Evening star., 1896-10-06
LIMITING THE SUFFRAGE
Effect of the Constitutional Clause in South
Carolina.
The Gold Sentiment Making PROGRESS
Among the DemOcrats-Thelr Op-
pOnents Have q Straight Ticket.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

COLUMBIA, S. c., October 3, 1885,
The new constitution Of South Carolina,
adopted over a year ago, eliminates all the
chances of the republicans carrying this
state, but the election, it is thought, will
leave the democratic party worse crippled
than ever before in it's history. It will
ieave 1t with some Of its best men in the
ranks or another party, and will put 1t IN
such shape that 1t will be only question
of years when the old party will be able
to hold it's own.
The new constitution is the work of Sem
ator Tillman. and has a suffrage uualifca-
tion which is one of the most easily worked
In the country-by the party which is in
power. The constitution provides that a
man shall be able to read and write or be
able to construe a clause of the instrument
before he is eligible to vote Under The
usual provision that man shall be able 70
read and write before he is capable of vot-
Ing, thousands of negroes and iliterate
white men would be unable to vote in
South Carolina, but Senator TiIlman was
after disfranchsing the negroes and saw
ing the ignorant whites, and ne succeeded,
so long as the democrats are in power.
Just a few words in the constitution
saves the illiterate whites. They are that
II man can properly construe a section
or the constitution when read to him ne
shall be entitled to certificate. The
judges of mans ability to construe the
section are the boards of election SUPER
visors appointed by democratic admins
trations. The negro. according to these Of
ficials, Is never able to properly construe
what Is read him, and he fails to get
vote. The illiterate white man has keen
er sense of penetration, and the result is
that all of them get to vote.
1t Is cute thing, and for the present
and maybe years to come, will perpetuate
the democratic party. 1t will forever shut
the colored man out of controlling the af4
fairs of the state. The time may come
when he will hold the balance of oower
but never when he will be able to cast a
majority of the votes and run Things to suit
himself.
Democratic Dcfections.
The new danger threatening the democ-
racy Is from within its own ranks. Many
| men have left the party and attached them
selves to one or the other of the recubli-
can wings. Many others, and among them
| the ablest men in the state, have joined the
| gold democracy. There is no overwhelm-
| ing number of these men, but they are
quietly dropping out and forming clubs
here and there. In this city, in Greenvllle
and in Charleston there are either clubs
| or an understanding of how many men will
support the Palmer ticket. Merchants and
manufacturers are the leaders in this quiet
movement
| Hundreds Of merchants are returning
| from New York and the eastern markets.
They have imbibed the gold feeling shared
| in business circles the country over and
they come back here advocates of the gold
| standard, having been converted by their
| eastern friends. AS can be understood,
| they are quiet in their talk. Their Gus
| timers silver people, and they cannot
| afford to make themselves obnoxious They
| are, however, planting wedge, which will
in time it is feared. split the democracy
Col. James l.. Orr, president of the Pied
| mont Manufacturing Company, is a promi
| leader g
| years been a factor in the politics of tn,
| state. He is son of ex-Gov. Orr, minister
to Russia at one time. The cotton mills
| of which he is at the head are amont
| the largest in the south. All over the up
| per part of the state the cotton mill presi
| dents are throwing their weight agains
| Bryan. They know they cannot accomplish
| anything now, but they believe they ar
| beginning an education Of the people tha
| will be beneficial. In G1eenvile a city O
about LOO democratic voters, one-tentl
| have Joined a sound money club. In thi
! campaign they will vote for the McKinle,
| electors. Outside the cities and town
there Is 10 gold sentiment worth men
tioning. The voters are solidly for silver
Republican Prospects.
The republicans this year runnin,
a straight republican ticket the first II
| years. They have heretofore supporte,
independent democrats. State Chairman
Webster Of the regular republicans i
hopeful of capturing a few Congressman
but has no hope of carrying the state. TIL
| Lily White republicans are holding of
| from the regulars, but acknowledge tina
| they cannot do anything.
The election Of Judge Earle to the Unite
States Senate in the recent primaries ha
prevented a much larger bolt from tn
democratic ranks than would have bee
the case had he been defeated. Man
democrats opposed to Bryan took part i
the primaries by voting for Judge Earl
and consider themselves bound to vot
for all nominees in the general election
His selection also appeased an elemen
which has been preparing for years to jun
out of democratic traces. They though
| Tillman had such a grip on the state the
would never get a showing and had abou
concluded to leave the party. The chanc
| for some satisfaction presented itself /
Judge Earles case and they went in an
| won.
There are 5000 white voters in the stat
and about 10000 colored. The demo
cratic natioral ticket will poll about ~. .p9
| while the republican ticket will not b
able to poll over 10000, and small PEI
| centage of these will be cast by gold demo
Gratis.
The republican national committee is pu
ting no money in the state and the rspuf
licans are maintaining their organiza ito
| to be able to control the federal patronaS
| in case of MckinleyS election.