Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-09-25
VOLUME xLI,rrrrrNO ss.s


Mississippi. 4
JACKSON, MISS, September is.
Now that the mist of debate has
cleared away from the atmosphereIo of
the Constitutional Convention it may
not be untimely to give short re.
view Of the situation. Theperplexi-
ties that surround the suffrage pro-
blsmi seen,Fto have increased with
the discussion. The debate OF the
past ten days has developed a pow
erful opposition to either an eduoa-
tional or q property qualification, and
the delegates Of the white counties
are uncompromising ii their hostility
such restriction Of the suffrage.
WOULD OUT OFF MANY WHITES.
They maintain that large numbers
of their white constituents will be
disfranchised by the e~ngrafting of
such suffrage limitations upon the
constitution, and a serious sohism in
the Democratic party ranks is immi-
nent if the Chrisman amendment,
which cmbodies, that idea, is carried
through. The delegates from the
black counties contend, on tho other
hand, that the question demands
heroic remedies.
THE FOUR PLANS. .St33}Il
-Four plans of settling tho suffrage
Question have been proposed, and.
neither II of the four has met
with tho prcponderance of support
necessary to harmonious adjustment
of tho question. The committee to
whom was entrusted tho task Of for.
m~ulating q suffrage plan submitted a
plan which it's chairman announces
did not reflect the views of any con-
siderable majority of the committee,
but represented the basis Of a com
promise, which vas thought to be
the best settlement possible, in view
of the Divergent views that pre-
vailed. The report is divided into
three branches-apportionment fran.
chiso and electoral colleges.
Ill aERRYMANDER.
Under tho apportionmont plan the
State is gerrymandored, giving the
preponderance of power to the poorer,
white counties and taking from the
rich, black counties, which pay tho
heaviest share of taxes, a large por.
ton OF their sovereignty.
The electoral college plan makes
an electoral college Of the Lower
House of the Legislature, and it's
province is to elect all State officers
in accordance with the wishes of the
people, as expressed at primaries,
each county to have as many votes
in the electoral college as it has Rep
resentatives in the House.
The franchise branch of the re-
port limits the right to vote to those
who have resided two years in the
State and one in the county. and
have prepaid a poll tax of 50. It
also prescribes a system of voting
modelled upon the Australian plan.
THE OBJECTIONS TO THE
The objections to the report ere
reflected in the speeches of those
who have opposed it. The black
counties demur to the abridgement
of their sovereignty. Tho others
insist that the proposed educational
qualification is a temporary expedi-
ent, and that in a few years the
danger of negro domination and
consequent financial ruin of tho
State will be greater than ever be-
fore. The Australian ballot system
is criticised as easily evaded and
wholly inadequate to meet the pre-
sent emergency. The report is also
objected to, because it makes no pro-
vision for white supremacy in the
county governments, which is con-
sidored to be Of weightier import
ance than executive or legislative
control.
JACKSON, MISS, September 16.
The event of to-day in the Constitu-
tional Convention was tho speech Of
Senator George.
Predictions are free tonight that
his speech 80 influenced tho Conven-
ton as to cause the suffraso report
to be adopted by q majority OF 80.
In the course Of his remarks Sena-
tor George denounced as untrue. the
reports that elections in Mississippi
since 1876 had been carried by force
and fraud. He admitted that there
were cases Of that description here
and there brought about by peculiar
circumstances, but these were only
exceptions to the general rule Of fair