The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-09-10
MORGAN ON NEGRO
DISFRANCHISEMENT

The following letter, addressed to
friend by Senator Morgan of Alabama,
undoubtedly the ablest man in the
Democratic party, shows his opinion of
the results of the Grandfather clause"
which has recently been placed in the
constitutions of so many of the South
ern States. These constitutions dis
franchise all illiterate persons, but pro
vide that no descendant of any person
who was a voter previous to the recon-
struction period shall be deprived of
his vote, no matter how illiterate he
may be. This lets in the white litter
ate voters and shuts out the negroes.
Here is the letter:
Dear Captain White-The American
Revolution was not so much redress
of grievances as it was struggle TO
abolish heredity in government. That
was the real line of division between
democratic and regal government and
the Church established by law. Hered-
ity disappeared and its associated
rights of perpetuity in the ownership of
lands. and many minor hereditaments
of feudalism. such as titles and tenures
and servitudes, when our new demo-
cratic scheme of government was instl-
tuted.
political heredity, and all its appur-
lar nobility and primogeniture, and ali
it's protecting laws, such as corruption
of blood. premunire and eNcommunica-
tion. perished and were placed under
the heel of prohibition by our constltu-
tion. Whoever would restore any of
these. to that extent discredits the
cause of the Revolution.
"Without suffrage the new system
had no possible means of expressing
the sovereign will of the people in laws
and their enforcement by executive
and judicial authority.
"1hese necessary agents OF the gov
ernment by and for the people can only
be chosen by the voters; and voters
could only be created by law, not by
inheritance These voters are chosen
representatives to perform the single
function of electing the lawful ofhcers
of government. ,
ITO make blood the medium of trans
mitting the electoral power from father
to son is to uproot from its foundations
the whole system of democratic gov
ernment and to reinstate the system
and the form of regal government.
"The transmission of the electoral
power by the blood of Inheritance
from father to son would destroy all
distinction between regal government
anu Nohii Nhi'' 'A'N
door wide open for return to the sys-
tenn that the American Revolution abol-
!shed. The steps would be few and
would be rapidly taken, to the com
plete restoration of monarchy, so soon
as We give any class of voters the
power to qualify their sons as voters
by Inheritance. In this case it Is the
first step that tells with fatal and ir-
revocable effect. The argument is ir-
resistible that offices should follow the
blood II the power that creates them IS
the blood of Inheritance; and this is all
that is meant in the British system of
titled nobility which alone legislates in
the House of Lords and of regal blood
and prerogative which upholds the
throne and the power of appointment
to Office, which is the appanage of the
throne, and the pardoning power over
which the people have no control.
when such n titled class of voters
is created by the organic law 1t will
soon occur to them that no other class
should be allowed to vote, and they
will usurp all power. 1t is far from
being 4 comfort to me that some ne
groes are included, and many white
men are left out, by the ordinance re-
ported by the majority of the commit
tee on suffrage in this ordinance of in
heritable blood. With great respect,
JOHN Z. MORGAN,
warm Springs. Virginia, July 9th"