The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-18

tration on account of his want of quail
fcations at the time of his application for
registration.
art. pa. The Legislature shall pro
vide for the registration of voters
throughout the State.
art. 20. The Legislature shall en-
act laws to secure fairness in party pri-
mary elections, conventions, or other
methods of naming party candidates.
art PIG. In the trial of contested
elections and in proceedings for the in
vestigation of elections, and in all criml-
nal trials under the election laws, no
person shall be permitted to withhold
his testimony on the grounds that he
may criminate himself or subject himself
TO public infamy, but such testimony
shall not be used against him in any
judicial proceedings except for perjury
in giving such testimony"
Section ) is the provision that guar
antees the right to vote to all white men,
though of course, on its face it applies
to all. That section is the kernel OF the
nut, providing that no male person VINO
was on January list, 1861, or at any
date PRIOR THERETO, entitled to
vote under the Constitution or statutes
of any State of the United States.
wherein he then resided, and NO son
OR GRANDSON OF ANY SUCH
PERSON not less than twenty-one years
of age at the date of the adoption OF
this Constitution shall be de-
MED the right to register and vote in this
State by reason of his failure to possess
the educational or property qualifications
prescribed by this Constitution" 1T
will be remembered that on the first Of
January. 1867, the negro had not been
given the ballot and therefore that in
Louisiana the provision as to son or
grandson applies to whites and creoles,
EXCEPT the few free negroes and their
descendants.
/ asked Judge Davey how the provis-
ions of the new Constitution worked in
actual practice. He said that it was
in operation at the November elections
| in New Orleans, that he was registered
under it, and that the negroes did not
| try to vote except those who were well
educated or owned property. He said
| that it met the objection that all South
ern white men felt against disfranchls-
! ing white men who with their fathers
and grandfathers had always enjoyed
the right to vote. / learned that in
| Louisiana the desire was TO eliminate
| the great mass of ignorant negro voters,
| but not to disfranchise those white men
who, though unlettered, have so long
| taken interest in public questions that
| they are as intelligent voters as many
| who are learned in reading, 'riting
and 'rthmetic" The disfranchiscment
| in Louisiana does not reach the intelli-
| gent negroes, or those negroes whose
| industry and thrift have enabled them TO
| gain a home for themselves. 1t is an
incentive to industry and education
among the negroes, and, while temper
arily working to deny them suffrage
| which they used blindly and unwisely,
| it gives them good government and an
! open door to suffrage when they have
qualified themselves.
| send the full text of the Constitution
| of Louisiana bearing upon suffrage and
| election because | find many thoughtful
| men here who believe it is the plan
| North Carolina ought to adopt. One
| Senator who knows the situation in our
| State thoroughly, said last night: You
| have promised not to dlsfranchise any
| white voter. You will of course keep
| that pledge That shuts you up to the
I Louisiana plan. 1t meets your require
| ments exactly and is the only plan that
it is in operation that will suit North
! Carolina"
/ 1t will be well if all the Legislators
elect-and all other thoughtful men who
are interested on the suffrage problem.
would read the above article carefully
and file it away for future reference.
! l ask, d Judge Davey if he thought
the suffrage and elections article of
the Constitution would stand the test Of
the courts. whether the father and grand
| father qualification would be held to be
| in violation of the 10Th aemndment, and
whether any efforts had been made to
contest it by the Republicans. He re-
| piled that as yet no contest has been
commenced, and that he had no doubt
| it was constitutional and would be so