 1,O21, $50
Thus far the Times Democrat has kept
within the limits of sobriety, except that il
has made the serious mistake Of confound.
ing the voting population-that Is, males
twenty-one years of age and over-with act.
ual voters. But when it comes to explain
why there is one male over twenty one years
to every 3.52 persons in the North
and only one to every 4 90 in the South, and
one-third more persons Of the voting age
in each Northern Congressional district
than in the Southern districts Though its
figures are not correct, owing to the mis-
taken basis we have already noted, its solu-
says the Times Democrat. "Simply because
there is much larger proportion Of chill
dren here. There has been startling de-
crease of the birth rate in the North of late
years, and particularly in New England,
whereas no where in the world is it higher
than this side of the line. The simple ex-
plantation is the great number Of children"
At the same time this growth has the ef-
feet Of making the vote relatively lighter in
proportion to the population"
In other words, according to the Times
Democrat, the annual increment Of the
South, 80 far as population is concerned, is
mainly girls, who are no value as voters.
For some mysterious reason the women Of
the South produce largely their own kind,
while those of the North are annually bring
ing forth more of the other kind, SO each
year adds largely to the voters. To make the
Times Democrats solution consistent tits not
only necessary to concede this extraordinary
lslsus nature, or perversitt on the part Of
Southern mothers, but it must also be con-
coded that it takes a boy in the South longer
to reach 81 years Of age than it does boy in
the North. There is no other way Of &C
accounting for the Times Democratic state
ment that with q large birta rate the South
will always grow faster than the North and
at the same time always have q lighter vote.
OF course all this is rubbish. The Times
Democrat, as we have said, has made mis-
calculation all the way through, principally
by confounding the voting population Of the
census with the actual voters, or the males
over 81 who can't vote with those over 81
who can. 1t makes no account, in singing
out Western States for comparison, of the
vast flood of adult male foreign emigration
which had swept into these Western States
for several years before the census was
taken and every year since, and which is
not yet naturalized. The number of nom
voters among the foreign-born in the South
counts for little. In the States enumerated
by the Times Democrat Alabama has butts ,4O3
foreigners out of a total voting population Of
9.SS4; Arkansas, Ats out of $50, 977; Ken
lucky, S0,217 out of $40, 2a0; and South Caro-
lima, $3.50 out Of 2O4, 7sS Turn now to its four
Northern States. Michigan has Lie, 0sS for
eign males over 81 years out of total Of
467, 6S7; Wisconsin, 189, 400 foreign males out
Of $40, 482 males over 81, or over 10000 more
foreign-born than natives Kansas s., 595 out
Of 265, IA, and California 137 ,374 out of 272,-
5SS. Minnesota, which is not included in
the list, has 12S, III out Of 21S,4S5, or over
5000 more foreign-born adult males than
native adult males of the voting age II
all these foreign borns voted there might
be some point to the Times Democrats cal
culations, but they do not On an average
not one-half Of them vote. OF all those who
arrive within six years Of given election
few get naturalized in time to vote at It. In
1880 it is probable that few of those who had
arrived subsequent to 1874 voted. In 1888
comparatively few who arrived since 1882
will vote. A foreigner must be here five
years before he can vote, and it is usually
one or two years longer before he gets round
to the suffrage.