The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-09-25
FLT-BLoTN SECTION FIVE.

LEADER could give its hearty approx
al to- the whole article on the elective
franchise whici. has been adopted 10y
the Convention in committee of the
whole. The objectionable feature re
frrrcd To il that portion Of section 3
which provides that after the 1st day
Of January, 1896, "every qualified
clcctor shall Ice able to- read any see
ton # the Constitution of this State,
or he shall be able to understand the
same whcn read TO him, or gire reos-
enable Interpretation thereof
The words which we have italicised
blur, Flemish and disgrace the whole
article. Tint clause is like an insight
~ black wart on pretty face, a fly in
the ointment that ruins the whole.
As Mississippinn who has jeal
Gus pride in the honor and good name
of his State, we feel bowed down and
Inundated that Convention of men
whom the people delegated with
plenary power to place the suffrage
on high, safe and honorable basis
should have resorted to such miser-
able, transparent trick. The Fran
chise committee may deny till they
are black in the face, that fraud was
contemplated 10y this section, but
they will never make the people be-
licvc it. As Mr.. Magruder said in his
honest, manly speech last week, it is
fraud on it's face! The idea of Civ
ing to partisan board of election
commissioners the power to pass on a
mans understanding and interpreter
ton of any section of the Constitution,
and that man unable to tell one letter
of the alphabet from another, is n
proposition that honest craftsmanship
would spurn! Every one with the
slightest perception and candor can see
that it will result in partisan election
boards ruling out aud letting in just
whom they please.
The attempt to palate this fraud
by empowering the Legislature to pro-
vide means of appeal from the de-
cisiOns of the election commissioners,
will not materially help the matter,
and only complexities scheme already
too clumsy and partisan.
The people are tired of indirection
and questionable election methods.
But for this fact, the Convention
would never have been called. The
great black tide that Senator George
spoke so gravely about in his ante
election speeches, had no terror or
danger in it if old methods were to be
perpetuated. With the Winchester
and other familiar election methods.
VIC had nothing to fear from negro su-
prcmacy with the blacks twice as nut
merOus as they now are, but the moral
sentiment Of the people revolted
against u longer continuation of the
old order of things, and demanded Il
decent and honest remedy, by which
white supremacy could be maintained
without the faint of fraud or indirec-
ton.
Why did the Franchise Com
mittee not do the simple, brave, man
ly, honest, statesman-like thing and
a straight-Out educational
qualification, OF an educational and
property qualification combined' The
people were ready for anything ex-
cept the stigma that has been placed
upon their honor and the name of
Mississippi by this committees report.
Far better were it for section 5 to be
expunged altogether than to stand as
it is.
AS Mr.. Magruder said in his speech,
the committee is deceiving themselves,
but they are not deceiving the people.
This evasive fraud is too apparent.
1t is a stencil i'm the nOstrils of an hon
est people and will be repudiated. 1t
is being denounced by the honest
press in the State and out of it. 1t is
the damned spot in the committees
work, and it will and should cOnsign
every man who voted for it to pOliti-
cal damnation.