The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-01-27
THE CRUMPAcKER BILL.


The Crumpacher Bill now be-
fore Congress, which proposes to
reduce the South's representation
in Congress in proportion to the
number of negroes IN whom the
suffrage is denied by laws OF those
states. is meeting with strong OPP
position from even the Republl-
can side. They already realize
that the cutting off of this repre-
sentation will only be temporary,
if done at all, for while the South
IS determined not to allow the IL
literate or ignorant to vote her
laws or be bought up like voters
IN the North by scheming cor
porations or Office seekers, to Sc
cure favored legislation or office,
still her intelligent men will get to-
gether, and as in the past, see that
her representation is upheld. Let
the South continue her industrial
progress a few years longer and
she will draw her Yankee friends
here te help swell her vote there
by increasing instead of diminish
ing the representatives in Congress.
Such uncalled for acts on the part
OF Northern haters as Crompacher
only tends to solidlfy the South.
The Philadelphia Record IN dis
cussing this question, says:
ga reduction of Southern rep
resentation in new appointment
for Congress would not cause an
change Of policy in regard to the
suffrage, but it would make the
South more solid than ever. The
only way in which the laws of
few Southern States abridge the
suffrage of the negroes IN in de-
nying the franchise to such of
them as cannot read. This is not
the denial of a right SO much as
the fixing Of a qualification that
is deemed absolutely necessary to
protect the political institutions of
of those States fran illiteracy and
ignorance. Whatever the negroes
shall have learned to write-and
they are learning rapidly with the
spread of the common school sys-
tem-the disqualification will cease
and they will exercise the suffrage
equally with their white neigh 6
bors. Should this Crumpacker I
bill be passed it would be some !
what difficult to ascertain how
many negroes of voting age in
South Carolina or Mississippi are
debarred from the suffrage by '
law, as the number of illiterates |
IS steadily decreasing. In Mas S
sachusetts also the laws deny the {
suffrage to persons who cannot :
'ead, but the number of illlterates
n that State is not SO great that S
he Crumpacher bill would lessen C
is representation in Congress. is
'sBy threatening the South with Y
his bill land it is only a threat "
he Republicans in Congress would "
make themselves the champions =
# illiteracy and ignorance. I'm
mindful of the conditions which
prevail in the South, the advo- tC
ates of the measure wish to i'm tr
lose upon the people of that sec r
ion a political yoke that would be -
ntolerable to the people of any d
Northern State. The Crumpacher fl
i'll comes with i'll grace from b.
hose who gave majorlties in both W
ouses for the vetoed Lodge bill a,
} prohibit the landing of a COM a. ~
aratively few analphabetical but -
onest and Woodworking Italians. re
instead of interference with the
forts of the Southern people to
slieve themselves of the political tn
lngers threatened by the placing
the ballot in the lnept hands of
densely ignorant population, the Bi
led of the country is for State wi
VS. which should disquallfy for v,
Q suffrage all persons who can u
It read. Such a reform would Re
great boon to Pennsylvania, loo
ith its many thousands of as lar
ted voters"
Roberts and Quay are both in civ