The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-02-02
Suffrage in the South.

The Sensible Views of a Northern
Newspaper on Restricted Suffrage
in South Carolina.
On the first of January an amend
ment to the constitution of South
Carolina will 60 into operation that
practically disfranchises two-thirds
or more of the colored voters Of that
State. The new constitution adopted
q few years ago provided that after
January /, 1898, no resident of that
State should be permitted to vote
who could not read any part of the
constitution of the State presented
to him, unless he owned $500 in
taxable property and had paid the
taxes thereon.
Three experiments were made in
universal suffrage where the negroes
dominated the whites, says the Phila-
delpbia Times. They were made in
the District of Columbia, in South
Carolina and in Mississippi, and in
each it soon became an absolute
necessity to limit the franchise to
give security to both person and
property. In Mississippi and South
Carolina the ignorant voter is disfran-
chised by the fundamental law, and
that means that the colored vote
ceases to be a factor in those States.
1t goes without saying that as rule,
| the law will be strictly enforced with
the blacks, and generously enforced
with the whites.
The first great victory won for uni
versal suffrage and the enfranchise-
ment of the colored voter regardless
of intelligence of condition, was
made in the District of Columbia,
when Republican Congress and
President organized a Territorial
government, with a Legislature
chosen by popular suffrage and a
Governor appointed by the President,
to govern the District, subject to the
supervision of Congress as are the
laws of all Territories. 1t required
but few years to compel the prop
erty holders Of Washington, regard.
less of party, to rise up ia rebellion
against the ignorant colored rule of
the capital. Debaunchery ran riot,
bewildering profigacy prevailed, the
great capital of the country was
! ruled by ignorant voters, and the
progress of the city halted. The
issue had to be faced by a Republi-
can Congress and President, whether
universal suffrage should be over
thrown or whether investments and
population should be driven from
Washington. 1t was bitter confes-
sion to make, but Republican Senate
and Congress was compelled to con-
fess the failure of ignorant suffrage
by the repeal of the Territorial Or
ganization of the District, and restor-
ing it to the immediate care of Con-
gress.
Thus the first experiment made to
give a trial to universal suffrage
where the colored vote was large or
predominating, was made by Re-
publican administration and Con-
gress in Washington, and alike
Republican administration and Con-
gress were compelled to abolish the
universal suffrage they had inaugu-
rated, and confess its failure to the
country and the world. With this
high example Of the leading repre-
sentatiVes of the party at the national
capital, Mississippi and South Coro-
lima followed on entirely constitu-
tional lines, in practically disfran-
chising the colored vote in two States
where it is largely in the majority.
It was an imperious necessity to
assure safety to property in those
States, and safety to person as well;
and while political partisans and
organs will criticise the attitude of
Mississippi and South Carolina in
following the example fthe Republi-
can President and Congress, the
supreme conditions which dictated
the actien in those States will be
generally appreciated by all who
want free government and enlight-
ened progress.