Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-02
A NATTER OF GRAVITY.
A Texas Demand Of Remarkable importance
and Significance.
(From the Galveston News1

two and the extensive suppression in the
latter seem to leave. Congress no alter
native but to act IN accordance with the
mandatory provisions Of the constitution
of the United States. dispatch 10 The
Globe Democrat from Columbia. S. C.. is
as follows:
new constitution adopted in this state in
December last the right of suffrage is
practically restricted to the whites. thcr,
being only about $1,000 of the lac, 900 ne
grOeS who can qualify by registration nm
der the stringent educational test applied
AS 4 result the Republican ticket received
ut the last election only about Is 900 votes
the additional 5000 being tccessions from
the ranks of the Democratic party due
to the opposition to free silver This pol
icy of the practical Acknowledgement OF
the negro was one of Senator rllman's
theories. who did not hesitate to say OF
numerous occasions that II was the only
solution to the race problem In this state
GOV. Evans. his lieutenant and the pre:i.
dent of the constitutional convention. re,
peated this and endorsed it in severa
speeches But when the election claus,
was adopted the question of whether the
states representatives. in Congress would
not be reduced by this wholesale cutting
down of votes was preached However
II WAS dropped and lost. Now however
the Republican managers have deter.
ndned to bring the matter to the atten-
ton of Congress with the claim that
South Carolina is only entitled to three
| q
claim to be confident of carrying then
point. and the result may mean a loss OF
four members in the lower House L. tn,
Democratic party.
The official returns from Mississipp
show that in the recent election only 10.
W9o votes were cast. Mississippi, like
South Carolina. has an educational suf.
fragc test. AT least the law provides thai
no male of voting age Shall exercise tn,
privilege of suffrage unless he can rcao
ana interpret certain passages OF the con.
stitu;ion of Mississippi. This provision
i strictly enforced. would doubtless dis.
franchise almost every citizen of thai
state. not excluding the lawyers. Ir
Georgia the negro is reached through tn.
poll tax law. one more vicious than tht
others. because II opens the way for dis
reputab BILE vote buyers 10 debauch the cleo
tons by furnishing poll tax receipts to tn,
poor and ignorant There is no doubt
that the laws of these three states sup
pressing suffrage challenge action by
mcnis to the constitution declares:
Representatives shall be apportioned
among the several states according 10
their respective numbers counting tho
whole number of persons in each state
including Indians not taxed. But when
ever the right to vote at any election for
electors of president and vice-president,
or for United States representatives. in
Congress. executive and judicial offices, or
the members of the legislatures thereof
is denied to any of the male inhabitants
of such states being q years of age and
citizens of the United States, or in any
way abridged except for participation in
rebellion or other crime. the basis of
representation therein shall he reduced in
the proportion which the number of male
citizens shall bear to the whole number
of male citizens u years OF age in such
state.
This provision of the constitution is
mandatory, not discretionary. and Con-
grcss cannot warrantably cvade this
m nh n no ffaE
sus of 1890 the males of voting age in
Mississippi Were: Whites. 100 GIL colored
100, 1863. South Carolina-whites. 1926. :,
eolored. 1872 $40. Georgia whites 219 GA .
colored. 179,02S. To show how the laws of
Mississippi and South Carolina operate
in the election OF congressman, take the
elections of 1884. The total vote of the
several districts in Mississippi is shown as
follows: First. $500: second, 3lo6; third
1872; fourth. S964. fifth. $500: sixth. 6oiG
seventh, 1924. In South Carolina the fig
ures We're: First, 9543; second. 1913; third,
.l05: fourth 1l,22i: nth. 9'A6; sixth. TO-
$50; seventh, l0.oS6. Total vote in Missis-
sippi, 9,5Sl: total vote in South Carolina
36la, average vote per district in MiSsis-
South Carolina. 1892 In the same year
the average vote per district in Indiana
WAS 5000 in Texas - .0ea. in Illinois 3S,
900, in Kentucky 52.o4. in North Caro-
lima 10000 III Connecticut ~, 300 Beyond
all question it is manifesty unfair for
300 voters of Mississippi to have a
representative i'll Congress. while in
Texas it requires 34,9eo TO io.ooo. Indeed.
in 1924 the vote i'll the sixth Texas district
was o4.A. against a total Of 3s,5Sl in the
seven Mississippi districts. Congress
ought not to permit this inequality to
longer exist. The figures OF the last cleo
ton are not at hand. but enough is known
TO warrant the statement hat MisSissippts
representation in the national House Of
Representatives should be reduced from
seven to two and South Carolina 5 from
seven to three. Likewise Mississippi =
representation i'll the electoral college
should be reduced from nine to four and
South Cardinals from nine to five. This
is but justice to states like Texas. Mis-
souri,. North Carolina, and the other
commemorative where there is no re-
stricton of suffrage such rs the quoted
provision of the constitution refers To as
a hypothetical contingency. and the same
provision unquestionably makes ii man
datory upon Congress to take such action.