The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-09-25
POINTERS FOR OUR con-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Prohibit the Negro from Hold
ing any state, District or
County Office,
Which Would do no Violence to
the Federal Constitution.
To the Poor Indian Cannot be Discrim-
mated Against rs n yoter-A Fact
strangely Overlooked by the
Statesmen at jackson.

Mr.. EDITOR The paramount
question to be considerd by the Con-
stitutional Convention is one of white
supremacy, pure and simple. The
whole question may be solved both MS
to State and county, without circum-
locution, by a bold and manly declara-
ton that negro shall not be eligible
to any Office in the State-State dis
trict, county or municipal. The Fed
eral Constitution places no limitation
upon the power of the State to pre-
scribe qualifications for office in the
State and county governments. The
10Th Amendment, as it originally pass
ed the lower House of Congress, pro-
hibited the United States or any State
from denying to any person not only
the right to cote, but to hold office, on
account of race, color or previous con-
dition, etc. In the Senate this was
amended by striking out cor hold Of
fice," and on the express ground that
if it was retained it would secure to
the recent slave population of the
South the right to hold office, and this
they were entirely unfit for. This
reasoning prevailed and the Senate
amendment was adopted and the 10Th
Amendment became part of the fun
damental law of the nation in its
present form.
Properly enough the convention is
evidently making an effort to keep
within the limits of the 18th Amend
ment, but, strange as it may seem for
body composed of as many statesmen,
Judges, United States Senator, law
yers and others with extensive legisla-
tive experience, it has fallen into the
inexcusable error of copying in all
of the provisions suggested for the
regulation of the suffrage, the article
on the subject promulgated by the
Carpet-bag and negro convention that
framed the present State Constitution
in this: in providing that Indians
shall be excluded from exercising the
right of the electoral franchise.
To show the want of power to so
exclude them it is only necessary to
refer to the IA and 18th Amendments
to the Constitution. By the former it
is provided that "dll persons born
in the United States land certainly
Indians were, for they were the origi
nal prOprietOrs of the soil, are de-
clared to be citizens of the United
States and the States wherein they re-
side" BY the 18th Amendment it is
provided that "the right of citizens Of
the United States to cOte shall not be de-
MED or abridged by the United States
or any State, on account of race, color
or previous condition of servitude."
The proposed provision on the sub
ject of suffrage excluding the Indian,
either taxed or untaxed, is clear
and manifest violation of the 18th
Amendment, and if adopted will en-
danger the relations of the State with
the Federal government. For GER
tainly he was born here and he is ex
Guided simply on account of race or
color, one or the other.
1t is no answer to this to say that
the same provision is in the present
State Constitution under which the
State resumed its relations with the
Federal government, for when it was
inserted the 18th Amendment had not
become operative by ratification as a
part of the fundamental law of the
nation, it being ratified in 1870, and
the present State Constitution in
1869.
AS a quiet observer, Mr.. Editor,
venture to make the foregoing sugges-
tons, and offer the criticisms con tain
ed in this communication. do this
with fear and trembling. as it has gone
out to the country that men of giant
intellect and unfathomable research
and information compose our cOnven-
ton. OBSERVER.