Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-10
NIGHTS of yotcrs-The Amendments

In South Carolina the state Coh'u'u-
,to,,l Convcntlon has made no effort 10
conceal its purpose TO Keep the cohFoi
Of that state in the hands of the whites
Tho came condition OF things existed IN
Missjssippi few years ago, wnen Us
state Constitutional Convention was III
session. Some persons suppose that inc
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
forbid the states TO provide In any man
ner for limiting the right OF sulrase
in the several States; but this Is not inc
fact.
The fifteenth amendment provides that
the right Of citizens OF the United States
TO vote shall not be denied or abridged
on account OF race. color or previous
condition OF servitude. That Amendment
stops there. \ negro may De dislrah-
chised for any other reason than the TACT
that he is n negro. so II is clear that
educational and property ana other quail
ficatIons NAV be required In either
negro or white. The cry that the
amendments are evaded will not avail.
The fourteenth amendment admits by
necessary implication that the seVef"i
States may deny the right Of suffrage 10
negroes as negroes. Its language is as
follows:
Representatives in Congress shall De
appOrtoned among the several states ac-
cordng TO their respective nuihueiS'
counting the whole number of persons IN
each state. excluding Indians not taxed.
But when the right TO vote at any cleo
ton for the choice of electors for Presi-
dent and Vice-President of the United
states. representatives in Congress. the
executive and judicial officers OF state
or the members of the Legislature thefe-
of is denied TO any of the male inhapi-
tants OF such state, being u years oil
aye and citizens OF the United states
or in any way abridged. except Tor par
ticipation in rebellion or other crime
the basis Of representation therein shah
be reduced in the proportion which the
number of such male citizens snail bear
to the whole number OF male citizens Il
years OF age in such State
Here TO the several States Is accorded
the right TO deny the right OF suffrage
n ,be negroes on condition that these
negroes snail not be included In the
basis OF representation. Under the pro-
lection of this provision the several
States might deny 10 their negroes the
right to vote, if the fifteenth amendment
did not provide that they shall not be
denied the right to vote because they
are negroes. The fifteenth amendment Is
newer than the fourteenth, and conse-
olentlv If the two come in conflict the
fifteenth will supersede the fourteenth.
The Charleston News and Courier ar
CUES upon this interesting subject as
follows:
EFF Congress shall determine that the
right TO vote has been denied To any
of the male inhabitants of the state anu
shall proceed to reduce our representation
i'm proportion to the number which Such
colored male inhabitants snail bear 10
the Who'll" number OF male citizens Il
years of age in the state, and II sucn
determination of Congress shall be sus-
tanned by the United States courts, theh
will come TO pass precisely what we nave
long desired TO have Overwhelmingly the
right of the States to regulate the ques-
ton of suffrage in their own interest,".
But II seems to us that our charleston
contemporary has lost sight altogether OF
the fifteenth amendment, which clearly
takes away from the several States The
right to deny the right OF suffrage 10
any person on account OF race. color, or
nrevious condition of servitude. Leave
the fifteenth amendment out OF the ques-
ton altogether. and the logic or the
News and Courier is faultless. But with
that amendment staring us in the lace,
we cannot concede that that paper is In
the right.