Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-08-22
A New System in Mis- sis.ippi.

The new registration of Mississippi
upon which it will vote at the coming
election shows that the negro has beer
substantially eliminated from the poll
tics of the State. The negro vote has
been cut down by the new constitution
from $4,000 to S,615, and now it can
not elect more than a few constables in
the entire State. The colored registra-
ton continues to decline at every elec-
ton. At the congressional election two
years ago there was colored majority
in one county, Bolivar. That is now
gone, and Bolivar is now white, like
the others. The negroes cannot elect
q single member of the legislature, or 4
single officer ofany kind except justice
ofthe peace or constable. The negro vote
for Congressmen will be less than 1000
in each district except the shoestring
district, composed of the negro counties
along the Mississippi, where the regis
tration amounts to 1,S00 and the vote
may be 200.
In Lowndes county one negro in
each 80 of the male negroes over 81
years of age is registered : in Yazoo,
which, of old, gave republican vote
far up in the thousands, there are only
nine colored voters registered, or one to
each $50 possible voters, while in NOx-
ubee, which beats the record, there are
four colored voters registered, or one
to each 1,340 negro men. There are
more negroes in Noxubee than these
four entitled to the ballot; but they
have lost interest in elections of late,
and large number of them have re-
fused to avail themselves of the privi-
lege of the ballot offered them and fail
ed to register.
The reduction in the negro registra-
ton and vote of Mississippi has been
brought about by the adoption of the
new constitution, which greatly alters
the electoral franchise in Mississippi.
BY limiting the franchise to those who
can read and write, 10000 negroes, or
four-fifths of the colored vote, were dis
franchised. The provision which re-
quires the prepayment of the poll-tax
has had another deterrent effect.
The illiteracy provision cuts of'10,0 900
white voters also, and as that was
thought to be a hardship, the famous
understanding clause" was inserted,
by which any illiterate voter can OBJ
tain his ballot by proving that he un-
derstands the constitution. A section
of that organic law is read to him by
the registrar, and if he can properly ex-
plain it he is entitled to vote. This
provision will continue only to 1896.
The ignorant voters have six years in
which to learn to read and write. If
they do not learn in that time they
are permanently disfranchised.
OF the 10000 illiterate white and
colored voters, only 2,122 have availed
themselves of ''the understanding
clause" or rather, only 2,122 have pass
ed successful examination of their
knowledge of the constitution. Of
these, 1887 are white and ,0S5 color
ed, showing that no discrimination is
allowed "on account of race or color"
Besides these colored voters who get
the franchise under the understanding
clause" only 1880 were registered as
able to read and write and having paid
their taxes, making total of S,615 col
ored against 6S,127 white voters, or a
grand total of 79,742 1t will be noticed
that the new constitution has material
ly cut down the white vote also, per-
haps one-third, but not to the same e1-
tent as that of the negroes.
At the ordinary rate of voting in Mis-
sissippi, that State will cast between
$4,000 and $1,000 votes for President
and Congressman this fall, with demo-
cratic majority of between 10000 and
$4,000.