The age-herald., 1901-06-20
NEW PLAN BY WHICH NEGRO
 VOTE CAN BE ELIMINATED
BY EMMEr R. CALHOUN.

1 the preparation of his ballot from an! cause should have the right to have al election officer of his own choosing t assist him.
 F. Each opposing political party should have representation on the board o managers and clerks. With these mor necessary provisions which occur to m at this time, and others that might b | added to more securely safeguard the bal I lot, we would have fair and hones 1 elections.
 It will be observed that the only new feature in this plan is that of plura voting. While this would be something novel in practice in this country, the idef even in the South Is not altogether new Judge Campbell, late Chief Justice of thu Mississippi Supreme Court, in the Consti tutional Convention of his State in 1SG advocated plural voting upon land acre age qualification up to as many as si1 votes, if my memory is not at fault Judgt Arnold, now of your city, was an asso. ciate justice on the Mississippi Supremt bench, at the time, and if I mistake no was much impressed with Judge Camp. bells plan so far as it related to plural voting although did not commit himself to it's exclusive land property qualiflcD l tion.
 Through the plan I suggest. however, see the only way to avoid the Limitations of the Federal Constitution, and possi. ble cutting down of our representation !1 Congress and the electoral college. Tht latter possibility, I believe, Is only re- tarded until more of the states of tht South have put themselves in situation to suffer from such curtailment. I alse see in 1t the only way in which the Con. stitutional Convention, a great majority , of whose members are Democrats, can fulfill the Democratic platform pledge mot to disffanchse a single white man." as 1t in terms disfranchises no one, but gives to every white voter a possible two votes, while serving in very excellent way it's intention (the intention of th4 convention) to deprive the negro of equa, political strength with his white brother
 There are two places in this suffrage plan where it's apparent security mighi be modified. In the first provision or sec. ton of the suffrage clause, where a pol tax receipt is required for every year in. tervening between elections perhaps to require only a receipt for the previous year might answer. I adopted the non- interval payment, however, after much reflection, as it almost entirely precludes the possibility of designing persons pay. ing poll taxes for others and holding their receipts either to secure or prevent their voting.
 In the second provision or section of the suffrage clause one of the various qualifi-  cations Is ability to read and write Eng fish. This will let in probably as many as 10000 negroes. It is possible to leave this educational qualification out entirely and not disfranchise any white persons l myself think 1t prudent to let it remain in, since the five to fifteen thousand .in- telligent" negroes thus more securely en- 1 franchised would prove an wholesome ex. ample to the vast horde of ignorant ones.
 
 In conclusion, let me predict briefly what the plan will do. The returns from the first election will show nearly one half of the negroes have disfranchised themselves, and there will be a 25 per cent increase in the white vote (not voters) The second election will show nearly two. thirds of the hegroes have disfranchised themselves and the increase in the white vote (not voters), will run to 50 per cent. Ten years after it's adoption there will be practically no negro vote in Alabama Carrollton, Ala. June H. 1901