Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-11-22
A BLOW AT The SOUTH.

The New York World of last Friday
publishes the following:
Representative Crumpacker, of In.
diana, gives notice that he shall press
at the coming session of congress a
bill looking to reduction of the rep.
resentation of certain southern states
in the house and in the electoral COL
lege because of alleged disfranchise-
ment of Negroes. At the first step to.
ward this end he will introduce an
amendment to the census law rcquir.
voc.nS propuono' o'
these several states in separate table.
at has for some time been apparent
that the Republicans were likely to at
tempt such legislation. They claim
authority under the fourteenth amend
ment to the constitution, which says:
Representative shall be appor-
toned among the several states ac-
cording to their respective numbers,
counting the whole number of persons
in each state, excluding Indians not
taxed. But when the right to vote at
any election for the choice Of electors
for president and vice president of the
United States is denied to any oil
the male inhabitants of such states, be-
ing 81 years of age and citizens of the
United States, or in any way abridged,
except for participation in rebellion or
other crime, the basis of representation
therein shall he reduced in the proper
tion which the number of such male
citizens shall bear to the whole num-
ber of male citizens 81 years Of age in
such states
"In anticipation of the attempt to
enforce this provision, The World OBJ
tanned from each of the former slave
states summary Of lis restrictions
upon suffrage. They are as follows:
"In Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and
Virginia, there are no restrictions OH
manhood suffrage except polltax re-
quirement and the usual disfranchise'
ment of convicted criminals.
ain Tennessee the polltax require
ments is the only direct restrictions
But the ballot-law requirements are
such that no iliterate persons can com
ply with them. This practically dis.
franchises most of the Negroes.
SIN North Carolina each voter must
have paid his polltax for the current
year and the year preceding. Any one
offering to register who cannot pro-
duce proof of such payment is sub
|iect to immediate indictment. This
both disfranchises and intimidates the
Negroes in large numbers.
"In Florida there are none but poll.
tax requirements; but, as in Tennes'
see, the ballot-law requirements in ef'
feet disfranchises so per cent. of the
Negroes.
"In Mississippi the voter must have
lived two years in the state and one
wear in the election district. He must
have paid two years. polltax. He
must register four months before the
election. He must be able tc read and
write, or 10 understand clause Of the
state constitution when it is read tc
him, the decision as to the "under
standing" resting with the election Of
6cers. SIN practical effect these re
quirements disfranchise nearly all Ne
groes and hardly anybody else.
.In South Carolina, after this year
every voter must be able to read ol
write, or pay taxes upon $500 worth o
real estate. This applies to blacks
and whites alike.
In Louisiana two years residence
is required. Also the voter must reat
and write, or in lieu thereof pay taxes
upon $500 worth of real estate. Bu
persons who were voters in any state
before January l, 1867, (all white, o
course), and the sons and grandsons o
such persons, if they were 81 years ole
or more in 1898, and all citizens uatu
rallied before January l, 1898, are en-
titled to vote, provided that they have
been residents of the state for five
years. In effect these provisions dis
franchise a majority of the Negroes
and enables illiterate whites 10 vote.