Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-08-25

Out Of l47 ,SO5, Only 1 In IL Is Al.
lowed to vOte-Under This System
There Would BE Only Seven Voters
in Nevada.
JACKSON, Miss, Aug. 14.-How
effectually the new constitution Of
Mississippi has squelched and de-
stroyed the negro vote in the State is
shown in the registration just COM
pleted, which has cut that vote down
from 147,2O to S6l5. Just think of
it; 5000 voters for over 100000 pop.
ulxtion! In 1880 there were 13O,27S
colored voters, colored majority Of
22,O24. To-day the negro males over
II years of age, who would be voters
in any other State, number 147,2O5,
and the colored majority is 37,1O5;
but the new constitution changes all
this and cuts the 147,2 O5 voters down
to S6l5. Only one colored man in II
Is allowed to vote.
The late constitutional convention
of Mississippi was called for the
avowed purpose Of DISTINGUISHING the
negroes, so as to render Mississippi
safely Democratic under all circum-
stances. Senator George warned the
Mississippians that the negroes were
getting more numerous-were in an
actual majority already, and increas-
lug their majority every year; and he
advised them now that it was possible,
now that they had political control of
the State, to make such changes in
the law as would render it impossible
for the negroes to ever get in power
again by any combination such as that
recently made III Alabama.
Senator George won his fight. The
convention met ard went to work to
change the electoral franchise. The
first change was to limit the vote to
those " no could read and write. This,
however, was not s, ffcient. 1t left
some $4,000 negro voters, and as
these voters are increasing in number,
as the number of educated negroes
is steadily increasing, the chances
were that the colored vote would soon
become a danger. To still further
cut down the number Of colored vot :
ers. a clause was inserted requiring
voters to pay a heavy poll tax for the
support of the schools. This tax must
DO paid long in advance OF the cleo
ton or the voter loses his electoral
franchise. The Democrats argue,
and with reason, that the negroes
would be careless in the matter Of
pay ing this tax or preserving the tax
receipts. Again, the provision dis
franchising illiterate persons dis
franchised 10000 whites, many Of
them old Confederate soldiers. In
order to find loophole for them, the
So called understanding clause" was
inserted in the Constitution. BY
this an illiterate voter is granted the
franchise il he can understand anc
| eXplalu ally CI0uSc VI VIC 0CotO SVu'
stitution read to him. This can, o
course, be easily "worked" in the i'm
terest of the white voter. The regis
ter reads a simple paragraph to thu
illiterate white applicant, who easily
explains it. but the negro appl'can
gets a harder nut to crack sbou
equity and chsncery courts and Il
rejected.
} The net result OF the new constitu
ton is shown in the following regis
tration:
Over 81 years Registere
of age. Voters
Whites .llO.nO 6S,12
NeD,oes .........l47,2O5 8,6l
Total 257, 3o5 1874
| The new Constitution has strucl
off lSO,563 voters from the registra
ton and converted a negro msjorit!
of 81, Jos into white majority OF t9,
SIR, q change of 96,Gl7. One negr