The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-31
Eliminating the Negro Vote.

| EARRING THAT the United
| X states Supreme court may
| "A not sustain the grandfather
clause" in the four South
! crn states which have adopted
constitutional amendments creating
property or educational qualitica-
tons for voting but eXempting
| those and the male descendants
of those who were citizens prior
| to 1857 the later architects of
| negro ACKNOWLEDGMENT have adopted
a now plan, which is about to be sub
| nrittcd 20 the constitutional conven-
| ton Of Virginia, in these words:
Every man who has resided in the
| state for two years who is not dis
| qualified by crime and who can read
any section of the constitution or un-
dcrstand IL when read to him, can
| register and vote prior to January |,
| 1908 His name will be preserved on a
permanent roll and he will ever after
have the right to vote. All who apply
for registration after the end of next
year, when the qualification indicated
above ceases, must have paid taxes on
! $3.50 worth Of property and a poll tax
of sl.50, and must be able to prepare
and mark his ballot--the Australian
| ballot--without assistance, unless ply
| sically disabled
This, though meant To be used in
| the first instance TO keep the negro
from the polls. is an improvement upon
the grandfather clause. and "A much
CleVerer evasion of the constitution of
the United States. 1t is not likely that
in the two year period in which the
proposed intelligence test would bA
| operative, many negroes unable to
read a section of the constitution
would he able, when it was read to
them. 10 understand it to the satis-
| faction of the white registration
boards. though judicial notice could he
taken of this fact only where there
should he substantial proof of fraud.
But after the intelligence test should
give way 70 the property test, there
| docs not seem to be any reason of
an unfair political nature to prevent
| the ambitious Colored man from quail
flying himself for and acquiring
| the suffrage. The fact that his
opportunity to do so is in the
| nature of an inducement is a
point in the plans favor. Had the
suffrage originally been conferred upon
| tho negro, not as a gift for which
| he was then utterly untitled, but as an
| incentive to self-improvement. our re-
cent history would undoubtedly have
| been different.
Northern protest will not halt the
| South's determination to dsfranchise
the negro. The purpose of the white
| people of the Southern states to effect
| this result is everywhere expressed and
| is almost unanimously upheld. There
| is no power short of bayonet rule to
| prevent its execution. Nor is the
| negro seriously exercised thereat. You
| will hear ton times as much objection
| from Northern negroes, who are rela-
| lively few in number, as you will hear
| from coored mon in the states which
are most affected. The great mass Of
| negroes in the black belt are indiffer-
ent to the franchise and will be just
as happy without it as with it, and
| doubtless more Contented.
| The fight of the future on this score
will not be over the franchise but over
| the representation. The South wants
| to use the negro for apportionment,
yet take him out of the election. This
means that one vote in Mississippi or
! Louisiana Is to equal five or six in
Pennsylvania No such inequality will
for long be tolerable; and sooner or
later the disfranchising states will
have their representation abridged
| correspondingly