The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-04
CAROLINA'S NEW BALLOT LAW.
ITS CONsTITUTIONALIT ALMOST
SURE To BE Contested.

| cntionai and Property Quaiinca-
tiOn-Ex-COnEressm Miller, One
of the Negro Delegates, Gives His
Views on the Matter.
Columbia. S. c., Nov. s.-The week just
past has been most eventful. so far as the
| political status of the state OF South Caro-
lima is concerned that the state has ever
/ had since the stirring days of 1876.
| The constitutional convention has had
a great wrestle with the suffrage prob
lem and settled it by putting the under
standing provisO in for two years, and
then leaving a pure educational and
| property qualification. Whether this set
tlement of the difficulty is going TO stand
the test of judicial inquiry or not is a
question that was discussed by the con-
vention in the greatest detail, and the
answer can alone be found in the unwrit-
! ten pages of the future
| CHANGING over the outlook now, Il would
! appear that the convention ought to COM
plete its labors in about three weeks
time.
Naturally considerable interest has been
manifested to know how the negro dele
/ gates, the leaders of their race, consider
the suffrage plan as adopted viewed with
respect to the future. with a view to
securing their views. Delegate Miller, VINO
is an ex-congressman, and mas figured in
state politics for over twenty years, was
asked for his views. He sTd: In de-
Gliding what are to be the conditions In
| relation to elections in South Carolina IN
the future. it is necessary to review first
the present election laws with the iniqu;-
tous system thar We now have, to wit:
| The eight-box law and the very indefinite
registration law, by which fraud has been
made easy and the fraudulent manpula-
| tor placed absolutely above and irrespon-
| sible to the law.
"The present election machine was
| founded upon the present constitution,
| which guaranteed the suffrage to all male
| citizens not disqualified by crime who
| were n years old. Under the old law a
possible black vote Of 10000 has been re-
| duced to about 1900 live votes. What
| / mean by live votes are the live votes
| that have gotten on the registration books
| in the face of the existing law. l mean
! by this that there are not over g. 900
! white men In the state registered. If the
/ present constitution has reduced the DEM
| ocratic vote TO 5000 and the republican
| vote to 19,00 what hope have you for
| honest elections under the provisions
| they require: First, that man should
be able to read and write and be able to
| understand and explain any subject Of
| the constitution when read to him by
a man who, perhaps, Is inferior TO the
applicant in intelligence. This is an ex-
traordinary case, a constitutional pro-
explain constitution provis-
ion, requirement. that judges have
failed % satts4 y the people wnen called
upon to exercise. All OF the bills Of this
country have grown out of the fact that
a school of constitutional thinkers have
interpreted one section Of the constitution
TO mean one thing, and another school
have interpreted the same sectlOm to
mean another and entirely different thing.
Under this provision no sane man hopes
for an honest administration Of the suf-
frage Add to this the capacity TO read
and write, and you viii see readily that
very few voters who do not act and think
as the party in power wish them TO will
be able TO get their names upon the books
| of registration whether they are white
clause Of the constitution creates in the
person of the registration officer an alb
solute monarch who might be called the
may be argued that from this decision
There is a speedy appeal provided, but
1t has been decided time and again that
there is no appeal from questions that
grow out Of powers that are absolutely
discretionary. Hence the appeal cannot
relate TO the discretionary clause.
And now consider the educational pro-
vision. Any man who can read and write
is to be accorded the privilege of registra-
ton and here again Indirectly the regis
tration officer is made the Judge OF mans
capacity to read and write, and rs the law
does not state what or how far the man
should be able to read or white to enable
him to vote. then the power to read and
write is to be judged by the registration
officer, who again exercises discretion.
Then again, the new constitution says
that after a voter shall have registered,
before he can vote, he must be armed
with proof that Is sufficient TO satisfy the
election officers that he has paid all taxes,
including poll taxes, due by the applicant
previous 10 the election. Here the cleo
ton officer Is made the Judge as to the
proof necessary to substantiate the claim
Of the voter Of a right to vote and also
whether he has paid all taxes due. This
is another discretionary power in the
firth au1
THE political suffrage plan Just adopt
ed is the Mississippi plan, with separate
and distinct features Of oppression ana
fraud added thereto. Under the Missis-
sippi plan white vote in that state Of
more than 100000 has been reduced to no
more than 5000, and a negro or republ-
can vote of more than 10000 to less than
5000
Under the constitution or new suf-
rage plan the man who dreams Of fair
and honest elections IN South Carolina
Is a fit subject for a place in a lunatic
asylum, and 1t would be a pity to turn
him loose on the community. We have
spent all our energies in the last nine
teen years in conceiving plans under which
fraudulent election methods can be made
safe and easy. The clause passed last
night makes absolutely certain the plac-
ing in operation of every form Of cheatery
and fraud at the election that has ever
been conceived by the most fertile i'm
agination Of any man who has been en-
gagged In this class of legislation during
the last thirteen years ! see no hope, alb
Ina to ever have fair and honest cleo
tions as long as the men in control see
imaginary evils coming through the chan
nels Of honest elections and fail to raise
up to the necessity of the occasion and
make honest simple election laws.
1.-THE party In power has called this
convention to perpetuate their existence
and they have miscalled the perpetua-
ton Of their existence white suprc>
macy" a new name for the political rule
of the party in power. White supremacy
has not been endangered. The negro by
his nature is 'lovable practical and read
ily assimilates, and ~ the partly in power
would spend much time in making
laws by which the two peoples could come
together and work together for the good
of the state as they have spent In provid-
ing corrupt election methods by which
they can perpetuate their own existence
politically we would have peace, pros
perity and happiness surpassed by no state
in the union. for our resources are as
universal and mutitudinous as the re-
sources in any state. New York not ex-
cepted.'
Urged TO Arbitrate.
Paris Nov An. Bourgeois. the prime
minister and miris.er CT the interior, has
telegraphe1 to the prefect q TIE depart