The evening times., 1898-02-09
THE NEGRO In POLITICS.

In New Orleans yesterday there as
sembied the first cohstitutional con-
vention held in Louisiana since 1879
The cause of the convention was pri-
marily the result of dissatisfaction
with the suffrage laws.
Under the constitution of 1879. man.
hood suffrage prevails in Louisiana,
and as the white aad colored vote is
about equally divided. great dissatis-
faction has existed Since that consti-
tuition was adopted AS the negroes
were said to be indolent, thriftless and
do not as a rule own property. the
whites have been reluctant to permit
the affairs of the parishes and of the
State to fall into their hands.
Prior to the framing of the constitu-
tion of 1879 Louisiana had been under
the control of the political party with
which negroes are affiliated, and the
result was that the debt of the state
| reached such proportions and taxa
tion became so great as to amount al
most to confiscation.
1t was this condition of affairs that
brought about the convention OF 1873.
Feeling that they should control the
affairs of the State. the whites began
ods to circumvent the result. AS time
went on, however. the election tricks
that had been employed against the
negroes became so general that they
extended to the whites themselves in
their political controversies.
This condition of affairs reached
such a stage that it was seen that the
only way to eliminate the influence OF
the negro was to change the organic
To- ,tt- II. ~I~sa lagr
islature submitted an amendment to
the constitution placing certain re-
strictions upon the suffrage. but the
negroes were shrewd enough to make
deals which resulted in the defeat of
tho proposed amendment
To the defeat of this amendment is
directly attributed the summoning OF
the constitutional convention. The leg
islature which assembled in May, 1896.
took the matter up and decided TO
call constitutional convention, the
main object of which was to frame
a suffrage clause which would disfran-
chise as many negroes as possible.
The act under which the convention
was called provided that that body be
restrained from enacting any article
whereby the bonded Indebtedness of
the State or any parochial, municipal
or political corporation would be al
fected, the right of taxation increased,
the levee system amended or affected.
the terms of office of the present State
or municipal officers reduced, the pres
ent constitutional prohibition of lot
teries changed. altered or amended. or
whereby the capital would be Nmoved
from Baton Rouge.
With these important questions be-
yond the reach of the convention, there
are only three or four propositions that
are looked upon as being of any great
Importance. The paramount question
is. of course. that of the suffrage.
Perhaps the next question of impor-
tance is that of the judiciary. AT pres
ent the judiciary system of the state
is both costly and cumbersome.
Governor Foster is the controlling
factor in the situation, and viii doubt
less largely shape the affairs of the
convention. He realizes that II the
convention should fail in the work to
which il has been called his admins
tration would be compelled to shoulder
the blame. and that the Democratic
party would be largely discredlted-
The membership of the convention is
overwhelmingly Democratic-ln fact.
there is only one Pqpulist member and
no regular Republican.