The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-01-02
LIMITATION OF TEE SUFFRAGE

L5sHlIA1 lcS w LEE GuG AiSUk
Times Democrat
The tendency in this country al
present is decidedly in the direction
Of the limitation rather than the ex-
tension Of the suffrage. Heretofore
the drift Of public sentiment was
decidedly the other way Univer
sal suffrage became such a hobby
that the right to vote was extended
TO women, to illiterates and even to
unnaturalized foreigners. The ex-
perience Of. the last five years has
proved this to be mistake, and that
country is not to be made prosper
Gus or its good government assured
by extending the electoral franchise
recklessIy, but rather by making
sure that those to whom it is granted
are deserving.
This is what the good people OF
Louisiana want to do under new
constitution and what number OF
States notably Mississippi and South
Carolina, have recently done.
The official canvass of Texas and
Minnesota shows Overwhelming ma
ioritles for amendments to their
constitution limiting and restricting
the right of suffrage.
Hitherto Texas has allowed man
of foreign birth who had resided in
the State for one year TO vote upon
declaring his intention to become a
citizen at any time before an cleo
ton. The last Legislature submit
ted proposition that such a decla-
ration must be made not less than
six months before the election, aud
it was ratified by vote of about five
to one. Minnesota has permitted a
foreigner to vote upon a declaration
of. intention TO become citizen,
provided be has resided in this coun-
try one year and in the State for
any time. before an election. The
last Legislature submitted an amend
ment requiring that an alien shall be-
come naturalized before he can exer-
else the suffrage, which means that
be must have resided Ia the United
States at least five years, and the
proposition was carried at the polls
by large majority.
This action is all the more strik-
ing because a majority of the Min.
nesota voters, three ffths of the
total, are foreign born. In spite of
this accident of birth they concluded
that the State was too liberal in
granting the franchise to foreigners
before they could possibly have ac-
quainied themselves with American
and the foreign vote
was cast almost unanimously for the
These restrictions are interesting
to Louisiana as showing the Drift of
public sentiment in this country, and
is this so of the Minnesota
vote. Our Constitution contains
ldentlcally the same provision as
that of Minnesota, granting foreign
ers the right to vote upon their Civ
ing notice of their Intention to be-
come naturalized. It has worked as
badly here as in Minnesota, and for
some years past an earnest effort has
been made to get rid of it. Among
the constitutional amendments SUBJ
mitted to the popular vote at the
late election was one similar TO that
recently adopted in Minnesota, abol-
ishing the privileges enjoyed by un-
naturalized foreigners. TWAS voted
down, not because the people were
to it, for probably nine
Ienihs of them favored restricting
The suffrage to naturalized foreign
srs, but because of the political bar
Caring and bid for votes, with
which the campaign wound up.
Could there be anything more
ridiculous than this contrast between
Minnesota and Louisiana? In the
former State the foreign born voters
believe with practical unanimity
that foreigner can afford to be-
come naturalized before voting, ard
that it is better for him and the
country that be should wait until he
knows more about our government
and our institutions. In Louisiana,
where the native born voters are in
an overwhelming majority, foreign
Frs still enjoy the privilege of voting
because political complications have
our amending the unwiee
of our Constitution rela-
i've TO suffrage. Louisiana now re-
mains the only State which confers
citizenship on foreigners in advance
of naturalization. 1t IS to be wond-
cred at that a constitutional conven
lion should be wanted to correct
This and other manifest defects Of
bur present organiclaw?
s-<---z~---------------1.
There are in the present House OF
Representatives pa straight Repub-