The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-14

Tle co1 'titutioaal cOnven ion Of MisSls-
sippi, which me. at the capital OF that state
on Tuesday. has q very diflicalt problem to
solve Il Is. how can the state AMI county
governments be kept in the hands Of the In
teliigent white citizsns9 The blacks have g
large majority in the state. They are ve-y
ignorant, not more tina p per cent OF
them being able to read and writ. If they
should get control of the state, the white
D ,ople would be forced to abandon
it. Property would become almost, If not
wholly, worthless. because the public
MONEYS would be squandered. pub
lie improvements would be neglected.
and taxes would be increased SO enormously
that the legitimate income from property
would not pay them. This is not al exagger-
atei statement of what would take pace
under black rule. Several Of the southern
states we're baakrupted during the short
time the blacks had partial control Of their
affairs during the irpet-bag period.
There are a few blacks in Mississippi who
are capable of making and administering
laws, but their number is 50 small that they
would not be able to hold in check the
thousands of ignorant blacks who would
force themselves into prominent places as
soon as the opportunity for them TO do so
presented Itself.
1t seems TO be the opinion Of the ablest
men of Mississippi that the right of suffrage
cannot be abridged by u property or an edu
cational qualification. The act OF congress
by which the state was readmitted into the
union after the war provides that no such
qualification shall ever be required for any
person to become an elector. 1t is true that
the constitutionality of this requirement is
QUILTED by some very able lawyers, but in
view of the fact that it is not certain that
it is unconstitutional it is probable that
the constitutional convention will not at
tempt to limit suffrage by means Of a prop
erty or an educational qualification. Be-
.ides, any limiting of the suffrage that
would deprive white men of the ballot would
meet with great opposition.
A half dozen methods for insuring white
supremacy in public affairs have been sug-
gested. but to each of them there are OBJ
jections Of more or less weight The one to
which the fewest and least weighty objec-
tions are offered, aud which promises TO
give as much satisfaction as any other, is
the Australian ballot system. 1t is urged,
and with considerable force, that while this
system would deprive no one of the right to
vote, It would tend to keep away from the
polls those who are illiterate. AS about rs
per cent. Of the blacks are illiterate and
only about 10 per cent. of the whites, the
chances are that it would insure to the
whites continued control of public affairs.
The time may come when the blacks in
Mississippi will to some extent be placed in
places of responsibility and trust. but it
will be when their moral, intellectual and
material condition is a great deal better
than it is now As the blacks accu nulate
property their desire for education will in
crease, and when qualified to do
so it will not be regarded as I'M
wise to permit them to take part
in making, administering and exc
cutting the laws. But if they were to gain
control of Mississippi now it would not be
many years before that state would be vir-
tually a wilderness