Arizona republican., 1898-02-20
MORE ORGANIC LAW MENDING.

InToe states or CQ1S OuIOu uluST from the other states in an important particular; they contain more negroes than white people. Here are the fig ures from the eleventh census: South Carolina, whites 462,OOS, negroes 6SS,- 934; Mississippi, whites 544,S51, ne- groes 742, 1859; Louisiana, whites 55S,- 395, negroes 559,193. All three of these states passed through trying ex- periences in the reconstruction years and following years. In all of them the disfranchising of the black voter by trick and device became, in time, about the most familiar fact in their politics. Acquiesced in at first as an assumed necessity of the situation it soon began to disquiet the minds and consciences of the more thoughtful white citizens. They saw danger in it for their children-grave danger. It was largely in order to rid themselves of these demoralizing election frauds that Mississippi and South Carolina revised their constitutions, putting up permanent barriers at the polls against illiteracy, with gates provided for the use of deserving white illiterates. Lou isiana's constitutional convention, called for the same purpose, is now in session.
 It met in the historic Mechanics B. Kruttschnitt was made chairman. In his speech he told the delegates their first great duty, with which noth- ing must be permitted to interfere was the purifying of the suffrage. He said further:
 My fellow delegates, let us not be misunderstood! Let us say to the large class of people of Louisiana who will be disfranchiSed under any of the proposed limitations of the suffrage that what we seek to do is undertaken in spirit, not of hostility to any par ticular men or set of men, but in the belief that the state should see the protection of the weaker classes should guard them against the machi- nations of those who would use them only to further their own base ends; should see to it that they be not a1- lowed to harm themselves. We owe it to the ignorant, we owe it to the weak, to protect them just as we would protect little child and prevent it from injuring itself with sharp edged tools placed in it's hands. May this hall, where, thirty-two years ago, the negro first entered upon the unequal contest for supremacy, and which has been reddened with his blood now witness an evolution of our organic law which will establish the relations between the races upon an everlasting foundation of right and justice.
 Right and justice are the things to build on, if the structure is to have stability. The experiment of building on wrong and injustice has been tried many times, and it never prospered yet. If the Louisiana constitutional convention holds an even balance be- tween negro illiteracy and white illit- eracy, negro shiftlessness and pauper- ism and white shiftlessness and pau perism, applying the same rule impar- tially to both, it may incur present criticism but it will have built wisely and solidly for the future of Louisi- ana.
 Any barriers which the convention may erect around the polls would not shut out negro of the Booker Wash ington type. They will not long ex- clude negroes who listen to his coun- sells and catch his spirit The intelli- gent, industrious, thrifty negro, who reads, writes, owns property, pays taxes, and is respected by his white neighbors because they simply can't withhold their respect from him, is going to vote under any American state constitution that can be devised. And the ambition to enjoy that high privilege of citizenship may operate as spur in the case of many of the now ignorant and indigent, 1umpish and lazy. Who knows?
 It has occurred to a St. Louis con- temporary that, with the fear of me gro domination" out of the way, we may see a good many Louisiana white voters migrating over to the republi- can party. The sight would not sur prise some of us a bit