The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-21
LARocHE FOR RESTRICTION.
HONESTY AND INTELLIGENCE
SHOULD BE ASCENDANT.

Ors the views OF the Governor as
to the Restriction of the Suffrage
to Those Able to Read, Write and
Explain Any Clause of the COnsti-
tuition of the state-He Is in Sym
pathy With the General Features
of the Bill Proposed by Represent
tntive Hardwick-The ObIiteratiOn
of the Present Controlling Issue
Would Make Far Better and Clean
err Politics.
A wave Of public sentiment, in favor
of the abridgment of the franchise and
the exclusion from its privileges of those
who. are venial and illiterate seems to be
sweeping over the state. Representative
Hardwick of Washington county, has
already announced that he would intro
duce al the next session of the Legislature
a bill to this effect, and in an outline of
the forthcoming message of Gov. Gambler,
published in the dispatches of the Morn
ing News Of yesterday, similar views were
clearly and emphatically expressed.
There seems to be a general consensus
of the more enlightened public opinion, of
the state that something should be done TO
AN~N+AS e44S NpAiAC9SSdAS mans MANI VI
affairs at present existing and that the
plrchasable vote that in many elections
has come to be decisive, shall be eliminat-
ed from future consideration. 1t has
found previous expression in the detsrmj-
Haticn of Representative Hardwick to in
troduce his bill, and it is Individually sup
ported by very large and aggressive Gle
ment in every part of the state. The ex-
preston of the opinions on the subject tn
tertained by the chief magistrate of the
state is the most recent utterance that
has served to elucidate and explain this
vcxe6 problem.
Mr.. w. ?. LaRoche. representative from
Chatham county in the lower branch of
the State Legislature, was seen yesterday
by Morning News reporter and asked
for some expression of opinion as 10 the
views of the Governor. The legislator was
not at all averse to discussing the subject
and expressed himself frankly as in favor
OF some amendment to the constitution of
the state, thai would confine the exercise
of the suffrage to those who were suffi-
GENTLY intelligent and sufficiently honest
to make their united decision a matter of
some public moment, entitled to some pub
lie consideration
Il don't believe" said the representative
{ "
sufficiently intelligent to read and construe
any article of the constitution is suffi-
GENTLY intelligent to cast vote, nor do
think that any man who would sell his
vote is honest enough 10 entitle him to the
privilege of The ballot. 1t is to get rid of
this large and purchasab,e and unintelli-
gent vote, that now, in my opinion. men
aces the safety and perpetuity of our re-
| publican institutions and forms of gov
ernment that the movement that has
found expression in the published views of
Gov. Gambler and Representative Hard
wick is due. l don't know that / am pre-
pared to ndorse in toto any of the many
remedies and remedial measures that have
been suggested, but the movement itself
and lis underlying motive have my hearty
sympathy and will have my hearty sup
| port"
what do you think about the clause in
| the bill that is to be proposed by Mr..
Hardwick, providing that no male per-
son, who was on Jan l. 1867 or at any
! time prior thereto, entitled to vote under
! the laws of the state where he then re-
sided, and no lineal descendant of such
| person, shall be denied the right to regis
ter or vote at any election in this state,
| by reason of his failure to possess the
educational qualifications provided for in
! this paragraph" The reporter was then
reading from a copy of the bill.
'Well," answered Mr.. LaRoche, II can
! not indorse on principle that clause of the
! Dill Ii seems to me that if you exclude
/ a man on account of ignorance, he ought
/ to be excluded no matter what his color
| may be- Mr. Hardwick answers this OBJ
/ lection by saying that there are in the
| state a number of intelligent and honest
/ men, whose education has been neglected
/ through no fault of theirs, who are in ev-
cry other way entitled to the suffrage, and
! who should not be deprived of il on any
| technical ground. l surmise, though. thar
| the real reason for the inclusion of this
| clause is that without it the bill would
| stand but poor chance of passage and
! that it embodies the spirit of compromise
| and concession with those who would 9TH
! erwise be opposed to the measure The
! bill in its entirety has been taken largely
| from similar enactments by the Legisla-
| lures of South Carolina, Mississippi and
| Louisiana, and in each of these states
| those favoring the enactment of such a
! bill found il necessary TO make a similar
! concession in order to ensure the bils pas
! sage. 1t is a measure of eXpediency thar
/ the good those favoring the general tenor
! of the bill believe viii be gained, serves
| in their opinion to warrant 1t is a soe-
/ cial matter in connection with the move
! mont that have not decided for myself"
! 1T is the controlling idea in the intro
/ duction Of The bin, with which l am in
/ such hearty sympathy. In the South at
4 the present lime. there Is but one prnci-
! rle that is placed before the peop.e in ma
| tional elections and but one that any
! saI &c number Of them ever consider We
| esDouse The platform and candidates of
/ he Democratic party blindly without re-
! gard 10 whether we approve the one or
/ have any confidence in the others The
pervading and contrib ng i Sue is the fear
Of negro domination, or anything that re-
I sembies it, and ii is sufficient 10 make the
! solid South"
IF we could rid The political Situation oe
this perpleXing problem, poIi,ics in the
! South would be a question of men ana
| measures, as they were nominated or ire
! scented. Our people would vote int ligently
! and on principle, the purchasable vote
! would be eliminated the best men and
not the moneyed man would be elected TO
! public office, aud a better and healthier
turn would be given to all political activ-
/ ity. We would confront national issues
/ squarely and determine our action thereon
| I'm accordance with real and live Drin-
! ciple, instead, as is now our custom. vot-
] ing a Nol and efprpnfvpad fa-l,;~.. L.