Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-29
CONGRESS AND THE FRANCHISE.

fON6NES> AND THE tht W hiNi>'
The talk Of Congressman Crumpacker
and other virulent Republicans about APP
plying the fifteenth amendment and the
second section Of the fourteenth amend
ment TO such Southern States as have re-
stricted, or are about to restrict. the suf-
frage, has produced a furry in New Eng
land. a few days ago the Philadelphia
Record INDUCED in a discussion Of the
subject, in the course of which it said
that the unmistakable tendency of all the
Southern States was In the direction Of
suffrage abridgment, and the probabili-
ties were that before the end of the next
decade the negroes would be legally and
formally deprived Of the ballot through
out most Of the States in which slaves
were once held. The Record then went
on to explain that so long as the Southern
States confined themselves 10 the dis
franchisement of the illiterate and semi
pauperized portion of their population,
they would be within their rights, and
that even if the election officials did dis
criminate in favor of the ignorant whites
at the polls this would not affect the
validity of the suffrage amendments. But
our Philadelphia contemporary added:
zone serious aspect of the case has not
received the attention which It's import
ance demands II the South chooses 10
reduce the number of its legal voters by
one-third or One-half ii must be prepai ed
10 suffer a proportiOnate reduction OF its
representation in Congress and In the
Electoral College"
In conclusion, the Record emphasizes
the serious aspect of tho case" by de-
claring that the Federal Constitution pre-
scribes a remedy for DISTINGUISHING the
ncgro-the penalty set forth In the second
| section OF the fourteenth amendment
| and that sooner or later 1t will be APP
piled.
1t is stated that one Of the Mississippi
senators. when told that the disfranchis
ing clauses in the Constitution of Missis
| sippi would get that State into trouble
replied that if it did it would also get
other States, notably Massachusetts, into
trouble. And it would seem from an ar
ticle in the Providence Or. j. Journal,
commenting on the position taken by the
! Record, that New England is awakening
10 the fact that the Mississippi senator
was not far wrong. Our Providence con-
temporary restates the points submitted
by the Record, but practically takes di-
rect issue with it on the question of
remedy. In fact, the Journal really sees
no remedy at all.
After asking where is the clause in
the Constitution that provides that q
State must submit to a reduction of its
representation in Congress and the Elec-
toral College because of a reduction in
the number Of its voters, if that reduc-
ton is accomplished by legal means?'
the Journal says:
1t Is true that the Constitution pro-
hibits the States from denying or abridg-
ing the right of citizens to vote on ac-
count OF race. color or previous Condi-
ton Of servituoe. But there IS 10 dental
of the right of States 10 make ability 10
read and write qualification for the SUI
frage Whether the requirement of that
qualification is established in New Eng
land, as IL long has been in Massachu-
sets, or in the South, as it is rapidly
| coming 10 De, IL Is no fHole u Ntlldl ot
abridgment OF the rights of citizenship
guaranteed by the Federal Constitution
than is the requirement of poll-tax oil
a property qualification. The illiterate is
not thereby deprived of his right to vote
he is simply informed that If he would
exercise that right he must prepare him
self TO do so inte!ligen'ly."
Exactly. And application of the remedy
suggested by the Record would result IN
goring the New England as well as the
southern OK. 1t is true that the journal
states that there is good ground for com
plant against the educational amend
ments In the South, in that they are not
always honest; that is, that they ara cum
ningly devised TO accomplish something
different from what they profess TO ain
at" This is mere assumption. But were
1t not II would be difficult 10 apply 2
remedy. What does the Supreme Court
OF the United States say In the Missis-
sippi case in support OF the contention n:
to this difficulty? We quote: "They (the
Constitution and the statutes OF Misss
sippD do not on their face discriminate
between the races and IL has not beer
was evil; only that evil was possible un-
der them This V the case w which