Evening star., 1901-05-30
How He Would Deal With the Negro
Vote in Alabama
Y CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Only Descendants of Whites EIipi-
BILE to State Offices.
VOTERS MUST SHOW FITNESS

fore the constitutional convention Of his
state his plan for solving what Is known
as the negro problem in the south. BY this
plan Is sought to aohieye practically
what Is accomplished in other states by
various restrictions on the right of the
negro to vote for reasons that apply pecu-
liarly to that race. Senator Morgan has
suggested the idea Of adopting constitu-
tiona1 provision against permitting a negro
to hold office under the state government,
and system Of registration that will ex-
clude such voters as are not in the opin-
lon Of registrars qualified morally and 9TH
erwise to vote. How this plan is likely to
work may be readily seen, because under
its provisions only white men can be regis
trars
The Proposed Prohibition.
Section 2 Of Senator Morgan's proposed
amendment to the constitution Of his state
follows: Persons who are not citizens of
the United States. or who are not descend
ed from a father and mother belonging to
the white race. shall not be eligible to any
office under the constitution and laws of
Alabama"
A voter must be registered and his quail
fications to be a voter are to be "ascer-
tanned and determined by lawful tribunal
having jurisdiction OF the registration Of
voters"
In presenting this plan to the Alabama
convention, Senator Morgan made a dis
tinction between the right of a negro to
vote and his right to hold Office. The voter,
he stated, acts partly In a representative
capacity. For each voter there are proba-
bly, four other persons, women and minors,
whom he represents. While the Constitu-
ton guards his right to vote it permits the
determination Of the qualification of all
voters by properly constituted tribunals.
1t does not specifically provide for the hold
ing OF office by negroes. and Senator Morgan
hay
tional right. After briefly referring to
what has been done in other states to re-
strict the franchise of the negro, he said:
Choice of Three Propositions.
Alabama must therefore choose between
three propositions that will afford to her
people the means of escape from evils that
threaten the destruction of all hope Of pre-
serving their civilization. One is the ma
nipulatfon of the ballot box so as to pre-
vent 1T from becoming an engine of de-
struction. Another Is the denial by act of
the legislature of the right of the negro to
vote, thereby renewing In the political ac-
tion of the people who elect members of
Congress the question whether they will
take measures to enforce the penalties of
the fourteenth amendment and the unmen-
toned powers that were resorted to in the
period of reconstruction for compelling the
state to accept negro suffrage. The other
proposition Is that We will create tribunals
to decide upon the qualifications of all
persons with reference to their conformity
to fixed constitutional and legal require
ments, and with reference to their fitness
to exercise the powers and perform the
duties of voters.
The Tribunals Powers.
"The powers Of such tribunals must be
great and their decisions final in many re-
spects in order to insure public safety.
but they can be easily controlled SO as
insure iuSfic n wi M nd
the privilege of voting. In fact this Is
sought to be accomplished in the organi-
cation and control of the office of regis
trars of voters in all or nearly all of the
states of the Union
Like powers are given to judges who
pass upon rights of naturalization, from
whose decisions there is no appeal and to
boards of examiners of applicants for the
right Of eligibility to office under the civil
service laws and regulations Of the United
States, and to courts and parties litigant
in the selection Of jurors. and, indeed, to
all persons who officially possess the
power to appoint other persons to office.
I'm this connection 1t is important to be
observed that the fourteenth and tlf-
teenth amendments do not apply to the
qualifications Of persons to hold office in
the states. and also that the qualif1ca-
tions Of voters are not inherent or natu-
rai like the rights of citizenship by birth.
Voters are given such privileges only
by laws that are organic or legislative.
luey arc OilCldl pIlSNeSeS anu are mol
birthrights.
Checks Upon the Tribunals.
"It is believed that it is easily possible
to create and properly empower tribunals
to examine and pass upon the legal and
personal qualifications of voters, and to
confne their Jurisdiction to certain lines
of inquiry and decision that have reference
solely to the public welfare. II the first
effort is not entirely successful experience
will demonstrate the fact and suggest the
proper amendment of the plan, and to give
experience its perfect work, checks can be
properly placed upon the method Of amend
ment SO to retard its exercise under the
influence Of political agitations. Such a
plan will combine the principles of govern
ment that are commonly at work in all
the departments; in the naturalization Of
citizens, in the selection of juries, In civil
service examinations, In all appointments
to office in limiting the appointing power
that boards of officials, and even OF
courts, shall not be composed entirely of
persons who affiliate with the same po-
ltical parties; in boards Of pardons and
in prescribing that judges shall be learned
in the laws and college. professors shall pe
learned in letters, and that doctors and
lawyers shall undergo examination as to
learning skill and morals. Such a plan,
based on recognized doctrines of right gov
ernment should not be regarded useless,
unjust or oppressive when it is discreetly
adapted to the registration and qualifica-
ton Of voters in free republic.
LAS it is not possible to exclude all politi-
cal influence from such plan or from any
plan of registration of voters, 1t should be
conformed as nearly possible to the prin-
ciple Of local self-government, which is a
fixed principle in a republican form Of gov
ernment.
The Plan Proposed.
'In view Of these considerations, a plan is
herewith presented for consideration by the
constitutional convention. which is thought
to be correct in principle and convenient
and safe in it's arrangement. 1t rests on
the basis of the right of local self-govern-
ment, which in turn rests upon the race
and political supremacy OF the white peo-
pie, which it is intended to perpetuate. It
has respect to the fact that white men. In
1919, created the state OF Alabama, and
that their ancestors are the only people
who have created the wonderful system Of
American. republican, constitutional gov
ernment, and that they have the natural
right to perpetuate 1t under their control
until the degeneracy of the race has rem
dered them unfit for that duty. I"
1.-THE sovereign power of the people can
only be exerted by two agencies in conduct
ing self-government. namely, the voter and
the officer. The officers can only have such
powers as the voters, In ordaining the con-
atftlItfon. choose to confer uDon them