The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-04-02
The Suffrage Ordinances

convention has been in favor OF an
honest, straightforward suffrage or
dinance being adopted, but from
the following editorial it is shown
that II has been greatly disappointed
in the suffrage ordinance adopted by
| the convention:
1t would be scarcely possible TO
conceive a Democratic Constitution
Al Convention lending itself to a
more undemocratic plan than that
which the Constitutional Conven-
ton of Louisiana has just adopted
by large majority.
IF there could have been devised
a more undemocratic scheme than to
create a hereditary class of voters
class who shall possess the fran
chise not because of any compliance
Of their own with the suffrage re-
quirements but only because they
are the sons and grandsons of those
who were entitled 20 vote before
s6s-we should like to be inform
ed where and how it could be devils
ed. If there be any one thing more
than another on account of which
we on this side of the Atlantic have
poked fun at our British cousins, If
there be one thing more than another
on account of which Britishers
themselves have been given TO find
ing fault with their government, ii
is the existence of heredity in legis-
lation, which has been immem oral
in their House of Peers, and which
we are now about to imbed i'll our
Constitution.
1t were bad enough that we, a
democratic people, should turn to a
monarchy for any principle of SELF
government, Tnasmuch as we have
prlded ourselves for over a century
on broader, more liberal and more
popular ideas and practices of gov.
eminent than anything known to a
monarchy; but that, in turning to
take a leaf out of monarchy's book
| for our self-goyernment, we should
adopt the most objectional feature oil
legislation that exists under mon
arcy, is almost incredible.
And that such an anomaly should
stand in democratic country is ou'
of the question. In spite of the fiat
of the convention-that person
may vote and help make the laws ir
this State because of the fact that he
has had franchised father or.grand
father, in utter regardlessness Of
what the person himself Is or has Of
does-the people of Louisiana viii
send the undemocraiic, hereditary
Householder principle sky-higl
before it shall have got comfortably
settled in our organic law.
And the Privileged Foreigner il
lust as Objectionable as the privil
eyed son Of his father.
On what conceivable grounds o.
reason or of justice is it that thu
naturalized foreigner, without edu
cation and without property, SHOULD
be placed ahead oil the native-born
unpropertied illiterate? lis the illit
eracy of The Italian, the Hun or tn,
Portuguese higher qualification
than the illiteracy of the Louisian
ian,- that the illiterate Italian O
j Hun OF. Portuguese should be admit
ted to the franchise and to share il
i the government of this State, whil'
the illiterate American is excluded
from the franchise and share il
1.-THE government? What virtue i
there in foreign illIteracy that j
should be placed on higher leve
than native illiteracy, that it SHOULD
be accorded privileges which nativ'
| illiteracy is denied?
! In drafting an organic or othe
law, if there are any little favors t.
be granted, it is generally under
stood that they shall be granted t.
| the people of the country--to tn
people who have been born in 1t
who have grown up with it, WIN
have helped make it what it Is ant
who take a pride i'll it. The Con
stitutional Convention has gone OF
the very opposite tack. They hav'
decreed that what trifes of favor
are to be given, are to be given il
preference to the lately-come alien
Ito men who have been born ant
reared elsewhere, who have no
grown up with the country or in an!
way helped to advance its interests
but who, on the contrary, the mo
ment they have made their paltr!
pile in this land of plenty, will turn
their backs on this country never t.
see it more. These are the mel
whom the Constitutional Conven
ton, in its wisdom, has thought Fl
to put over the heads of American
born in the matter of suffrage prlvil
ege. And never surely has more
un- America scheme obtained the i'm
primatur of an American body o
legislators!
THE HIGH WATER.