The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-30
TILLMAN's sUFFRAaE PLAN.
A Full Explanation OF His Scheme for
the Regulation of the Suffrage.


A Full Explanation OF His Scheme TO
the Regulation ofthe Suffrage.
Senator Tillman has frequently init
mated that he had o plan for tn,
regulation of the suffrage, which would
not disfranchise white men, and at the
same time would restrict the voting OF
the part OF the negroes SO as to give
assurance Of white supremacy.
AT q campaign meeting held few
days ago at Hunters Chapel, in Barn
we'll county, Senator Tillman made al
address to the crowd of six hundred
people, in which he disclosed the
scheme devised by him, and which Is
reported as follows by correspondent
of the State
The meeting was one of the Barn
well County campaign meetings, and
during the forenoon speeches were
mad the candidates in the county
for slegates to the constitutions
convention. There were about GOO
persons present, nearly all of them
being Reformers apd about seventy-five
being ladies. An excellent dinner was
served, after which Governor Evans
spoke, and then Senator Tillman faced
the crowd.
He came out squarely and gave the
scheme for the regulation OF the suf-
frage, making reference to his remark
at Ridgeway when advocating the
calling of the constitutional convention
In which he asked the people to trust
him and vote for the convention. He
stated too that in the spring after the
Forty conference he had served notice
on all opposed to the Mississippi plan
to get ready for the near future. Then
hn fully 1icolnaaA hn fx>l
lows: " have given great deal of
Thought to this matter. The 10Th
amendment 10 an insuperable bar to q
permanent and lasting arrangement.
ANY scheme that may be adopted can
only be temporary and will be largely
dependent on white unity. as it Ia upon
the administration of the law rather
than in its language we must rely.
This has been the case W tn the regis
tration law and the eight box law.
AS long as no discrimination on ac-
count or color can be made, even an
educational qualification pure aud
simple would only serve it's purpose of
diSfranchising the negro while he re-
mains ignorant. How can we dis.
franchise illiterate negroes without at
the same time taking the right OF suf-
frage from the same class of white
men? 1t is easy enough and cannot
be called fraudulent system. The
Mississippi constitution provides that
every voter must be registered and
that the applicant for registration
must be able to read clause in the
constitution or be able to understand
and explain it when read to him. The
right to judge of the latter res.s with
the supervisor of registration. II
the applicant can read he must be
f.nf icfn md h,,. L.
vote.
" If he cannot, it is easy to see that
the negro could not understand, while
the white man would. This is natural
as the whites arc the more intelligent
race. Couple a provision forbidding
registration after conviction for crime,
and require the applicant to be also
possessed OF good moral character
and you can see how many thousands
of negroes will be disfranchised with
out fraud or without infringing on the
10Th amendment to the United States
Constitution. Should we ever have
government that would appoint regis
tration officers who wanted to enroll
the negroes as voters this scheme
would not work. But there Is q differ
ence between having it in the constitu-
tion and depending on the eight box
anu IoS laws. n Q0IGaCGO
of white men could never
obtain control of the government by
white majority first and it |
would then have no need of the negro.
Another safeguard would be to
provide that no illiterate person fail
ing OF the necessary requirements for
registration would be eligible after
the first election, and that after five |
years the requirements for registration |
be the ability to read and write pure
and simple. This would act as a spur
to men of both races to tit themselves
for the suffrage and would not per-
petuate the cOnfessedly obnoxious but |
necessary provision of trusting to the |
Judgment of the supervisor. The
charge that such system would per-
petuate dishonest elections is false"
Continuing Senator Tillman said (:
" If this scheme is not adopted, then,
so far as / can see, there is nothing
else to do but have qualified woman's
suffrage and hide behind petticoats.
am perfectly willing to give the
women of South Carolina the right to
vote when they ask for it, but don't
believe they want it, and until they do
ask for it, prefer the other plan"
The above are Senator Tillman's ex-
act words, and they pretty fully cover
the all important matter. 1t may be
added that this being the scheme the
OF the Reform movement
it will be almost certain to
be adopted.