Middletown transcript., 1901-03-30
THE PROGRESS OF NEGRO DIsFRAN-
CHIgEMENT

its Specla sesSioh
nassed the election law, Whlcn "
i believed viii disfranchise 30
600 negro voters, although the
Republicans hope by their sys-
tenn Of night schools established
throughout the State, to educate
q large percentage Of this number
sufficiently to enable them 70
vote at the election in November
of this year and more for l9o3'
when the Legislature to elect q
United States Senator will oe
chosen. The Democratic press
like to say in defense Of this law
that it closely fallows the Mass
achusetts plan, but fail to remark
that the latter state did not at
tempt to make it retractlve'
Massachusetts, like Delaware,
provided that all persons who hao
or were entitled to the franchlse
at the time the law went INTO
effect should continue to have
that right, and there are voters
there as here whocan neither read
nor write and are consequently
entitled to assistance in prepar-
ing their ballots. Further the
MARYLAND law leaves room for
juggleryDin the preparation and
distribution Of the ballots, the
worst feature being that by
which a whole district may be
prevented from holding an cleo
ton and the maximum penalty IS
anfne of $1,000. In many coun-
ties the result of the legislative
ticket depends upon the majority
which one party or the other may
secure in a certain district and
all that will be needed to secure
the election of certain men will
be to neglect to furnish that dis
trict with the official ballots.
And as the complexion OF the
Legislature may depend upon
that county a complete reversal
of the real sentiment of the State
NAV be secured for a paltry
$1,000.
Much interest has been added
the past week to this subject o.
negro disfranchisement, by the
publication of a letter from Sen
ator Morgan of Alambma to az
editor in his state, in which ht
advises against any comment OF
the part Of the Democratic press
on this subject, but that its attl
tude should be one of quiet wait
ing. He is well pleased at wha
he terms 'sthe great and raplt
advance made in the direction 0
negro disfranchisement," an
certainly he is justified in his sat
isfaction when we remembe
that, as he expresses it, the cleo
torial vote for President and Vic
President was counted withou
the question being raised, and Il
great objection was made to th
apportionmento Representative
under the recent census to tn
Southern States in accOrdanc
with their population.
This new apportionment give
to the Sixteen States comprisin
what was known as the "Ol
South" 1877 Representa- YES
the House, Of which 81 at leas
are based upon the negro populs
ton which population hasno vot
upon the question Of choosin
themen to fill theseats. Therefor
it is plain that So men in the Sout
are worth as much POLITICAL
as 1877 in the North. But the wors
feature about this is that unde
such conditions men lose the
interest in politics where there
no opposition, and the communit
and state soon passes under tt
domination of the boss or ring
With these 1877 votes once MOI
solid, the Democrats only have
elect in the North and West
members to secure control of Il
House Of Representatives, ar
with the great sweep Of last N
vember they succeeded in choo
ing 81, only six short of VIII
will be needed in 1902. In Il
next electoral college, 239 vot
will be needed to choose Pres
dent and the Vice Presider
there being 476 votes in the q
lege. Of this number the Sou
will have 1859, leaving only
that the Democrats vii! have
fight for. In this way the su
iect is one Of National interei
If the South we're content
abide by the Fourteenth and F
teenth Amendments to the Ca
stitution and accept Represen
ton according to the voting pc
ulation, the question would not
49, of SO much Importance to
nation at large, except for
moral questions of taxing a m
without his consent, and of m;
ing one man higher and bet