The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1889-07-26
Te7zEe QU4zzF1c4z1oE

Of hedging the ballot box in the South
By any special guardianship. The
people Of the Southern States, at least
such portion as had rights Of citizen.
ship, were mostly property owners, OF
under the influence OF educated and
property owning relatives, and all
prided themselves as belonging to a
ruling and superior caste. They con-
soquently voted with patriotic motives
and actuated generally by the most
unselfish aims. A large proportion of
the representative men were possessed
Of sufficient property 10 make salaries
of office of the least consideration.
Honorable PreGermeut, and distinction
was the aim which, combined with
patriotism, brought out candidates
and gave character TO political cam
paigns. Hence ladies, not as now,
filed with crazy ideas of woman's
rights, attended the pubhc meetings,
and by their presence and purifying
influence improved the motives of our
anti 6etiu|a Southern politicians.
Bat great revolution has upset all
the civil relations and confused and
corrupted the civil aspirations of the
people. An ignorant, immoral and
grossly ignorant horde of meniaIs were
suddenly endowed with civil and polit-
icalrlghts. The first instruction given
them was to aspire to fat offices. and
to create Offices to meet their needs.
The next lesson taught was to sell
their votes. The third to vote fraud.
ulentIy. Corruption in politics became
general while reconstruction went
bravely on.
After twenty-five years of varied en-
perience there seems TO be a settled
conviction that the privileges of the
ballot must be hedged in so as to Sc
cure its proper exercise The all i'm
portant question as to how that is to
be accomplished is attracting the at
tentlon of the press. Property quail.
ication, educational qualification and
prepayment Of poll tax have each been
advocated; yet to each there are OBJ
jeciions. Property qualification is
arlstocratic in its tendencies and un-
popular as anti-Democratjc and anIag-
onlstic to the genius of American in
situations. Nor would it effect the
desired end since worthy citizens
would be excluded and some of the
greatest scamps licensed.
Educational limitation, too, has its
difficulties. Without moral culture it
does not purify. 1t is not so much
ignorance of the needfuI legislation as
it is corruption which needs correction.
No moral or religious test can BE- es-
LaOIished in connection with ednca.
tiOnal limitation, AS it would tend
directly 10 connect church and State,
which would be unconstitutional, un-
republican and opposed to christian
tolerance Without such test, educa
tiOnaI qualification would include many
narrow minded idiots and exclude
thousands Of patriotic men Of sound
Judgment Requirement Of poll tax
receipt would not effect the object,
and would be looked upon AS an effort
to exclude the poor.
We are of opinion that good citi.
zenship should he the crucial test.
Men who do their duty as citizens are
the proper ones to be trusted with the
voting franchise. Thorough educa-
tional preparation should he required
in the Office holder, and none should
be allowed to register and vote save
those who have proved themselves d. s.
posed to do their duty by paying their
taxes. Prepayment, therefore, of all
taxes should be required both proper
ty tax and poll tax Tins would as.
sist in collecting taxes to support the
State. 1t would collect the poll tax
with which to advance education, and
it would exclude those so worthless as
TO be unwilling to perform their duties
as citizens. Let prepayment of all
taxes be a prerequisite for the exercise
Of the voting franchise.