The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-24
THE SOUTHERN PROBLEM REVIVAL.

Effort is being made in various quar-
ters to make a stir over an alleged re-
publican project to enforce the provi-
sions of the fourteenth amendment to
the federal constitution. The idea is,
that a reapportionment of representa-
tives in congress and members of the
electoral college could then be made
which would largely reduce the repre-
sentation of the south in both these
bodies. The assumption, therefore, is
that a revision of the basis of represen-
tation would be distinct gain for the
republicans.
The fourteenth amendment provides
that if the right to vote for federal or
state officers is denied to any of the
male inhabitants of such state, being
twenty-one years of age, and citizens
of the United States, or in any way
abridged, except for participation in re-
bellion or other crime, the basis of rep
resentation therein shall be reduced in
the proportion which the number of
such male citizens shall bear to the
whole number of male citizens twenty
one years of age in such state"
Legislation in several southern states
has been enacted for the express pur-
pose of DISTINGUISHING the blacks,
though care has been taken that equal
ly ignorant and irresponsible whites
shall not be thereby deprived of the
right to vote. This is utterly wrong
morally and politically, and the effect
is to give the southern states a larger
representation in congress than they
are justly entitled to. Hence the pro-
position to cut off some Of the south
ern congressman.
Specifically, this plan may seem as
simple, feasible and practicable as it
would be just. A brief inspection,
however. reveals some very serious
obstacles in the way. In the first
place, there is hardly a state in the
Union where the suffrage is not
abridged for other reasons than re
bellion or other crime" In many
states many male citizens twenty -one
years of age" are deprived of the right
to vote by failure to comply
with either an educational qualification,
a property qualification, or the pay
ment of poll tax or combination Of
any or all of these qualifications. If the
fourteenth amendment were to be lit
orally enforced, there would be some
changes in the representation, even of
northern states. 1t would be nothing
like the revolution created in the south
but it might we'll be enough to create
local opposition.
The most serious obstacle of all,
of deciding how many citizens are ac-
tuallv DISTINGUISHED in a given state.
There are many citizens who do not
vote, either because of political indiffer-
ence, as in Massachusetts, or because
they have not paid their poll tax, as in
some other state, or for other reasons
that need not be inquired into here
Furthermore, the constitution compli-
Gates matters by providing one basis
for apportioning representatives in the
first place, and another for reducing
the representation afterwards. Rep
resentatiYes are apportioned according
to population. but representation is to
be reduced on the basis of the number
of male citizens.
Hence, it happens that both sexes are
counted in the distribution of repre-
.sentatives. The Chinese are also in
cluded in the apportionment, and they
are numerically an important element
How. then, can the number of eligi-
BILE voters and of DISTINGUISHED citizens
be determined from such a tangle as
this, save by personal canvass, or a
special census?