The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-01-21

under the constitution Of Isl, color
was not qualification or a disQualih
cation in eight of the town, Of the
state lesislated upon viz Shields
borough now Bay St Louis Holmes
Vile, Columbus, NitSsbnrs Rodney
Raymond Greenville Jefferson county
and Washington. OF course slaves
were not free holders or citizens hut
free men of color were frequently free
holders and before the Drei Scott de.
cision were regarded by many rs clt
liens. 1t will be noted too that sex
was not made qualification or q dis
qualification for voting IN seven of the
towns whose charters were passed or
amended during the period III which
the first state constitution was uprr
atiye, viz. Those, except Washington
inst enumerated. There is no evidence
however, that women ever voted in any
Of these towns, and all that can he
learned on the subject leads to the he
lief that they not only never did, hut
the right seems never to have lccn
claimed for or by them Free persons
Of color, however, AS can learn, did
claim the right in some Of these towns.
and it was generally conceded Ivy
| those of the white men whose inter
est was on the side of the claimants
political preference, hut was generally
denied by the opposition and 1t If
doubtful if 4 negro ever voted in any OF
them until after the war On til,
whole il is not SO clear but that tn,
| failure to exclude women and free per
sons of color in the early legislation on
the subject of voting in the early ma
inequalities was but the result of legis
lative awkwardncss and a want of eN
actness in statutory exclusion and in
clusion
UNDER THE CONSTITUTIONS 0r lN32
The next period in Mississippi IS lego
history extends from 1882 to 1863, an'
embraces the period during which tn
constitution adopted in 1882 remaIne'
in force. This the second state constl
tuition was adopted October 2G, 1872 It
provisions on the subject of suffrage ar
as follows;
Every free white male person of th
age of twenty-Cne years OF upWard'
who shall be q citizen of the Unite
States and shall have resided in ,ht
state one year next preceding an cIer
ton, and the last four months With
the county, city or town in which h
offers to vote, shall be deemed n Qnal
fled elector"
Every person shall be disquaIihe
from holding an Office or place Of hone
or profit under the authority Of th
state, who shall be convicted of havil
given or offered any bride to procu
his election. Laws shall be made
exclude from Office and from sutfras
those who shall hereafter be convicte
Of bribery, perjury, forgery, or 9TH
high crime or misdemeanor
The second Of tho section. abo'
quoted was acted upon by the lay
making power March 2, 1888, and Il
following piece Of legislation then =
came operative:
NO person shall vote at any electt
whatever in this state, who shall ha'
been convicted by the verdict of jur
and the final judgement or sentence
court of competent jurisdiction,
bribery, perjury, forgery or other hi.
. crimes or nisdemeanors, unless the pe
, son so convicted shall have received
| full pardon for snch offense,
: 1t will be noted that the convicti
must have been by the verdict Of ju
{ and the judgement Of the court bo
. conjunctively. What was the effect
Q the criminal plead guilty does not see
=. to have been considered. OF course I
; general legislation Of the state on t
subject of state and county election
conformed to the constitution, and
8 are again led to examine the acts inc
porating municipalities within
: period, and providing who should
Z voters therein, in order to obtain lig
= on the thought of the times relative
= our subject.
. A great lnany cities and towns w
incorporated during this period IN
0 large majority Of charters it was SIM
. provided that the qualified vote
i should exercise the right of suifrai
8 thus recognizing the constitutional ru
9 In ms ny instances additional qualifl
l. tom, to those named in the consti
l. tioy. were imposed, thus, residence
l. a specified time within the corpor
o limits was required in 1888 for Co!u
e bus, Amsterdam, Manchester IN
d Yazoo City Jackson, sartartia, Liber
e. Woodville and in 1886 for Plymc
,e But by no means did the legislature
l. the period conceive that they "
,e bound to require all the constitntio
ID qualifications as essential for munici
ID suffrage. A favorite idea was to
10 thorize every free white male inhi
j. tant Of the town who had resi-
therein for a specified time, to vot
IN municipal elections. This was the
a. in Raymond, by act passed in L
o. Salem, Starivillc and Sharon, j
sr Cotton Gin Port, Pennington and I
I adelphia, 1898; Cooksville and En-
ID in 1880; fernando 1870; Gaines'
II 1s46; shongole and Camargo !
Of sarepta, Hermans, Eastport and Bel
Of 1852; Columbus and Aberdeen 1854
y the latter however nonresident
n. | hx1Jova ~raro nllnr.1 IN yntfx hv the .