The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-23
SHOULD Be REDUCED
Representation ofThose State
Restricting Suffrage.
We Gould Not Expect to Retain Their Re-
presentation After Reducing the
Popular Basis"

The Southern States that restrict the
suffrage on the grounds of ignorance OF
property qualifications are acting entirely
within their constitutional rights. In Sc
doing, no infraction of the Fourteenth OF
Fifteenth Amendment is made. Northern
States, notably Rhode Island, have exer-
cised the same sovereign right. Every
thoughtful man outside the Southern
States is convinced, however, that a re-
apportionment of representatives in Con-
gress and in the Electoral College, upon
the basis of population disclosed by the
last census, has become grave duty of
the hour.
Every citizen of this country, whatever
his political faith, wants the South to
develop and enjoy the highest pitch of
prosperity; but a violation of the organic
law Of the land is too high a penalty to
pay for that end, supremely important
and desirable though it be. Section 2 of
Article XIV. of the amendments to the
Constitution reads Representatives in
Congress shall be apportioned among the
several States according to their respec-
tive numbers, counting the whole num-
Der of persons in each State, excluding
Indians not taxed. But when the right
to vote at any election for the choice of
electors for President and Vice President
of the United States, Representatives in
Congress, the executive and judicial Of
fcers of State, or the members of the
Legislature thereof is denied to any Of
the male inhabitants of said State, being
twenty-one years of age and citizens of
the United States, or in any way abridged
except for participation in rebellion or
other crimes, the basis of representation
therein shall be reduced in the proportion
which the numbers of such male citizens
shall bear to the whole number of male
citizens twenty-one years of age in such
State" No loophole of discretion exists:
Shall is the word. not may"
Can any member of Congress, sworn to
carry out the requirements of the Consti-
tuition, escape from the performance Of
the duty thus devolved upon him? The
Southern States that have DISTINGUISHED
large number of their inhabitants, citi-
zens of the United States, must have
known of this inhibition in the Federal
Constitution. 1t must have been clear to
them that they could not expect to retain
their representation in the Electoral COL
lege and in Congress after they had re-
duced the popular basis upon which that
representation rested. Those States, de-
liberately and of their own free choice,
chose what they deemed the lesser of two
evils. They believed it wisdom on their
part so to do, and that large represen-
tation in Congress was of far less conse-
quence to them than the maintenance of
white supremacy within their own limits.
That was their solemn. deliberate decis-
ion, written into their fundamental law,
and they should be willing to abide by it..
Not a man in the North but will regret
that the South is in such a dilemma; how
ever, the supreme interest of all citizens
is to obey the Constitution and guard
against any violation thereof.
JULIUS CHAMBERS.