Arizona republican., 1899-11-08


qualification still applies, but. as an
alternative, the possession and pay
ment of taxes on property assessed at
$500 or more secures the right of suf-
frage.
In 1894 the legislature of Louisiana
proposed to the people twenty amend
ments to the constitution Among them
was one requiring for the suffrage
either an educational qualification Or
the possession of property valued at
in 1895 introduced the same with i'm
provementS. Its constitution requires
a four months residence qualification.
payment of poll tax at least six months
before election or other taxes any time
before election. and a certificate of
registration. Up to January l, 1898,
this certificate was granted to all who.
having complied with the other require
ments. could read any section of the
constitution or understand and explain
it when read. All persons registered
$500 In 1896 these were all rejected.
That same year the Legislature sub
mitted to the people the question of
holding a constitutional convention.
This being decided affirmatively the
convention met on February s, 1897. 1t
adjourned May u, after promulgating
the new constitution on it's own au-
thOrity, without referring il to the peo-
pie. The suffrage law OF the new con-
stitution, which took effect January 1.
1899, is much more drastic than the
amendment submitted in 1894 1t pro-
vides for a residence of six months in
the district and for registration. Each
candidate for registration must with
out any assistance, write out under
oath in the presence of the proper OIL
Ger an application for registration. In
default of this educational qualification
the possession of property assessed at
$500 or more and the payment of taxes,
if personal, in advance. gives the fran
chise. So far the three states named
have technically kept within the letter
of the national constitution, but ar
ticle 1917, section 5, of the Louisiana
constitution is at least open to QueS-
ton. 1t reads, No male person who
was on January l, 1867, or at any date
prior thereto, entitled to vote under the
constitution or statutes of any state of
the United States wherein he then re-
sided. and no son or grandson of any
such person not less than 81 years of
age at the date of the adoption of this
constitution, and no male person of
foreign birth who was naturalized prior
to the first day of January, 1898, shall
be denied the right to register and vote
in this state by reason of his failure To
possess the educational or property
qualifications prescribed by this con-
stitution; provided, he shall have re-
sided in this state for five years next
preceding the date at which he shall
have registered in accordance with the
terms of this article prior to September
l, 1898. and no person shall be entitled
to register under this section after said
date
The intention of this is of course
manifest. Illiterate blacks without
property are disfranchised by it, but
the same class of whites whether ma
tives or naturalized aliens retain the
suffrage provided they registered on or
before the date specified.
In North Carolina an amendment to
the constitution is to be voted on in
the fall of 1899 restricting the suffrage
in ways similar to those of the Louisi-
ana constitution. Should this be de-
feated through the votes of negroes
likely to be disfranchised an attempt
will probably be made to call con-
vention. The present constitution does
not require that a constitution made in
convention be submitted to the people.
In reading these laws regret at the
apparent necessity that thus compels
the violation of the spirit of the ma
tional constitution struggles with adj
miration at the ingenuity of the poll
ticians who accomplished their avowed
design and yet kept, with the possible
exception of article 1877, section 5, of the
Louisiana constitution, within the let
ter of the fifteenth amendment. If
these three laws are constitutional the
only possible pressure outside of public
opinion that can be brought to bear
upon the states lies in the second sec
ton of the fourteenth amendment, I'M
der which congress could materially re-
duce the representation of the states
in the lower house. This section has
never yet been enforced and probably
will not be in the immediate future,
but it was plainly intended to apply TO
precisely such laws as those now in
force in Mississippi, South Carolina and
Louisiana.
The above three instruments Illus
trate certain other tendencies in recent
constitutions which are worthy of en-
phasis. A requirement for residence
Il year before election DISTINGUISHES the
floating population, Il similar require
ment for registration DISTINGUISHES
the careless and a requirement that
taxes be paid in advance takes the
names of very many more from the
lists unless political parties are evenly
balanced, in which case party funds
may pay the bills. This, however, is
in some states now made bribery (e. g.
Louisiana constitution of 1899. The
property qualification clause of South
Carolina and Louisiana is noticeable in
that it is a return to the obsolete re-
quirements of former days. Rhode Is
land is the only other state that has
such a qualification, and it's restriction
applies only to elections for city coun-
ellis. There is a tendency, however, in
local and state matters (e- G., Rhode Is
land, Louisiana, Texas. Colorado)
when bills involve heavy expenditure
to refer them to taxpayers only for