Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-05
The ballot and the south.

The Democrats Of Virginia, on all ques-
tons affecting the ballot, will do right
to continue to keep in mind the noble,
brave and long-su6ering people Of Tide
water and Southsld- Virginia. We have
no idea that the majority Of our party
are ever going to turn over the whites
OF the black belt" TO the merces Of an
ignorant. irresponsible, and venal horde
cnfranchls i by the Underwood COnven-
ton. whilst Virginia was pinned down
by Federal bayonets and held thrall By
orders from Washington. SO far as the
democrats Of Richmond are concerned we
know that we speak for them when we
say that we are willing TO submit 10 far
gr alter restraints than the Walton law
imposes upon US In order to be able to
help the people Of the black belt.
The people Of Virginia have been slow to
deal decisively with this suffrage question.
In nearly al Of the Southern States there
have been two constitutions since the
war. The first was the work of the re-
constructionists. The others were the
work Of the whites In Virginia we have
done some Constitution tinkering through
the medium OF the Legislature, but il
has left the suffrage question where
Judge Underwood left 1t. We made a
bungie Of the poll-tax prerequisite ami
had 10 abandon it, whereas had our
work been we'll done-as well done as
similar work has been done in other
Southern States-we should now have
that qualification in successful operation.
We have before US "The History OF
Negro Suffrage in the South" by Ste,
phen Il. Weeks Ga North Carolinan), re-
printed from the Political Science Quar-,
terly, Vol. tx, No. 4, from which we
gather that poll-taxes are required as a
prerequisite TO voting in Georgia, Florida,
Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
The laws OF Alabama, Arkansas, Mis-
sissippi and Tennessee also "embody
the principle OF education and have
much TO commend them" Louisiana
Is moving for reform; a legislative
committee Is at work on the subject
Mr.. Weeks says that "the Mississippi
law has proved itself thus far a success"
South Carolina still relies on a multi
pilcity Of ballots and ballot-boxes North
Carolina has no limitations on suffrage
Mr.. Weeks from painstaking study
OF the whole subject, is led to observe
that the laws OF Alabama, Arkansas.
Mississippi Tennessee. and, in part,
Virginia, embody the best elements OF
the reform ballot law In the South They
all reproduce essential features OF the
Australian system and these provisions
act more or less distinctly as an educa-
tional qualification" And then he says:
In 1888. Alabama enacted what is known
as the Sayre election law. IL was framed
In answer 10 "A demand that some method
be devised by which the necessity Of sup.
pressing any part OF the vote might be
Obyated: II DISTINGUISHES no one, and II
Is rather significant that the bitterest
opposition 10 II has come from the Pop.
ulists. II IL modelled largely on the cleo
ton laws which have been recently en-.
acted In other Southern States. The re.
gistratIon feature comes from Tennessee
while many parts are taken from the new
Arkansas law. In Alabama registration
can be made only in May. and within this
precinct or ward where the vote Is to b,
cast. There Is one ticket for all candi
dates. and the names are arranged alpha
betically, without distinction OF party.