The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-04

the not distant future, a feeling may not arise in the dominant section O. the country, accentuated and hastened by political necessities, which will De full of peril to our children, if not to us, if we erdain in our fundamental law provisions violative of the Feder- al Constitution, or steering clear of
 these evils. administer laws fair on their face so as practically, to dis franchise the negro as a race. The disinclination to interfere in the mat ter now. is due largely to the fact that the country admits that the Fifteenth Amendment. and the governments set up to ratify 1t, forcing the suffrage of the negro as a race. were the gravest of mistakes, but 1t must not be over looked that this same public senti- ment which deplores the admission of the negro as a race to the ba1lot-box equally condemns his disfranchisement as a race. The country is now at pro- found peace and prospering, but If there should be heated sectional con- troversies, growing out of policies for the control or disposition of our for eign possessions or other matters. in which the dominant rections are great ly interested, and the control of the government should turn upon the votes of States which have disfranchised cit izens of the United States, in violation of the Constitution. 1t is not improba- ble that the same motives which en- tailed the Hayes and Tilden contest would move for and cause interference and disturbance of our State poiiticai system, Slavery, it Is true, has gone, and while we must admit that the eco- homie and moral questions growing out of slavery had much to do with precipitating our civil war. it was, at last, the clause in the Constitution giving the South three-fifth represen- tation for slaves who did not vote, ma king them to this extent factors in tho political control of the United States. which finally convulsed the Union and brought on the war of 1881. Then, it was dispute over political power of negroes who did not vote. but were counted. Now it is a dispute over po- litical power of negroes entitled to vote. and deprived thereof in violation of the Constitution. The essence of this dispute which is sectional and irri- tating is the same in principle as the old dispute which ended in war. It Is not wise to legislate so es to keep this irritation in our political system, and beqeathe 1t to our children
 Such considerations should lead to the rejection of all these extra Consti- tuttona1 plans. and leaves for consid- eration only the property and educa- tional qualifications.
 Educational or rroperty Qualifica-
 tions.
 We can not immediately enforce an educational qualification which would dlsqualify many whom we are pledged not to touch, if it can be avoided; and besides. the ascertain ment of such qualifications, which must necessarily be determined by boards of registrars, leads to methods of corruption and bossism which, in the end would result in conditions full ly as deplorabl eas those we seek to remedy. Neither have we much lati- tude concerning the property qualifi- cation. Any considerable property qualification is out of the question, if we keep our pledges. So, many of us consider that requirement of small amount of taxes should be the qualifi- cation-making provision that the vot- CT who had no property may qualify by contributing a small sum to the school fund. This seems in view of all the complications surrounding the sub ject. and our pledges with reference to it, the only practical plan, which would not do great injustice, nor lead to great abuses.
 What is called she Jones Plan" is not, mine any more than that of other gentlemen, including some of the press the consensus of whose ideas has been embodied in the plan, formulat- ed tentatively with a view of aiding in the solution of the question. The plan, in order. to prevent disfranchisement which we promised not to make, provides that where a person has no property, he may qualify himself by a small contribution yearly to a great public purpose, or else, he must pay taxes on a certain amount of property, having, of course. the requisite Qualt- fications as to residence, age ,etc. The suggestion which has been most criti- cized relates to the admission of per- sons to the electorate on the recom- mendations of the grand jury, when conculred in by a vote of the people on the names so suggested. The grand jury from its composition, as well as the fact that it is net a permanent body, would have less partisanship, and be more likely to represent the in- telligence and wishes of the people than any other body as to such mat ter. The fact that the people must vote on their recommendations gives an opportunity to check any improper, or partisan, use of the power. This feature could be relieved of liability to abuses, by cutting down the number of voters to be admitted to small per- centage of persons in each year in the county->k Admission to the electorate was practiced on somewhat similar principle, I believe, in the early history of some of the colonies, and in at least one of the States. Such plan, apply ing equitable considerations to the particular cases, would not be violative of the Constitution, and the small num- Der of voters admitted each year by voters already qualified, even if the scheme was abused in execution, could not amount to a practical disfranchise- ment of persons of any race or be pro- ductive of evil It also offers the means of redeeming our pledges as to dis franchisement In the case of some per sons who could be reached in no other manner.
 The educational qualification of the plan was postponed to take effect in the future Judgment of the Legislature, to prevent disfranchisements now, and to allow the Legislature to determine, in view of the operation of the restrict : ed suffrage proposed in other parts or the plan, whether an educational quail fcation was advisable or not. The regulations of primaries etc, do not necessarily form a part of the suffrage qualification. but were offered tenta- lively, to suggest a remedy for evils that are known of ali men.
 It is true, that under the qualifica-