New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-05
MP. WHITE ON SUFFRAGE.
THE Ex.pREsIDENT OF CORNELL ANSWERS
DEMOCRATIC CRITICS.

,,,s VIEWS ON THE RESTRICTION OF SUFFRAGE
WERE SHARED BY EMINENT DEMOCRATS.
rNuLuDING SAMUEL ]. TILpEN
AND GOVERNOR HILL.
Saratoga, Sept. Especial. -Ex-Presiden
Andrew D, White of Cornell University, who nas
h,en here since Monday attending the annuai
oonveution of the American Social Science Asso-
c,artou was asked to-day what truth there was
IN the statements of The Brooklyn Eagle an"
other Democratic newspapers that he Favored q
restriction of universal manhood suffrage, al"
that he was member of the Constitutions 0on-
vention, which made report to this enec@
Both these statements" replied MI Wni'e'
ARE grossly false, and easily exposee' We
mot a member Of that Constitutional Con'e"'A'A
Ia which reference is made nor have even ia
yored in the slightest degree the aorogataon "
.os.dc,ior NJ universal manhood suffrage In Ma
ton State county. city or village. Whas ulu w
,yas IN number of The Forum last year. 10 Suggest
as worthy of consideration part OF tne p''n Wv
rubnclv approved by such eminent Democrats aS
Oswald Ottendorfer, James u carter anu c''sI
Hand, and commended to consideration W 80 80
J. Tilden who received the votes ol '"' -,
cratic party for Governor OF the S'a'o ""N -.
dent of the United States This feature VI Vu'
plan, transmitted with every marx 0l app.0 $50
tbs LEGISLATURE by Mr.. Tilden, was that Ooai"
Of control, elected by taxpayers snoui" " w.
Hsbed in cities the sanction of which snouiu NC
.nouired for every bill involving tax or granting
n franchise But suggested that II De msue uore
d.mocratic nv leaving universal manhood suffrage
IN he exercised Just it is at present. III 'e ee0
ton of Mayor and Aldermen
.Tjks Mr.. Tlden, and many other statesmen, 4
saw that one Of the most enormous eVns III uiou.
avn citv government is the condition OF the small
nro,ertv- holders The larger taxpayers can easily
nrotect themselves in various ways agalnse schemes
., thunder in city taxation but the small pro-
prietors. the artisan, the struggling employe, the
Iaborer cannot do this, and 1t Is simply notorious
that this is the class on whose little homesteads
taxation falls most heavily. Like MI Illden,
savv than the modern American city, spread out in
every direction by street railways, may be made
something better than any sort of city the world
has ever seen before, that all that is possible
should be done to encourage the work1ng-classes
n possess little homes of their own, and 80 to
constitute large and steady force IN behalf OF
good government. This was the consideration
which led me to coincide with one feature IN the
plan transmitted to the Legislature by Mr.. Tilden,
and am willing should be called upon to go be-
fore the people as candidate, to fight out this
question on this line.
But t,lis is not all, and here comes in the ele
ment of broad farce. / commend to the prayerful
attention of those who have started this untruth-
full report the simple fact that this very plan re-
ceiyed the sanction of Governor Hill in the charter
OF the city of Ithaca, passed IN 1888, and now in
force. BY that charter all taxes above certain
small sum must be passed upon by the taxpayers
themselves and by them alone. 1t will thus be
seen that l have the highest Democratic sanction,
past and present, for my suggestion In this mat
ter
Mr. White added that probably campaign
document could be published which would enlist
q more earnest body of men in his support The
great body of small property-holders in cities he
believed would think none the loss of him for sug-
costing a system in their behalf which should pro-
tect them from undue taxation, and which met
the approval of representative men of both parties,
including Samuel j. Tilden himself.
The feature referred to in the ithaca charter,
sanctioned by Governor Hill, win be found in
Chsptet ala, Laws Of 1883, Paragraph ~, which
is as follows:
Whenever the Common council shall be of
the opinion that the interests of said city require
expenditures for any extraordinary or special
purpose or purposes which in their Opin-
ion cannot be dsfyed from SG,. the .1 ssd
before mentioned, after defraying the ordinary
current expenses of the year, the said Common
Council shall have power TO call special election
but before ordering such special election, they
shall make estimate of the sum necessary TO
be raisd for such purposes, and shall state the
amount and the objects for which 1t is required
together with the reasons for their opinions. and
cause the statement TO be published in one or
more of the city papers two weeks SUCCESSFULLY
preceding the day of such election. The Common
Council may, after making and publishing such
statement, give two weeks notice of an election:
and shall designate in said notice some convenient
place in said city for holding the polls of said
election and the time when it shall be held. The
Common Council shall choose two of their number
TO act as inspectors of said election. Every res
ident of said city of the age of twenty-one years
whose name shall be in the assessment-roll made
by the assessor assessors of said city next pre-
cedng said special election. and upon whose
property or upon whom as the owner or possessor
Of property tax shall be assessed OF imposed in
and by said roll. and no other person or persons
whatever shall be entitled to vote at said special
election. But every trustee, guardian other
person representing property mentioned or named
in said roll the possessor representative of
property assessed therein, SHALL il resident Of said
city, and twenty one years Of age, be considered
qualified voter aforesaid in respect Of the
property so represented