The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-01
Suffrage in the South.
Republican Politicians Discuss
ing Disfranchisement Of Il
literates.

Washington, April 29-The at
tempt of President Mckinley to split
the South Carolina Democracy by the
wedge of Federal Office. or at least tc
build up a respectable white Republi'
can party in the south, draws atten
ton to the wide extent to which the
disfranchisement of illiterates which
is generally more or less Synonymous
with Degroes-has proceeded in the
southern States
Four of Mississippi. Louis
lana, North Carolina and South Caro-
lina-have amended their constitu-
tions in the past ten years so as to
disfranchise illiterate voters altogeth
er Arkansas and Maryland have
adopted an educational qualification,
which will shut out a large proper
tion of the negro vote On May 81
the Alabama constitutional conven
ton will meet in Montgomery to
frame new constitution, the declar
ed purpose beng to deal with the
suffrage problem. The State will
doubtless follow the example of
other southern state and deprive
illiterates of the right to vote. The
Virginia constitutional convention
will meet in June and will discuss
the adoption of an educational quail.
fcation-an issue which has long
been burning one in the State
Of course, in the states of the
black belt more drastic measures are
required to attain white supremacy
than where the negroes form smaller
proportion of the population. Ac-
cordingly, in Louisiana. a voter must
be able to read and write, must own
$500 worth of property assessed in
his name, or must have been able to
vote Jan 1, 1867, or be lineally de
scended from person able to vote
on that date (The latter provision
in the celebrated grandfather"
clause North Carolina has a simi
lar law. emitting, however, the prop
erty qualification South Carolina
now requires that q voter wishing
to register must be able to read
and write any part Of the State
constitution submitted to him or
show that he paid taxes on prop
erty amounting to $500; but for
several years previous to Jan 1,
1898, the registration books were
open TO those able to understand any
article of the constitution when read
to them, and those who registered
uDder that provision will be entitled
to vote as long az they live In
Mississippi, the voter Duss "be able
to read any section of the constitu
tiou of the State /; or be shall be able
to understand the saoe when read
to him, or give q reasonable inter
pretation thereof "
In Arkansas and, by the new lew
in Maryland. the voter must mark
ballot without party embens or d.
visions OF the candidates into party
groups, and is not allowed TO take
apy one into the voting booth with
BIN to help him in uoakiog bis ballot,
90 that education enough to pick his
favorites out of the alphabetical lists
will be necessary
With Virgins and Alabama added
to the list of Southern States which
have already excluded illi,erates from
the suffrage, the negro problem in the
South will DO longer be as menaclng
as it has been in tue past The Bos
ton Herald and other New England
newspapers assert that the "indifer-
ence' of the Republican party to the
disfranchisement of negroes in the
South will not continue. On the
other hard. these newspapers frank
~ admit that any attempt TO upset
the laws enacted by Southern legis
latures, OF to reduce Southern repre-
sen,asien in Congress, would make
the South "more solid than ever,
and defeat The plans which have been
made to establish lilly white"
Republican party in the South In
view of this last fact, the attitude
which the next Congress will assume
toward the "illiterate negro" statla
ties called for from the Census by the
last Congress will be of great inter-
est