The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-01-20
Evolution Of the State Suffrage
Privilege.
YEARS AGO
Constitution of the NatiOn-N Ota BILE
ussion-PrOperty and
Intelligence.

There are many in the United States.
opposed TO President MckinIey's poll
cy of annexation and expansion, who
are fond OF criticising the style Of
government in the Republic CT Hawaii,
and the forms proposed for the new
territorial acquisition of the United
States, as un-American and undemo-
cratic An article in the December
Forum by Prof. McMashr shows that
practical craftsmanship in the devel-
opment of the United States has paid
little regard to the ''glittering general
tiles" of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence or the venarated Constitution.
The men OF '76 had their ideals of the
equality of all men before the law,
and of the just powers of government
as conditioned in the consent of the
governed; yet they founded their
State governments on legislation which
ignored those ideals as being subyer-
sion of order and stability, and not
fundamental to any good or just gov
eminent. Manhood suffrage was quiet
ly set aside for sensible and reasonable
restrictions, that accorded the privi-
lege, for a privilege it is and not a
natural inalienable right, limiting it
in Connecticut to those who owned
estate of a minimum value of S134, or
giving an annual minimum income Of
81. In Massachusetts the voter must
have an estate worth $500, or a rental
for it of ait least SIS. In n. Y. the
limitations were freehold worth 500
or a rental of $40. In Maryland and
North Carolina, the voter must own
80 acres of land, and in South Carolina,
besides this property qualification, he
must be a free white man believing in
the existence of God and in a future
state of reward and punishment. In
only one State was there anything like
universal suffrage, and that was an
unintentional blunder. The COnstitu-
ton OF New Jersey gave the franchise
10 "all inhabitants of the State" who
were q years old, and owned $3.50 OF
unincumbered property. Nothing was
said concerning race, sex, or citizen
ship, and for 81 years women, negroes,
and aliens were free to vote and used
the right.
Yet these founders of state did not
and justice any more than did the
Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii,
so often estigmatyzed as undemocratlc,
monOpolistic. plutOcratic. The simple
fact in the case is that TO have acted
otherwise than they did, to have dis
regarded local condition and social
customs, would have been acts of dis
organization. There is a soft hearted
ness (and a soft headedness) in the
false liberality of some theorizers, that
is very much like betraying the cause
of truth and freedom with a kiss.
When the time came for providing
form of government for the vast
stretch Of territory north of the Ohio,
in spite of the fact that nearly all the
settlers were from the seaboard states,
we'll accustomed to self government, in
drawing up the famous ordinance OF
1884. Thomas Jefferson, the father of
democracy was very far from acting
on the theory that Just government
derives its authority from the consent
of the governed" The Ordinance pro-
yided for a governor, a secretary, and
three judges, elected by Congress. The
governor and judges selected the code
of laws from the statute books of the
Is original states. Until there were
in the territory 5000 free white males
of full age, not a vote was cast by the
residents for single territorial officer.
Then House of Representative was
elected, every member to be the owner
of a freehold of 200 acres OF land. No
government can endure that is not ad-
justed to the wants, condition and in
telligence of the people living under
it. The territorial government, first
which succeeding territorial govern
ments have been fashioned. These all
! imply that the L. S. Constitution ap-
plies to the States and not to territOr-
! les: that the territories are the proper
~ and not part OF the I. S. that
the just powers Of the territorial gov
ernments are not derived from the
consent of the governed; and further
more that only such men as land own
ers were fit to rule, and only the select
class who owned a great deal of land
600 acres) were fit to Iegislate; that
Constitution limited the power Of the
Federal Government over the States;
but that the will Of Congress was SUI
preme over the Territories.
The acquisiOn of Louisiana in 1903