The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-01-26
SHALL WE HAVE A CONVENTION?

The more or less Of talk that has been
going on for few months about con-
stitutional convention has at last as
sumed the beginning of a definite form.
Mr.. Withers, Of the House OF Dele
gates, has introduced resolution direct
ing the voters Of the State TO declare
their wishes in the premises in May next,
and, If this resolution passes both branch
es of the Legislature and Is signed by
the Governor, We shall have 1t finally de-
termined then whether convention is
10 be held or whether it is not. Our own
hope is that the resolution will die in the
committee to which it has been referred.
and that 1t will never be heard OF again.
Still, as 1t has brought the matter up,
the time has come when 1t shall be con-
sidered freely and frankly.
DISCUSSES about this matter are use
less. and We should justly lay. ourselves
open to the charge Of discrimination If we
pretended not 10 see and understand the
meaning of the demand for a convention.
The real purpose to he arrived at in a con-
stitutional convention Is TO arrange the
fundamental law in such shape that the
negro vote may be suppressed while we
profess 10 yield obedience to the Consti-
tuition OF the United States. which torbids
us 10 suppress IL. That is the English
and the long and the short of the matter,
and the sooner we clear away all the rub
bish, and treat the case on that basis the
- To- oil
In South Carolina. they suppress the
negro vote by u most detestable piece Of
legal assimilation. They have q ballot
box for each Office 10 be filled. with the
title Of the Office written on the box. but
the position Of the boxes are continually
shifted during the day. a ballot put into
the wrong box is thrown away. No per-
son except the voter casting a vote Is
allowed. To come within less than thirty
feet Of the ballot-box. a voter must.
therefore. be able to read the title of the
office on the ballot-box to deposit his vote
IN the proper box. AS bu; a few negroes
can read. they deposit their ballots right
by accident only. and almost all of them
are thrown away. The same thing would
happen with the ignorant white men. but
for one thing. all the election officers are
Democrats and they give the ignorant
white voters a cue. and thus enable
them to deposit their ballots in the right
box. This il nothing but legalized frauds,
and just as demoralizing TO 4 people as
any other form of fraud.
In Mississippi, they have provided In
their Constitution that no one shall vote
who cannot read, that all voters must be
registered. and the reading test is APP
piled when the registration takes place.
The business OF the case is attended TO
at the registration. all white men are
found able to read. and very few negroes
are. The result Is that out Of more than
10000 negro voters in Mississippi only
about 1900 are registered, while all the
white voters are registered. The negro
problem Is therefore solved in Mississippi
bat at what a cost2 At the cost OF the
State holding up 20 her people the exam
pie Of cheating and fraud We cannot
help thinking that any struggle whatever
that the white people might be required
to make 10 avoid negro rule would be
better than this.
xhs question then which we Of yir-