Arizona republican., 1899-11-08
RECENT STATE CONSTITUTIONS.
By JAMES oUAYLE DEALEY. Phi.
D., Professor of Social and Political
Science in Brown University.
(Third Installment.)


in respect to suffrage is certainly re-
markable. All students of our history
know that at and from the beginning
of our national existence two opposing
tendencies became manifest: one
sought to enlarge the powers of the
people as a whole through confidence
in their capacity: the other to mOder-
ate or to restrain popular powers
through belief in the superiority OF a
government based on an intellectual
and propertied aristocracy.
The struggle between these two tend
encies can best be traced in the devel-
Opment of popular suffrage. Citizen
ship in the United States, it is of course
understood, does not confer the right
of suffrage. That right is conferred
only by the states, which are under no
restrictions save that found in the iif-
tenth amendment of the national con-
stitution, along with the principle that
states in granting suffrage must not
discriminate against resident citizens
of other states.
The suffrage conferred by the states
entities its possessor to vote in national
as we'll as in local elections. But as
states differ widely in their require
ments we have. as one curious result,
the anomaly that resident aliens in
some states may participate in the
election of members of congress and
presidential electors. Another curious
result is that women in those states
where they have been given full suf-
frage may be elected as members Of
congress, or may be even put forward
as ''favorite daughters" in a race for
the presidency. These illustrations in
dictate that the right vested in the local
states allows full play to their various
peculiarities of views. Indeed. few fea-
lures of our political system show more
readily the genuineness of our democ
racy.
During the revolutionary war suf-
frage. following English precedent, was
very much restricted, mainly by prop
erty qualifications. though religion and
social status also had Importance. Dur
ing this period the number of voters
was only from to per cent of the
entire population. So far as concerned
suffrage the great mass of adult males
had nothing whatever to do with max
ing our national constitution or the
early state constitutions. The demo-
cratic principles underlying the revolu-
ton and the inducement of suffrage Of
fered to immigrants by henewer states
brought about by the opening of the
civil war complete change in this re-
spect. With hardly an exception man
hood suffrage then prevailed through
out the north. In the south the negro
was still enslaved and in parts of tee
east remnants of property qualification
still survived. The year 1870 is the
high water mark of manhood suffrage.
Almost % per cent of the entire pop
ulation then had the ballot.
Since that year there has been a ten
dency to restrict the suffrage as APP
piled to men and to enlarge it in the
case of women. Thirty-three of our
states today require citizenship in the
United States as a prerequisite for the
suffrage, being all but Alabama. Ar
kansas, Colorado, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Kansas, Mis-
souri,. Nebraska, Oregon and Wisccn-
sin. which substitute a declaration of
intention. OF the sixteen new consti-
tutions under discussion all but those
of Florida and the two Dakotas require
United States citizenship in order to
vote. In 1894 Florida and Michigan in
constitutions. Minnesota did this in
1896. Even those states which allow
suffrage on declaration of intention
tend to hedge about the privilege with
restrictions. A change in the Texas
constitution in 1896 requires that the
declaration be made at least six months
prior to an election.
In the north and west the prevalence
H. taea
presence of numerous alien immigrants
with low civilization led to the impos-
ing of educational qualifications. Con-
necticut in 1S55-making it more severe
in 1S97-and Massachusetts, in 1851 be-
gun this and it was peculiar to them
for years, but Wyoming in 1889, Maine
in 1898, California in 1894, Washington
in 1896 and Delaware in 1897 incorpor-
ated the requirement in their consu-
tutions. The rejected Rhode Island
constitution of 1893 also contained an
educational provision. In the south
three states mississippi. 1890: South
Carolina, 1895; Louisiana, 1889 intro
duced educational qualifications cou-
pied with certain alternatives. The
primary object of this in these states
is to disfranchise poor and illiterate ne
groeS without violating the hfteenth
amendment of the national constitution
and without affecting the status of the
whites any more than is absolutely
necessary. These provisions are Curl
GUS and worthy of close examination.
In the Mississippi constitution the
clauses to note are that the person
must have resided in the voting dis
trict at least one year, must have paid
his taxes (poll or property for the two
preceding years, must have registered
under oath or affirmation and must
(after 1892 be able to read any sec
ton of the constitution of the state or
4" to understand the same when read
to him or give a reasonable interpreta-
ton thereof"
The Mississippi plan was so satisfac-
tory in its results that South Carolina