The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-22
THAT MARYLAND Law.

ing heard about disfranchisement. This
time it is occasioned by a law adopted
against illiterates casting their votes IN
the state of Maryland. The law in ques
ton excludes illiterates from the ballot
box. 1t is supposed to be directed
against negroes; but it's operation will
effect illiterate whites as we'll.
| In Maryland the proportion of colored.
to white illiterates is Is to 9. In other
words there are $4,000 negroes in the
state who cannot read and Is, 900 illiterate
! whites. AS the Democrats are in con-
troll in the Maryland legislature the in
ference is that they seek an unfair party
advantage.
| Public sentiment OH this subject has
made decided advances in the past two
| decades Few men, Democrats or Re-
! publicans, are now heard indulging in I'M
| qualified denunciation of such exclusion.
On the contrary the principle of prevent
| ing him who cannot read and write in his
own or the English tongue from casting
a vote whether he is white or black, is
being received with increased favor each
succeeding day.
The Maryland measure is Objectionable
because it does not openly accomplish
what is plainly sought. 1t denies to the
nIfterate the right to have his ballot
marked, as Is now generally the custom,
by the election official
To this extent, and on account of the
indirection involved the measure is OBJ
jectionable. But, taken in It's broader
significance it is beyond doubt that it rep
resents a sound public policy. AS gen
eral proposition any native-born Ameri-
can black or white, who cannot read the
English language should not be al
loved to vote. He has not the needful
intelligence. He has had the oppor-
tunity to acquire at least the rudiments
of an English education, and if he has
not made good his opportunity he should
bear the penalty He is on principle a
man whom society needs protection
against
unrestricted ballot-manhood suffrage-is
the ideal condition in republic Conced-
ing to the negro the right to vote, I'M
less he was born in slavery or out of
the United States, If he is unable to
read he is unfit to vote. So, too, with
the white American. Such a man, unless
the circumstances of his youth were al
together exceptional, being unable to read
|. is unworthy to vote, and should be dis
qualified.
There are thousands of American citi-
zens of a high order of intelligence born
In other lands who cannot read or write.
The fault is none of theirs. They are
for all of their illiteracy, excellent men
and good citizens many of whom have
raised families and all of whom are daily
/ showing their devotion to American
civil and political institutions These men
are entitled to be excepted from the
| general rule. But with the general prev
! alence of free school education in the
! United States the man or woman who
remains llllterate represents as general
proportion too low type Of intelligence
to be allowed to go to the ballot box on
an equality with their fellow Americans.
Such enactments as the Maryland suf-
frage law are also commendable among
other reasons because they indirectly pro-
mote the education of blacks and whites
alike It certainly does not comport
with the historic attitude of the opposi-
ton to the Democratic party. which,
until it had enfranchised the black man
so far as it could, for party advantages,
had ever shown its opposition to even
reasonable naturalization laws, to make
| any cutlery against any reasonable limita-
! ton of the franchise
/