Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-25
RESTRICTION
OF SUFFRAGE
BY Gaillard Hunt. Editor of the Writ
ings OF James Madison"

8
In Virginia will mark the most import
tant epoch in the history of the State
since the civil war. The main purpose
for which it will meet must be frankly
recognized. and should be frankly dis
cussed, and 1t Is neither wise nor cour-
ageous to deprecate the discussion, for
the members of the convention will find
their labors rendered less difficult If
they can come together with some no
ton of what the intelligent public opin-
Ion of the State really demands. The
chief object In amending the consti-
tuition is to restrict the suffrage, so as
to throw out a mass Of ignorant and
unfit voters who now, for the most
part, vote together, and who constitute
force which an overwhelming ma
5ority of the better class of people are
determined shall be eliminated from
consideration in the future politics of
the State. Before taking a step SO i'm
portapt to the future the past should
be carefully. studied, and the object of
this article is to set forth what the
constitutional attitude of the State of
Virginia, especially has been towards
the subject of the suffrage. All the
States have set restrictions In that
they require the voters 10 be more
than FL years old, to have q residence
In the State and distriCs where they
vote, to be not criminals nor insane.
and, in most States, to be citizens Of
the United States. A few States adj
NIT to the suffrage resident aliens who
have declared their intention to become
citizens, but Virginia has never been
of this class. and there Is no popular
demand that she should extend the
franchise to those whose citizenship
has not been finally secured.
The most important restrictions to
voting in the United States have been
q prorcrty qualification. an educational
qualification. and a requirement of
State or county taxes.
The property qualification antedates
the educational qualifications, and was
n generally accepted basis of suffrage
when me government was framed. II
FOUND favor In Virginia among the very
men who came to be the leaders of the
Democratic (then called the Republi-
CAM party.
In the early days of the colonies cleo
lions were by q show of hands and
plurality OF voices of all freemen. This
was changed by act of March, 1866. and
all housekeepers, whether freehoders,
iease-holders, or otherwise tenants"
were the only ones qualified to vote for
Burgesses. March. 1867, the act was
amended. all persons inhabitng in
this colonies that are freemen to have
their votes in the election of Burgesses;
provided they do not In tumultuous
manner but fairly give their votes by
subscriptions. as aforesaid" and this
net was repealed October, 1876, by one
that said: None but freeholders and
housekeepers who are answerabe to
the publique for the levles shall here
after have voice In the election of any
one Of Nathaniel Bacons laws took
the place of this act. II allowed all
freemen to vote; but, Bacon being
crushed. the kings instructions to Sir
William Berkeley. October. 1877. requir-
Ing that none but freeholders should be
allowed to vote. and this was confirmed
by the act Of April. 1899. The act of
August, 1875. required an elector to
nave an estate of freehold in at least
one hundred acres of land. If 1t was
house: the act of November, 1863.
allowed freehold in fifty acres, or TWEEN
ty-flvc acres with n house Mt least
twelve. feet square. and this was the
law when the constitution of 177G was
framed. All freemen had the right of
suffrage for thirteen ycars--rrom 1857
to 1610-and for one year during Ba-
cons supremacy, in 1876. Tho rest OF
the time-from 1865 to 177G-there was
n property Qualification.
JEFFERSoN'S VIEWS.
The father Of Democracy in America
was Thomas Jefferson. but he was not
believer in universal manhood sniff
rage. He was attending tho Continent
tai Congress at Philadelphia while Vir-
sinians We're framing the State constl-
tuition at williamsburg. and he sent
to Edmund Pendlcton. the president OF
the convention, a plan of government
some features of which appeared in the
constitutions. That part OF ms Plan re-
lating to the suffrage gave it to all
freeholders with a quarter Of an acre
OF land In q town or twenty-five acres
in the country, and to all who had paid
taxes to the government for two years
before voting. which was a decided
mitigation of the existing law. When
the committee was drawing UP the CON
stitution 1t had presented to it plan
of government which 1t adopted in
part. The section relating to suffrage
restricted 1T to freeholders of an inher-
itance of land of at least Ell 1000 in value
This proposition was probably q refec-
ton of the aristocratic tendencies of
considerable minority of the people
The committee rejected this PROPOSE
cept the law as 1t stood, the constitu-
ton simply providing 1.-THE right of
suffrage in the election of members of
both houses shall remain as exercised
at present"
The constitution of 1776 was never
considered to be q perfect instrument,
and 1t was freely criticised during the
nifty years that 1t remained in force,
but when, In 1880. n convention met to
revise 1t, there was still no widespread
sentiment in favor of universal man
hood suffrage. The most important
man in the convention was James
Madison, who came forth from his re-
tirement to give his State the benefit
Of the wisest head in all constitution
making that could be found in Ameri-
ca. The result of the labors of the con-
vention was a long section relating to
the right Of suffrage, extending 1t to
each white f1naIo nncaanuoI ne ool.oi.l