Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-27
The African in the wOodpile.
Globe Democrat.


 The Mississippi Constitutional Conven- ton has adopted that portion of the Franchise Committees report which pro- vides that every qualified elector shall be able to read any section of the Consti- tuition of the State. or he shall be able to understand the same when read to him or give a reasonable interpretation there of" This IS practically all that is neces- sary to accomplish the object that the Bourbon leaders have in view Nothing more is required to place elections com pletely under the control of the judges who decide cases of challenge. The power to reject votes for political reasons IS ample and absolute. If the provision should be honestly and impartialIy en- forced it would disfranchise 8 large ma jority of the voting population of the State, including a considerable number of white citizens. But it will not be thus enforced. That IS not the intention, nor is any such insult desired or expected by those who favor this peculiarly original plan of solving the suffrage problem. The pretense IS that of applying a test of in telligence; but the real purpose is to pre- vent the casting of any but Democratic votes. Under an arrangement of this sort the average voter will have no rights of definite character. He will be at the mercy of the election officers who are tc be clothed with authority to determine 1 the question of the electors mental fit ness. Of course it will be easy to sup l press any necessary quantity of votes and to let only such ballots go into the | box as will serve the interests of a certain | party.
 This project is in every sense discredit able to the body which has adopted it | There are several other and more reputa ble ways to guard the State against al danger from ignorant and shiftless voters It would not be at all difficult to devis, educational and property qualifications that would shut out most of the negroes but at the same time several thousands O whites would also be excluded, and tha is fatal objection from the Democrat, point of view. The Convention has ore ferred to arrange the matter that the illit crate whites may be permitted to vote but not the iiliterate blacks; for it is sur, that the election officers will discriminat, in that fashion. The advantage of thi plan over the present shotgun policy lie in the fact that it provides peaceful ant legal way of doing what is now done b, violence and in contempt of law, It vii eliminate the colored race from the politi cal situation for time, unquestionably but 1t will not be a permanent remedy There IS no such thing as settling ques ton of political and moral right in al insincere and inconsistent manner. Tn scheme may work for a season, but i certain in the end to prove a disappoirt ment. It is greatly to be regretted tha Mississippi has not set better exampl in this respect. The whole country ha been carefully watching the course of he Constitution-makers, with the hope tha they would evolve a rational and honor able plan for the regulation of the troub lesome issue of suffrage; but they hay not lived up to their opportunity. The have permitted themselves to be guidet by false theories and unworthy motives The subject sof greatest importance i their deliberations has been dealt wit after the style of demagogues and petit foggers. They had great chance to pel form the highest service to their Stat and to the whole South, but they lacke both the patriotism and the practice sense to improve it,