The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-25
WHITE VOTERS ALARMED.
Nyoso pI,yRANt HisTHE>T yofNp ~
WORM MI n
The ,o,. In Mississippi and Louisiana Fsn"s
an Because white voters VIII Not 'a'
their Poll Ia, EWi Resui" ~ 'e
r%oIitIcsi IsthsfGy 4 Remedy s""S"''

lnfE F"lt
,.,,,,,.I l.,b.,., Remedy sought.
NV ORLEANS. Nov % The people ot Louis
,,pa and Mississippi hn W awakened to the ia't
n,1 re- Inv. oyerdone the Acknowledgement
OF voter, los the suffrage limitations and quail
s,ati,n. Incorporated In their Constitution
unrkod reaction has set In and the chances
sro that the suffrage laws viii lie broadened
a., a. 10 bring IN voters instead OF shutihs
them out. a., the policy has been hsa matter
Of fact, Mississippi at the election the o'her
day adopted an amendment 10 It's 'ohsUtu-
lion which while 1t does not arect the suffrage
directly reaches II indirectly. and Is In con-
rict with the spirit Of its present constitution.
which va, framed especially for the di'frah-
chisemsni OF the negro voters, In Ne" VT
Iears. a, A conference Of the Democratic lead
ers held on Nov. 10. a demand was mace LOT u
mobilization of the suffrage laws so as to en-
courage voting instead of discouragins II. IL
was practically the unanimous opinion OF those
tr.sen, that the Louisiana Suffrage law IL OBJ
,ectlnnsble. that IL will cut the vote AZ future
elections down 20 an absurd figure ana that u
will prove injurious 10 the Democracy
The complaints against the suffrage system
A. Mississippi are due to the discovery 'ha'
while it was Intended to disfranchise the negro
# is DISTINGUISHING the white voters also ana
Il placing he control Of the state In the nahds
Of a minority. 20 the great disadvantage oil the
property interests. and that it is threatening
the revenue Of the public schools. The vote
Of Mississippi for President was 50. 1903 Bryan.
s. .7os Mckinley. $3.50. and Barker. l,e". The
vote for Congress, electing seven Congress
men. was 81. ?3s. or III to a representative
This ia a smaller vote than Mississippi cast In
1890. and this - what the political leaders
and business men do not hke-there Is every
Indication that the vote Will continue TO de-
crease from election 20 election. In me. the
law intended to disfranChise the negro vote
has come home TO roost and Is DISTINGUISHING
the white voters also.
Senator J. l.. George Of Mississippi. who In
vented the Mississippi plan for disfrsnchiAng
the negro vote by a Constitutional provision
proposed that the ~illiterate negroes should be
disfranchiZed in the interest OF themselves
and good government. but his plan was at least
IRE. from trickery, and the trouble into which
'ha south has run on the suffrage matter has
been due to a departure from his methods
The ~ihterate negro ought 10 ba disfranChized.
he said He Is unfit for the suffrage, and a
dar ger to good government" But he took
the view that the educated negro would make
a good citizen. and his suffrage plan provided
tina, the State should assure to every negro
child in Mississippi an education. 80 as TO M
him for the suffrage. He accordingly placed
IN the Constitution which he framed a clause
which required the State of Mississippi to make
good any deficiency in funds to run the coun-
try schools for six months in each year. for
whites aud blacks alike. The plan met with
many objections. The extremists do not like
the provision made for bringing the negroes
IN a. voters when they shoul. have learned
TO read and write.
The protection to white supremacy AFFORDED
bv our sun age laws said one Of them, would
be only a temporary protection. In the course
Of time the negroes will be. thanks TO the public
schools, in a majority among the voters ana
will control our elections again. There are
more negroes than whites in the State, more
negro children than white children in the public
schools, and. therefore, more prospective
negro voters being turned out than white"
To this argument was due the incorporation
Of the poll tax in the Mississippi suffrage CLAUSE
Of the Constitution. a provision which has
been adopted in the suffrage system Of Louis
lana and other disfranchising Southern States.
The poll tax clause is little heard Of in tho
discussion Of the suffrage question in the
south, but as a matter OF fact 1t kills more
voters than the section which requires voters
To know how to read and write. II Is not ex.
actly a disfranchizer however. merely a dis
courager OF votes. and 1t has succeeded far
better than its authors intended or desired.
for il is found to-day to be discouraging more
white than negro voters.
In both Mississippi and Louisiana. In order
20 vote. one must be able to read and write
and must have paid his poll tax for two years
previous TO the election. To vote in the Presi-
dental election the other day q voter in Miss
issippi had TO present his poll tax receipt for
o. paid to the tax collector in 1905 and another
poll tax receipt for 81 for 1899 paid in that year
These payments must be made two years be-
fore the election. and must be by the voter
himself, for any one else or for any political
organization to pay or offer TO pay q poll tax
lisa misdemeanor.
II was calculated. and rightly. that this pro-
vision would have a Encouraging effect upon
the negro voter who. because OF his ability TO
read and write. would otherwise be entitled 10
the suffrage The negro is by nature and
environment careless and imrrovident To
ask him to pay - two years and one year in
advance OF an election. when he IL not sure
that he will be on hand 10 vote. IL TO ask him
10 act contrary TO all his nature and instincts.
The poll tax Plan worked exactly as Its authors
expected The negroes did not care 10 pay 81
for a vote. when the vote was Of so little value 10
them. Had there been any political lie in
Mississippi. any opposition to the Democracy.
II might have acted as a stimulant TO those
negroes who enjoyed the franchise 10 make
cure Of il by paying their poll taxes but to
throw away this money-for the tax Is a volun-
tary one. and the tax collector Goes not even
demand it-!n order To vote for a forlorn
hone. or 10 find. as they generally found on
election day that there was no Republican
candidate in the field and only a choice be-
tween Populist and Democrats left was 50 dis
heartening to negroes that the DISCOURAGE had
its expected effect. The negro voters ceased
to pay their pol taxes and disiranchized them
selves: the franchise was certainly not worth
the 3. it cost them. they all thought,
So lar the poll tax clause worked exactly ~
the inventors expected. The negroes beng in
q HOPELESS minority ceased u pa for the priv
lege Of being beaten. while the whites paid
their poll taxes with remarkable regularity, he
Ing held up TO This Nv a sense Of pride. II was
regarded A. dIscrcditahle for q white man 70
disfranchlse himself. when 81 would buy him
the francht"S Had there been 1nv opposition
political party IN Mississippi this condition %!
Affairs would probably have continued indcf-
nitely. For a TN - IA. popullsts threatened
Democratic supremacy. hut Populism went 10
pieces in Mississippi a few years ago. and n the
late election -hsvCl there are hut Ca Pop