The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-12-19
"A Standing E-each Of The Csesiiiu.
fSnn

"A Standing .;-eaeh Of The Constitu.
tion."
In 4 Thoughtful and weil-written
article i'll the December North
american, Prof. James Bryce, the
author of The American Common
wealth." discusses the Negro problem.
Prof. Bryce is a careful and dispas-
sionste observer. as free from partisan
bias as any Rriton can be. and accus-
toned to The discover of facts and to
thinking about them i'll their mutual
relations.
The most important of the three
branches into which Prof Bryce
divides the problem is tins stated by
him: How are the anomalies and
contradictions of the political posi-
ton to be ovcrcome::" Some of the
anomalies he goes on 10 state, as fol-
lows:
The Negroes have got the s~trfa"r,
which in America is the source of all
power. 1t has been solcmnly guar
anteed 10 them bv the Constitution:
and they are not suffered TO enjoy il.
Such a situation has more than one
element of evil il it. 1t is a standing
breach of the Constitution, a standing
violation Of that respect for law which
is the very lifc-blood of Democratic
institutions. Ii is calculated 10 pro-
woke resentment and disatFecti1a on
the part of more than seven millions
of people. 1t suspends fac natural
growth and play of political parties
ut the South. forcing the Negroes TO
stick TO one national party. ire
spective of the GOTTEN far more i'm
portant) local issues which State
politics present: forcing the Southern
whites also TO held together a. one
party upon one issue, instead of di'id-
ing and regrouping themselves ac-
cording to the questions which the
changing conditions of their country
bring from time to time to the front.
Thus it pnrpctuatcs .s~ectionaiism. Il
! grave mischief in national politics,
even though the danger of another
secession may have wholly passed
away. Aud last OF all. perhaps worst
of all. it accustomS the Southern poll
ticianS. among whom elections were
at one time purer than in the North
ern cities. TO a course of Fraudulent
evasions or prevcr>ions of the law
aud of good faith which cannot bat
distort their own political conscience
and undermine that citadel Of free
government, faith in the elective sys-
TEN and obedience 10 the decision If
the majority. If voting ceases to tie
honestly marased. people will ceasc
TO respect the results of a vote. and
the community is thrown back TO the
old regime of brute force"
SO acute an observer of political in
stitutions and growth as Prot. Bryce
could not fail to mark this a. II of
the gravcst problems presented !" The
AmcaIcan people for practical e"In-
ton. The Democrats of the south
east would have Us believe that it has
been solved: that there is trouble"
any longer: but we know that that is
not true. We know that. IT, Prof
Bryce SAYS. there is Il constant breach
of the Constitution.
The Presidents message shows that
he recognizes fully the gravity OF the
situation. and his recommendation
that the Congress provide tor Il COM
mission to formulate Il good election
law is one that should receive prompt
attention.
This is a matter that is bound to
come to the front. whatever attempts
he made to stifle the discussion of il.
II will never be settled until il Is set
tied right. And the Republican party
will V cease to demand a free
ballot and a fair count so long As the
Constitution of the United States is
not respected. and its mandates obey
ed. in every State in the Union.