New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-16
THE PALMETTO FRANKENSTEIN.

An educational qualification for suffrage Is no
new thing. 1t was adopted many years ago by
several Of the States. 1t has been abandoned
by most Of them, though one or two Of the older
States still retain it and one or two OF the newer
ones are trying It, Many people regard 1t as n
good thing. and would like to have it adopted
everywhere, but are inclined to think the
sentiment Of the ma ority throughout the Nation
Is against it. The question of its desirabty
is however. simply one Of political and social
economy 1t has or should have. nothing TO do
with party politics. The objection which all
right-minded men must have to the scheme just
adopted by the Constitutional Convention Of
South Carolina Is directed therefore, not against
the abstract principle involved. but against the
manner in which It Is to be practically applied,
and against the means provided for its applica-
ton
An educational qualification, like all others
should be impartially exacted. But that is pre-
cisely what is not to be done in South Carolina
There is no pretence Of Disgusting that fact. 1t
was openly avowed in advance and has been
again and again proclaimed in the convention
The intention is to discriminate in favor of one
race and against the other; to make 1t as easy
as possible for illlterate white men to vote. aud
II
To that end there is to be no judicial and i'm
partial determination Of the would-be voters
qualifications. All that is left to the election
officer He is to decide whether the applicant
is qualified TO vote or not, and from MS de-
cison there is practically no appeal He Is 10
Judge whether the applicant can read or NOT
and whether he Is or Is not able to understand
a clause Of the Constitution when II Is read 10
him. 1t will be in his power to let the illiterate
white man pass by reading to him the simplest
clause and accepting his explanation OF 1t, no
matter how imperfect Equally will it be in his
power to reject the intelligent negro by reading
IN him some abstruse clause and disagreeing
with his exclamation Of it. When we consider
how statesmen and jurists disagree over some
Of the simplest clauses Of constitutions, the al
surdity and iniquity of requiring every vo'er 10
interpret every clause in exact accord with TIE
views Of prejudiced partisan ofnchi become
painfully obvious A more revolving trayes'y
on Justice was never conceived.
Great as Is the wrong thus to be perpetraled
upon the negro race, however, that is not AFTER
all the worst feature Of the case. Inc doer OF
evil suffers. in the long run, more than his VIC
tim. Here is an intelligent Common wealth de-
uberately organizing fraud, enacting rascallty
rs the organic law Of the State, and requiring
it's public officers to be cheats and knaves. III
is n fatal error to suppose that such degradation
of the functions Of government and such whole
sale debauchment Of the public service and or
public sentiment, can go unpublished. II there
were no God Of Justice blind Nature would re-
volt at It, 1t is sowing Of the wind. and sooner
or later the whirlwind must be reaped. There
can be no escape from it. The election officers,
who are above all others the guardians of pub
lie virtue are TO be trained. and 10 be required.
10 be swindlers tricksters, pcrjurers. Does any
one imagine that they will practice their deviltry
only upon the objects originally intendedi To
think that is 10 think utter folly They will use
the power this Ubiquitous Constitution gives
them to cheat and TO Cypress white as well as
black There will be no guarantee OF honesty
in any election Every official title will be
smrched with fraud There will be de-
moralization compared with which that of the
tissue ballot era was the merest tritie South
Carolina is playing the part Of Frankenstein.
We shall see how she will deal with the mon
ster she is creating