The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-09
CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION
Lively Debate Over the Qualifca.
tons for Voting.

DOVER, DEL, Jan S.-The constitution.
oil convention took up the report of the
Committee on Elections, this morning
and devoted the day to it. The report
deals with the qualifications for citizen
ship and voting and aroused spirited,
but in the main, harmonious discussion.
Mr. Gilchrist offered an amendment,
the exact counterpart of that in the
Constitution of Massachusetts, providing
an, educational test for voters. 1t re-.
quires that no man after January, 1888,
who cannot read and write English shall
BIO allowed to vote. This provision Is not
to apply to men, who are now voters.
Mr., Spruance, speaking for the commit
tee, made an earnest appeal for the aboli.
tion of the poll tax as prerequisite Of
voting. He sketohed the many evils that
have grown up in the State, because Of
this requirement. He cited New York,
Maryland and Massachusetts as States
that had removed this obstruction to free
vote. and he referred toiPennsylvaniasa a
State where this feature of the ConstitI-
ton had been the cause of scandal.
Mr.. Spruanoe wanted qualification for
voting 80 liberal that no assessor, nor COL
lector, nor Levy Court, could deprive
man of his right to vote,
He believed that registration was a
sufficient precauJion for the Identification
OF voter, all the rest OF the so.called safe.
guards now hampering the suffrage in
the State, should be wiped out. Mr..
Spruance contended that the provision
requiring that man should be "a citi-
zen for three months" before securing the
right OF suffrage WAS right and proper.
1t appeared In the Constitution of the
State of New York because check was
needed to the naturalization mills which
ground out voters by thousands.
DR. Pratt expressed agreement with Mr..
Spruance's views. DIR. Cooper differed
with Mr.. Spruanco in respect to the "threo
month" clause applying to foreign.born
citizens, No such conditions prevailed In
Delaware as did in New York city. DR..
Cooper also opposed the abolition Of the
poll tax Every man should pay some.
thing towardthe support Of his Govern.
ment he favored a registration fee, to
be payable to the Registrar in sum at
least as large us the present poll tax. He
would like to see every man compelled to
pay his tax, whether on poll or realty be-
fore he was allowed to vote.
= Dr.. Cooper moved to strike out the
three months" clause relating to nat.
uralized citizens. After sharp debate
the motion prevailed. SO did President
Biggs' motion, to change thirty days" to
fifteen days" as the time required for
voter to reside in the district where he
offers to vote.
The special Committee on Education
held Its first meeting this morning.
Their prinapa! work is to equalize the
conditions OF the two races In proportion
to tho population, which is nearly five
whites to one colored. At present nearly
half of the support of the schools for
whites comes from tho State school fund
of S245, 900, while the coored schools are
dependent upon the biennial appropria-
ton of the General Assembly, which in
1895 was $4,000 year.
1t was less before. The city Of Whining.
ton has given equal opportunities to the
races since 1859, the city paying nearly
the cost Of its schools. 1t is only recently
that about one.sixth Of the income from
the school fund about $4,000 has been
donated to Wilmington.
An equable distribution would allow
nearly $4,000 for the colored schools for
the income of the school fund while
some uniform system of levying taxes
upon the colored people themselves must
BIZ provided