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

9 VI AlNA VI AliO lui III vi EbN u ililtIi
or the governors, is not an in
herent right" The doctrine that
all persons have an inalieua BE
right to participate in government
is one of those baSeleSS eigh-
teenth-century doctrines that can
not be otherwise Justly character.
lied than as pure fiction. AL
| though Streuuou>ly advocated by
the leaders of the American and
! French Revolutions, it was utter
! ly repudiated by them as soon as
they had an opportunity to put it
into practice. Nonation of today
acts on this theory, and it is not
at all likely that any people will
ever adopt ii in the future. The
right to vote is privilege granted
by the State to such persons or
classes as show a 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
unalienable 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-
Outstanding what the public good
requires, and who gives Satistac-
tory evidence that they are will.
ling to devote their powers to
the attaining of that good. There
is hardly room Tor reasonable
doubt that an educational test
Of some sort should be required of
every voter. If person cannot
read aud write well enough to at
tend to his own affairs, il is not
:. likely that he knows enough to
attend to the affairs of the GOV
eminent Continuing he says:
lit 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 wilfully
f abuse the privilege, whatever his
a station or color, or nationality.
: For the moment a man ceases Ia
+ 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 i'll his work on ConStitu
, tlonal Law, page 20, says: Lib
, erty itself must come from law
, and not in any institutional
sense from nature, and still less
, can that come from nature in
+ which all the people cannot pos.
sibly 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
t there is a further objection which
: Is equally uncomfortable. Suf-
, irage cannot Ne 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 =
waite and individual. Whatever
suffrage is calculated to defeat
the general purpose, whatever if
permitted would tend to break
r up government, to introduce an
archy and to bring upon the PEG.
pie innumerable mischiefS. which
would follow from the destruction
OF public ORDERS not only mad
mlN>lble III reason, but is proved
by the consequences which follow
to the condemned by the great
author of government. TO say that
one whose participation in govern
ment would bring danger 10 the
State, and probable disaster. has
nevertheless, a right to paTtici.
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 10y it and bound up in
its destiny. Such a doctrine is
idle. Suffrage must come to the
individual not AS n Tirht hut a.