The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-06-14
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EDITOR GREENvIILR TIMES:


EDITOR GREENvIILE TINES:
Dear Sir:-A great many people
have had something to say about the
approaching Constitutional Conven-
yention. Please allow me to say a few
words.
Admitted that the prominent and
absorbing subject is the suffrage, and
indeed that this question afforded the
occasion for calling the Convention.
The problem then, is to eliminate as
far as practicable, ignorance and COR
ruption from controlling position in
our elections. A good many schemes
have been proposed, most of which
appear to be considered as unsatisfac-
tory.
The writer now proposes two SIM
pie expedients, not at all revolutionary
in character, and which In combina-
tion will he thinks, certainly prove ef-
fective. These are, the Australian
ballot principle in conjunction with a
voluntary poll tax twelve months in
advance of an election. Neither of
these need require any but negative
action on the part of the Convention.
Simply remove all cause for doubt that
the Legislature has power to act in
the premises. Ii is unnecessary that
either measure should be made a part
OF the organic law, but only that the
Legislature shall have power to make
or unmake laws to suit the exigencies
OF particular conditions. As regards
the effectiveness of these two measures.
The Australian system will certainly
OF itself curtail the ignorant vote to
small proportions, as has been demon
strated in Louisville and Memphis.
Even granting that many negroes can
read well enough to discipher names
in print-still certain degree of in
telligence must be exercised to prepare
a legal ballot, and many negroes who
can read little, have not that degree
OF Intelligence, SO their ballots If cast,
would be thrown out wherever they
failed technically to comply with the
law.
Again, the Republican party In Mis-
sissippi, outside of the negroes, is nu-
merically and morally very weak; by
the operation Of this law they would
be thrown into hopeless minority at
once, which would remove all incen-
tive to energetic action. The negroes
would become completely disorganiz-
ed politically, with no motive to at
tract leaders from abroad. They
would lose all interest in elections, and
it would be in the indefinite future, If
even at all, that they would again be-
come factor In politics. The reduc-
ton of voters might diminish our rep
resentation in Congress. Let II do so.
We can well afford to submit reduc-
tion in order to be rid of tho curse of
negro suffrage, as with this evil abatcd
there would be no ground left for Sec
tionalism.
AS an adjunct to this the voluntary
poll tax would complete the system.
This means that ne man should be
compelled to pay poll tax, but If he
offers to vote he must show tax re-
ceipt, say six months old, for say three
dollars. This would increase the pres
ent poll tax revenue, as more than
half the citizens would probably pay It,
whereas less than half now pay the
one dollar tax. As regards oxpedien-
cy, the Australian ballot system comes
to us commended by both Republi-
cans and Democrats, having been
adopted in various States by both
political parties. II has been highly
approved wherever tried, and its adop-
ton by us cannot subject this State to
adverse criticism by Northern Repub-
licans.
This law moreover possesses the in
trinsic merit Of requiring that every
voter shall for himself and by himself,
exercising the high prerogative of a
citizen, himself doing his own voting
and not calling upon another to vote
for him. Any man be he white or
black, who is too ignorant to do bis
own voting, but must delegate that
right to some one of sufficient intelli-
gence to exercise it, is not fitted for
the important functions Of sovereign
unit in the body polite, and ought
not to be permitted to pollute the
purity of Government by such a de-
graded misapplication of its vital
source.
This seems to me a simple and ef-
fective solution of the @vexed ques-
tion." q. L. ID.