El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-26
LOuisiana's New Constitution.
Providence Journal.

LOuisiana'S New Constitution.
Providence Journal.
In more peaceful times, with public
.ttentiOn less enQrOsSed with larger
matters. the proceedings of the Louis
ana constitutional convention, which
las now completed its labors and ad.
j1urned, would have been followed
The alarms of war hardly excuse us
rom noting the completed work of tina,
convention, especially as this newes,
f American state constitutions is in
some respects altogether unique
Whether there will be any more like il
depends upon the view which the fed
.ral supreme court takes of this Oae
But If it should stand the test of Judi.
,ial examination it would undOu btedly
De the forerunner of similar leRisls tiou
ia the near future in every state where
he negro vote is large enough to be
formidable.
The Louisiana convention Assem- bled
az long ago as the eighth of February.
1t has thus taken over three months to
rame its report, which seems q rather
long time in view of the fact that it
was really called together to accom-
plish only one purpose-the exclusion
II the largest possible number o.
negroes from the privileges of IKE suf-
rage The delay has been caused in
part by pretty sharp contest over
his one point and in part by the en-
grating upon the state's organic law
vanced" type. The result is cOnstitu.
ton which has no counterpart any.
where in the country and which con-
tsins some good points along with q
good many questionable or thoroue hi
Objectionable ones. The tenden' y, for
example, to enlarge the field of o gan
ic lava tendency which has been up-
fortunately conspicuous In otner recent
attempts at constitut on making-ba>
oeen little checked in this case, with
the result that the new Institution
256 in the old one. This is wholly
wing to the inclusion of a large body
of matter which should have been LETT
sn the legislature.
Among the commendable features of
the new constitution are provisions for
biennial sessions of the legislature,
against the passing of local laws
and laws on many specified subject
such IS the fixing of the pi ice of ma
ausl labor, forbidding the approprlst-
ing Of any money during the last five
nor to veto Sc parate items in any appro-
priation bill, and forbidding the le-
kislature to authorize lotteries or per-
mt the sale of lottery tickets. Pro-
vision il also made, on q sc mewhat ex
tended scale, for public education.
with no distinction between the
-chools for the two races ex-
cept that they are to be kept separate
~. The fund raised by taxation
distributed among the parishes in pro-
portion to the number of children Of
school age. One-fourth of the state.
entire income Is to be devoted to edu-
cation, which seems a liberal allow
snce, though i. is considered doubtful
together even that will suffice to briue
the schools to the degree of efficiency
required in q state where the proper
ton OF I'LL eracy is so great.
The article whic is of the widest gen.
eral interest is the one relating to the
suffrage. To frame this was the chief
object for which the convention was
called together, and its work in this
respect will meet with the severe.t
c iticism. Louisiana, like Missis-
sippi, South Carolina and other ststes
where the negro population is large,
has reached the conclusion that while
the public welfare requires the mini
Mia ion OF negro influence in politics
't is unwisa to continue to ate mpt that
ny Uuc "cGuOUS Vi
and fraud. 1t was, therefore, proposed
that q new constitution he framed
which should disfranchise the negroes
In q legal manner. To that end it has
been provided by the cons tuition that
all voters must be able to read and
write or be property taxpayers to 3
given amount. This, of course, would
throw out the greater part Of the
negro citizens, and it js unquestion.
ably q restriction that could work for
the political welfare Of any COM
munity. Bat in that form it would
bear as heavily on the illiterate and
shiftless whites as upon the blacks.
To Obviate this, and to ensure white
supremacy in the state, the new con-
titutiOn provides in addition. and as
a modification of the educational and
property qualification, that all persons
shall be allowed to vote who had that
privilege in 1866 in any state in the
union or who are sons or grandsons of
persons who bad that privilege. This
provision, of course. benefits no ne
groes, as negro suffrage was not in
operation at that date, but it lets in
all the whites in Louisiana,
or not illiterste and WI ct II er
possessed OF property or penniless. In
effect. the efOre, the new restrictions
On the suffrage apply only to the ne
zroes, and white supremacy is thus as
'ured without any need to resort to