The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-06-28

either of the form of government
or the governors, is not an in
herent right" The doctrine that
all persons have an inalieua Die
right to participate in government
is one of those baSeleSS eigh-
teenth century doctrines that can
not he otherwise Justly character
/ lied than as pure fiction. AL
| though Strenuously advocated by
the leaders of the American and
French Revolutions. it was utter
~ repudiated by them as soon as
they had an opportunity TO put it
into practice. No nation of today
acts on this theory, and it is not
at all likely that any people will
ever adopt it in the future. The
right TO vote is privilege granted
by the State to such persons or
classes as show capacity TO dis
charge political duty, to use the
power the privilege confers for
the promotion of the public veal.
The object of suffrage is to con
time the government and to in.
crease and perpetuate its benefits,
not simply to keep peace. 1t is
vain TO expect that this object
can ever be attained by universal
suffrage The fact is that uni
verSal suffrage is as great a chi
mera as the SO called doctrine of
unallenable rights. Even the
most Democratic governments OH
the earth deny suffrage to the
vast majority OF their citizens.
The right should be granted to
those only who are capable of un-
derStauding what the public good
requires. and who gives Satislac-
tory evidence that they are will.
ling to devote their powers to
the attaining of that good. There
Is hardly room for reasonable
doubt that an educational test
of some sort should be required of
every voter. Ii a person cannot
read and write well enough to at
tend to his own affairs, it is not
| likely that lie knows enough to
attend to the affairs of the GOV
eminent" Continuing he says:
1T by no means follows that
when the privilege OF voting has
once been granted it cannot be
taken away. Every person should
be deprived of it who wilfuIly
abuse the privilege, whatever his
station or color or nationality.
For the moment man ceases To
have either the ability or DISPOSE.
ton to advance the good OF tile
State, it is the duty of the gov.
eminent acting for the State. to
see that the statutes no longer
allow him to exercise the right
Judge Cooley in discussing the
question III his work on Constitu
tlonal Law, page 21j, says: Lib.
erty itself must come from law
and not Ill any institutional
sense from nature, and still less
can that come from nature in
which all the people cannot pos
Slbly participate. and in respect
to which, therefore, positive law
becomes absolutely essential in
order to prescribe qualifications.
the possession of which shall be
the test-Of right, of enjoyment.
A gift by nature must be abso.
Lutte and not contingent upon the
State coming forward afterwards
with uncertain and changeable
enactments to name conditions
and point out the persons who
may enjoy the bounty. But
there is further objection which
Is equally I'm Amountable. Suf-
trage cannot ce the natural right
of the individual, because it does
not exist for the benefit Of the
individual. but for the benefit of
the State itself. The purpose of
suffrage is to keep up continuity
OF government, and to preserve
and perpetuate public order and
the protection Of individual
rights. The purpose is, there.
fore, public and general, not pri
yate and individual. Whatever
suffrage is calculated to defeat
the general purpose, whatever if
permitted would tend to break
/ ~ government, to introduce an.
arcAT AID 10 bring upon the PEG.
PIE lu1umrrable mischiefS. which
/ would follow ron the destruction
oi public order-is not only mad
mI>>IJ.e il reason. hut is proved
/ by tue consequences which follow
TO the condemned by the great
author Of government. TO say that
one whose participation in govern
ment would bring danger to the
State, ami probable disaster. has
nevertheless, right to partici-
pate, Is not only folly in itself.
but 1t Is TO set the individual
above the State and above all the
manifold interests which are rep.
resented by it and bound up in
It's destiny. Such a doctrine is
idle. Suffrage must come to the
| individual NOT AS n ripht bur ~