The age-herald., 1901-07-07
Hon. Sidney J. Bowie Argues in Support of the Ma jority Report, Including Grandfather Clause, and Contends That Fn1fi1ment of Party
 Pledges Demand Its Adoption.

illlterate whites who will be left in pos session of the ballot and who are net disqualified by the poll tax, which wiR operate against the only objectionable portion of them, are as a rule men whs live out in the country and have had nc school facilities. It was not the soldier who was in the war who felt It's worst effects. The children left at home, and who came to mans estate in those daya of worse than war, which followed '6s, who. by their very poverty and circum- stances which they had no power to con- trol. were unable to get an education, were the ones who bore the heaviest bur dens. Those who have reached mans es- tate, as a rule, have families for whose daily sustenance they must provide by daily labor. They have neither time nor opportunity to acquire an education, and If they had they are without the means Their children may be educated. Their own case from that standpoint is helpless. They have been good citizens; they work hard and discharge the duties of citizen ship: they are ready to fight. if necessary, I for the safety of the country, and there Is | no rhyme or reason which can be offered for taking the ballot away from them merely to pander to a maudlln sentiment 1 about equal rights.
 Chronic obIectors.
 The great difficulty with the suffrage | proposition is that as soon as some man | suggests some form of relief another one comes up and objects to it. The Mssis- sppi proposition, which was the pioneer one, was objected to, and with some req son, but the best reason for objecting to the Mississippi plan was that it was the first: therefore. of necessity the most i'm perfect. Individual injustices done under that plan have been perverted and made to appear as general conditions. The greatest difficulty with the plan was that 1t put into the hands of registrars a dis cretion which ought not to be vested in any one. It has. however, with all its de- flciencieS, greatly promoted the peace, happiness and prosperity of that State.
 The South Carolina Plan.
 The South Carolina plan was next, and for temporary provision it adopted the Mississippi plan bodily. It was an inn provement, however, in that it provided that the understanding clause, which is the basis of the Mississippi plan, should expire on the 1st day of January, 1898. but that registration once made was for life. provided the voter paid his poll tax and was not convicted of some criminal offense which disqualified him. The per manent provision of the South Carolina plan is almost exactly the same as the Alabama plan.
 The Louisiana Plan.
 Louisiana followed South Carolina with the grandfather clause" Barring the single proposition that it's constitutions ality has not been and could not have been before the court for settlement, the plan itself was great Improvement on | either the Mississippi or the South Caro- | lima plans. The so-called grandfather | clause was merely temporary and did l not as has been charged, perpetuate vot-
 ing by inheritance. It carefully limited l it, as does the Alabama plan, to tir0se
 then possessed of the privilege, and had no application to those thereafter coming l of age It removed from registrars the l power ard temptation placed upon them | by the Understanding" clause of the | Mississippi Constitution. It made it a matter of right for virtually every white man then entitled to vote to get his registration certificate instead of making of making it a matter of discretion. with the registrar It could not be made the subject of fraud or malpractice any where It was plain, clear and incapable of misunderstanding. Under 1t no voter entitled to register could be de- feated or hindered by the partlality or | fraud of the registrar.
 If. however. there be any doubt as to the constitutionality of the Louisiana 1. plan, it would seem that there could be l none as to the Alabama plan, because 1t | is absolutely clear Il nt both white aliI l tlack can register Crder all provisions 1 of the latter and no discrimination 's 1 made on account Of race, co.pr or Pre-
 x.cus conG.t'cn of servitude.
 Poll Tax Alone insufficient.
 If has been suggested that the poll tax l provision was enough, and that no other
 should be adopted That the prepayment | of a poll tax is a wise provision is not to be doubted 1 personally would have pre- | ferred to have seen the age limit raised, but the committee unanimously decided l in favor of the present rate ana age llnit' and have no doubt it did the very pest | if could under the circumstances But | even if the limit and amount were raised,
 while it would help, 1t would not cure the | sore. xhe source of the corruption
 and danger to our institutions, would re- | main.
 What we want is not merely partial, | hut complete relief. Those who under
 stand the situation best all realize that
 the poll tax provision alone will not meet | the exigencies of the situation. Some
 thing more was and is absolutely essen- | tial
 The Ideal Impossible.
 Those who are clamoring for an ideal | solution of this question are reminded that
 the present condition of affairs itself is | not Ideal. The true tcct Oi thS NoiAi
 mittee's work is not whether the, scheme
 presented is perfect, but whether It Is the
 best that the situation will aAmit of. The
 objections to the present condition should
 be set off against those urged to the com
 miytees report and then the true wisdom
 of the latter win be apparent.
 It was hardly to be expected that so momentous and complicated problem
 would be solved at once to the entire sat isfaction of every one. The objections themselves do not deny that the provis- ions reported are great step forward in the direction of an absolute solution or the problem on lines which will insure fairness and equity and secure to the State an enlightened electorate which will in turn give us good, safe and conserva- tive government. ig.~iesi | And in conclusion another great error made by the opponents of the plan is the assumption that under the descendants
 clause the control of the State is handed
 over to illiterates for another generation. If every white man in the State registered | under the descendants clause there would be only 13 per cent. of the total registered
 who would be unable to read and write, but as fact less than 10 per cent. who registered under this clause will be Hitter | ates. and as the right of registration hereunder will expire next year, even
 this 10 per cent. will constantly diminish from year to year thereafter until all are
 in process of time eliminated. So that
 this mountain Is nothing but a molehill. 1 GVDNEtV T ROVJE q