The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-10-07
rho Williams Case and the Consti-
tuition.


The New York Tribune recent
!, nublished an editorial under The
aSsniion of "The South and Negro
SSnGnge." which shows that Tho
tribune was unfamiliar with tn,
Mississippi status at least. Gen
cral Catchings, the dis tinguisheC
member of Congress from the
Third district, has written the
Tribune correction, which viii
jonbtless be read with interest
eyerywhcre. 1t ought to be read
by every young man in the state
Who desires to know something of
,be franchise laws of the common.
wealth and the construction
nIaced upon them by the supreme
rourts of his state and the nation
Followingis the paragraph from
tbe editorial of the Tribune, which
General Catchings answers;
at would be equally fortunate
for all sections OF the country If
schemes to abolish negro suffrage
,uch as that in contemplation in
North Carolina, or that in actual
opertion IN Louisiana and Mis-
.issippi and South Carolina, could
he brought in the near future to
A deliberate and thorough cousti-
utional test. -
Here is General Catchings let
fer to the Tribune:
you have no doubt overlooked
the case of Williams VS.. State Of
Mississippi, reported in l7O Unit
ed States supreme court reports
page 213 ct seq, wherein the
validity of the suffrage provision
of the Mississippi constitution was
expressly affirmed. Those pro-
visions may be briefly stated.
Every male inhabitant Is a quail,
fed voter who is a citizen OF the
United States, u years old and
upward, who has resided in the
state two years and in
the election district, or IN the in
cOrporated city or town in which
he offers to vote, one year; who
has never been convicted of GER
tain designated crimes; who has
paid on or before the first day Of
February of the year in which he
offers to vote all taxes which may
have been legally required of him,
and which he has had an oppor-
tunity Of paying according to law,
for the two preceding years. and,
who shall produce to the Of
Gcers holding the election salts
factory evidence that he has paid
such taxes, who Is able to read
any section of the constitution Of
the state, or understand the same
when read to him, or give rea-
sonable Interpretation thereof, and
who has been duly registered
more than four months before any
election at which he offers to vote
by any officer of the state legally
authorized to register the voters
thereof. The constitution Of the
state provides that no person shall
bea grand or petit Juror unless he
is a qualified elector. Henry
Williams, the plaintiff in error in
the case cited, was indicted for
murder and convicted. The SUI
frage provisions of the constitu-
ton of Mississippi were drawn
into his case through the require
ment that grand and petty jurors
must be qualified electors.
The court, speaking by Mr..
Justice McKenna, said:
Besides, the operation OF the |
constitution and laws is not limit
ed by their nature or effects to
one race. They reach weak and
vicious white men, as well is
weak and vicious black men, ana !
whatever is sinister in their IN
tention, if anything, can be pre-
vented by both races by the eXer-
ton Of that duty which voluntary
ly pays taxes and refrains from
crime. 1t cannot be said, there
tore, that the denial of the equal
protection of the laws arises
primarily from the constitution
and laws of Mississippi. There is
an allegation of the purpose OF
The convention to distranchlse
citizens of the colored race, but
with this we have no concern, un-
less the purpose is executed ny
the constitution of laws or those
who administer them.
In the case of Ratlitfvs. Beale,
18th, Miss, page 274, the supreme
court of Mississippi, in passing
upon the question as to whether
property eXmpt from taxa
uon could be distrained 70
coerce payment of poll
TAX due from the owner, for
the purpose of discovering the
sense in which the word lien was
used in the constitution, felt call
cd upon to discuss the conditions
under which the constitutional
convention of 1890 assembled and
framed the constitution promul-
ggated In that year. Among other
tnlngs, it said: