The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-07
Wen Contest With Vans
kuCk Association.
THE QUESTION DISCUSSED
Right OF Reg gStry Voters TO Vote
For All City Officers,
THE DECISION OF THE JUDGES.

Ihe Joint debate held last evening
under the auspices of the Central Liter
airy League between the Brownsor
Lyceum and the Young Peoples Literary
Association of Wanskuck In Lycsum hall
under the direction of the league. IL
was worthy. too. OF the place where II
was held, place where men now
prominent in city, state and professional
circles first made their mark as debaters
The question WIS one that could not bs
fully discussed I'm the time allowed to the
speakers but the arguments on both
sides were pithy, and il was evident that
the speakers had given much study to
the subject and taken oare TO effectively
arrange their arguments. A majority OF
the judges. who were James Nj. Gilrain,
selected ty the Brownson Lyceum, former
State Heprsse ntative George w. Brown
and MIR. Sidney A. Sherman, announced
through Mr.. Sherman that the Brown
sons were entitled TO the credit OF having
best sustained their side OF the case.
The question for debate was Resolved,
That Registry Votsrs Should Have the
Right 10 Vote for all Municipal Officer :. +"
ihe Brownsone sustained the affirmative
OF the question, ana Messrs. Joseph NJ.
Tally and Arthur A. Mcdonald were
the dispptants. while the Wapskuck Asso-
citation sustained the negative through
Hugh Mulhoiland ana Thomas Il.
fogaIty.
Mr. Tally was the first speaker and he
began his argument by quotations from
the Declaration of Independence and the
constitution of this state. And he
claimed tho requirement of a property
qualification was incon sistept with that
INSTRUMENT for while the declaration de-
clsrsd all men TO be equal, our constitu-
ton limited the idea to all property
owners The state Of Rhode Island wns
the only one thai did not permit registry
voters TO vote for all municipal officers,
and In only one twenty-three hundredth
part of the Union was the registry voter
deprived Of his rights. The speaker
traced the progress toward freer suffrage
In this state and urIed that the time had
come for striking out the property quail
ncAtion altogether. This state was tha
last % approve of the constitution of the
United States. one Of the last to send
troops to the defencs Of the Union and
the last TO substitute intelligence for
property, MIR. Tally said, and then asked
the negative to give one eoJd reason why
the right TO vote for oil municipal officers
should be denied 10 the registry voters If
this oity. Property, 10 was urged. was
no real qualification for voting, and also
that property qualification required all
the qualities that 60 to make a good citi :
zen. a man might be a gam bier or n
very corrupt and dangerous parsonage,
but IL he had $l4i worth Of property ne
was held by the supporters of the restric-
tion 10 bs safer and better voter than
one who did not own that amount of
property, no matter how useful the oc-
cupat OH the registry voter followed how
hiRh his intelli igenoe or how worthy his
al. M- uia1 10 Al
point that the sbopkseper, the. tenant and
the boardtr all paid their share Of taxes,
for the taxes OF landlords were coun ted
into the rent
He cited an instance Of landlord on
WestIn inster street who advanced the rent
of n store once because higher value had
been placed on his property by the asses
sors and again because the tax rate was
Increased.
Mr.. Mulholland was the first speaker
on the negative. In beginning his arRu-
msnt he referred to the wisdom of retain
ing the property qualification being dis
Ger ned by the COMMITTEES oil the revision of
the constitution and claimed that the
affirmative side In the present debate
must prove oonclusivsIy that the change
it was urging would be for the best inter-
ests Of the city. A city, while a public
Institution, was yet much like q simple
business corporation and the City Council
WAS composed d of mem bers who were like
the directors of a corporation and had q
large amount Ct money to spend. While
universal suffrage was the general Iuls
In this country u municipal corporation
was q subordinate body and had none of
the element Of sovereignty. IL could
make no law to puoish crime spd it dealt
with matters Of detail In providing for
the care Of its citizens and ths education
of youth. IL was only justice TO require
that those who voted for the directors of
the corporation should To owners of prop
erty and they who owned property were
the only ones entitled to say how It should
be taxed and for what purposes the money
raised by taxation should be expended.
Nearly all tho corruption In municipa
politics. Mr.. Mulhollaud argued, was due
TO registry voters A large mum ber of this
class of voters were under the direction
of Losses and one man who had violated
the law of the state had, it was claimed
over ll0C of them in his control. and not
OILY this man had an overdue influence
but politicians IN Yards ana 10 voted
many of this class as they wished. IgDor-
ance was another danger from tLis class
aud being Ignorant, these voters were apt
TO fall under the influence Of mon VINO
were in politics for the money there was
in II and many registry voters had no
party principles, but could be bought for
money.
The second speaker for the affirmative
was Mr. Mcdonald. lie made long
argument and read good many quota
tions that hes had prepared for his oppo-
nents to answer Hc ,lsi \ Ell that +. gs
try voters were Just ss patriotic as ! ro-
perty voters, and they had proven that
they had the highest qualifications FOR
suffrage. namely, patriotism. intellig g"nc q
anu character, an thst the negative had
not advanced any Ir1of that the u ssss-
sion ef property enriched men In tbesa
uusliti's Registry voters cast ths ir
ballots for president and for members Of
Coneress anj Of the General Assem- bly,
and these two iodies appropriated MONEY,
and II 10 was right To deprive registry
voters OF the priv SileSe Of voting for mem
bers of the City Council. why should they
lie qiyen lsHve q vote FOR congresslne n
and assemhlymen. Birmingham I'M Eng.
land had teen dcclsred by Julian Ralph,
writer Lf ability. 90 he one of the rest
governed cities In the world. ana vet
every voter had his fun ssy in its govern
Ibeut Ia Manchester of old Englsnd
rent payers voted, ~ they did IN ell
A.