The Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1876-1890, 1890-05-02

what extent an educational test would
affect the voting strength of the two
races In Mississippi. The writer COM
piled from the registration lists table
showing the following facts as to Kinds
county:
White Colored
Registered voters ...-... .5,057 8,893
Unable to write their name, 256 6,987
Able to write their name, 4,801 1906
The Commonwealth then proceeds,
four quotation being slightly abridged
from the Originally
"This table shows that the illiteracy
Of the white voters Is only five per cent,
while that OF the colored voters Is sew
cnty-eight per cent; in word, where
five white voters would be cut Of for
iIliteracy, sevcnty-eight colored voters
would be eliminated by the same test.
AS a result, there would be, total white
votes 4,sOl, total colored votes 1,906,
In an electoral body thus constituted;a
white majority of 1896.
@Mark tho contrast to the present
status. Negro vote, s,ssS; white vote,
5,057; negro majority, 1856. Again,
while the total white vote would lose
for llliteracy only 256, the negro vote
would lose 6,987.
suppose that the whites had a legal
majority OF twenty-cight hundred In
Kinds county, with an educated body
of colorcd electors numbering nine
teen hundred, what difficulties i'm le-
spect 10 good government, or the lc-
gitimate maintenance ofwhite suprcm-
acy, could present themselves
aStanding In these proportions, the
white vote could lose nearly one-third
Of its total strength by desertions to
the black side, without loss Of power.
Under the present state of affairs can
the whites pcrpetually retain their un-
broken solidity? These things are to
be considered dispassionatcly and in
telligeutly.
"The situation can be fairly stated,
thus: In the presence Of an enormous
black majority, the cause of good gov
crnmcnt, proper administration Of
public affairs, the value ofproperty, all
stand In perpetual jeopardy. At every
election these arc all put at stake. This
danger and this hazard may be correct
ly estimated by observing the methods
employed to avert them, the constant
appeals to the white masses 10 put A.
side all differences in the presence Of
ono all-dominating common.danger of
black majorities. The intensity of
these appeals indicate their necessity
and the difficulty Of preserving this
solid white 'front.' Is the present stat
Us quo a permanent condition The
unanimous verdict Of the intelligence
Of the state ~ In the negative.
.@If this Is true, then does it not fol-
low inevitably that some legal remedy
is indispensable?
ain 1870, the total number ofwhites
i'm the state was S84,549; colored total,
444,2Ol; colored majority, 59,652.
AIN 1880, the whites numbered 49,
Sos, the coIored 650,29I, and the negro
majority had increased to 17O,S9S.
@Thc white increase for the 10 years
was "a per cent, while the negro In
crease was AS per cent. If this ratio
Of increase has been preserved for the
decade since 1889, then the total col
ored population Is now 949,424, and
the white population Is 594,452. And
the estimated colored vote is 1s9,904,
against white vote of 11s,890, with a
negro voting majority of7l,014.
@The illiteracy tables Of the census
Of 1880, show that white iIliterates ov-
or 2l years or age. amount to ii per
cent, and the colored illiteracy Of the
same class, 76 per cent.
~The vote on that basis in the state
would stand thus:
Total white vote e........1 105,815
To4nl rnInrn1 vote "A kTQ
White majority, ,.....-.... 6l,1So
aThis estimate Of iIliteracy Is ap-
proximate as IL stands at present, but
il can not contain moro than a small
margin Of inaccuracy.
@White illiteracy has unquestionably
decreased, and negro illitcracy has
probably diminished, but not below 20
per cent, and this taken as a basis
would give white majority Of $4,000.
aNegro illiteracy by no possibility
can have fallen TO 60 per cent, but TAX
en- on the basis Of go per cent, and
placing white illiteracy at 10 per cent.
the white voting majority would then
be S2,242 for che entire state, In an O.
lcctoral body Of 1880, which would
bo large majority.
@It IA safe TO place the white and
black illiteracy mt ten and seventy per
cent, respectively, which would give
voting majority to the whites OF 50,-
oaA =. 4rama m1nn&n~a4n az faQ aeo %