Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-08-25
THE MISSISSIPPI METHOD.
How They Managed to Get Rid
of the Negro Vote.

How They Managed to Get Rid
of the Negro Vote.
New ORLEANS, Aug. 15.-The
new registration of Mississippi,
upon which it will vote at the COM
ing election, shows that the negro
has been substantially eliminated
from thu politics Of the State. The
negro vote has been cut down by
the new Constitution fran 145,000
to S,615, and now it cannot elect
more than a few constables in the
entire State. The colored : regis!
tration continues to decline. ct
every election. At the Congress
sional elections two years ago there
wasaa colored majority in one
county, Bolivar. That is now gone,
and Bolivar is now white, like the
others. The negroes cannot elect
a single member of the -Legisla-
ture, or single officer Of any kind
except justice Of the peace or con on :
stable. The negro vote for Congress
will be less than 1,0OOin each dis.
trict exceptin the shoestring dis
trict, composed of the negro coun-
ties along the Mississippi: where
the registration amounts to 1900
and the vote may be 1900.
In LownGes county one negro in
each 80 Of the male negroes over
81 years of age is registered. In
Yazoo, which, Of old, gave Re-
publican vote far up in the thou
sands, there are only nine colored
voters registered, or one to each
650possible voters, while in Noxu-
bee, which beats the record, there
are four colored voters registered,
or one TO each 1910 negro men.
There are more negroes in Noxubee
than these four entitled to the bal
lot; but they have lost interest in
elections of late, and a large num-
Der of them have refused to avail
themselves of the privilege of the
ballot offered them and have failed
to register.
The reduction in the negro
registration and vote of Mississippi
has been brought about by the.
adoption of the new Constitution.
which greatly alters tho electoral
franchise IN Mississippi. By;
limiting the franchiseN to those
who eah=reHei-and writa1fO.1m
negroes, or four-fifths of the col.
tored vote, were disfranchised.
TheSproyision which requires the ,
prepayment of therpoll ,taxnhas
had other deterrent effect.
Thelilliteracy provision cuts off
10000 white voters also, and as
that was thought to be a hardship.
the famous understanding clause"
was insertad, by which any
illiterate voter. can obtain his bal
lot by proving: that he understands
the Constitution. A section Of.
that organic lawis read to him by
the registrar and if he can properly
explain it he is entitled to vote.
This provision will continue only.
to 1895. The ignorant voters have
six years in which to learn to read:
and write, If theydo not learn in
that time they are permanently
disfranchised.
Of the 10000 illiterate white
and colored voters only 2l22
have availed themselves of 1.-THE
understanding clause" or, rather,
only 2,122 have passed a success
full examination oftheir knowledge
of the Constitution. OF these 1887
are white and 1885 colored, show
ing that no discrimination lis
allowed "on account of race or
color"
Besides these colored voters who
get the franchise under the ''under-
standing clause" only 1880 were
registered as able to read and
write and having paid their taxes,
making a total of S,615 colored
against 6S,127 while voters, or a
grand total of .76,S42. 1t will be
noticed that the new Constitution
has materially cut down the white
vote also, perhaps one-third, but
not to the same extent as that of
the negroes.