The Washington bee., 1901-07-20
NEGROES SUFFRAGE CLAUSE
,,.IGH THEY CLAI1 IS AIMED
ENTIRELY AT THEFT.
,...sla Educational a nd Property Ouallfica.
..5n. a. Unconstitutional.

..e Daily P..ayune New Orleans, Ia.
A ,rit TO test the consttutionalitv OF
che .urrage section Of Louisiana con
.rr..Ion of 1895 was nleu yesterday by
Hon. Armand Roman, IN behalf of
David J. Ryaues, a poor and llllteTate
negro,
|.- suit is mandamus proceeding
AGAINST the registrar of voters and al
.ege- as follows.
".aal your TelatOr is a native born
male citizen of the United States and
oftn- State OF Louisiana; that he Is
more than p years OF age, that he is
member otlhe African race, and
rgu his father and mother and all
other ascendants were of African the
race. that he was born in the state
of Tennessee in the year IS4I, but
tina. Ire removed TO this state, and
has been an actual resident of the
state Cd. louisiana and the city of
New Orleans. unintcrruptedlY, since
the month Of March, 1860; that
he has been a registered voter in
this state and parish, and has actually
exercised his privilege as such for
the last thirty years or thereaOOuts.
"lyur TelatOr therefore, specifically
alleges th2thc has been an actual bono
ule resident of the state for more
than two years; of the parish OF Or
leans for more than one year, and of
the ninth precinct ofthe eleventh ward
of the said parish of Orleans for more
than SIX months.
"houT TelatOr further alleges that he
is unable TO read and write; that he
does not own any property assessed to
h.m, upon which any taxes are, or
ought TO be paid; that on the Ist day
%, January, 1867, and prior thereto, he
was resident Of the state and parish
Aforesaid, and was not then entitled TO
vote uu Ter the constitution and laws
@. th- state of Louisiana, and that
neither his father nor grandfather
were entitled to vote under the con
surutiOu and laws Of the state where
they then resided on the Ist day Of
January, 1897, or at any date prior
thereto
"Your relator now specially alleges
.hat on the 10th of July, 1901, he pre-
sented himself to the registrar of
voters for the parish of Orleans. the
Hon. jeremiah NJ. Gleason, who is
dOmICIled in this parish and state
aforesaid, and now made formal appli-
cation for registration as q qualified
voter of the ninth preCielt OF the
eleventh ward of said parish OF Or
leans
Your relator specially alleges that
the registrar of voters, defendant
herein, refused toTegister the plainutt,
unless your TclatOr could and did
comply with the requirements and pro
VISIONS of article Ig7 of the CUnStltu-
ton of the stAte'Of Louisiana adopted
on the 18th day of May, 1898, and of
the acts of the general assembly of
said state passed IN order to carry out
the provisions of SAID article OF the
/ constitution,
"lour relatOr now specially alleges
II that the action of said registrar of
H voters in refusing 10 register him is
II Illegal and without proper Constitu
u0lal right and auth Tily; that said re
iusal 10 register is bat a step and Is
auamOut TO a complete denial of
your realtors right 10 vote as your
Tc.atOr cannot vote without being
81 registered, that your relatOT will be
unable 10 vote at the next elections,
both state and congressional TO be
Ae.- DO tins state, unless he IS duly
registered, that said refusal, therefore,
j. aa infringement upon your relatOr $
4 nights and privileges as a citizen OF
4 OaN state and of the United States
laat Your reIator will be deprived of
s. '-e benefits conferred upon him by
The franchise clauses of the federal
constitution, and thereby subjected TO
# H'cUuaale injury.
tatE rr.ar0r now specially alleges
'ta. .ar defendant registrar IN his SAID
8 refusal ntoNes the pretended authority
u. sections 5, and 5 of article No. I97
. ."e LOUISIANA state constitution OF
.70. ana also sections S, 8 and 7 OF act
lgs .. The general assembly of 1898,
"".y. ACT carries into effect the pro-
VISIONS of said artICe No. I97 OF the
81 constitution.
our relator now specially alleges
,4at SAID sections ;. 4 and D of article
NO. Ig- of the constitution of 1893, and
't.- sections s, and Of said act No,
ge o. .'9'r certified copies OF which
a.V Ned herein and made a part
lVl5o and any other law or laws carry
'~ u-l the provisions of said article
~ ''-- ~el4ol olltut4Ou Oh 1890 dI { lllCSdl
'"' and void, and cannot, and should
.', be enforced for the following
saNon, lo wit
fHN.-Ihis said article Iq7 Of the
o1'uluuon and said sections ;. 4 and
~.r.eoi, as well as the act of the
.iarv passed in pursuance there
DO collectively constitute one unlaw-
pea gi Suffrage qualification based
,o- discrimination on account of
aug, Color or previous conditions Of
.E.1ae, and is, therefore, in viola
u" OBJ the fifteenth amendments Of
'v federal constitution.
second That said article I97 OF
consultation and the various
'4ons thereof, as well as the sections
&c. NO. Ig9 of 1898. were intended
4Hect poor and ignorant negroes
tH and actually disfranchiSes only
and ignorant negroes, situated
mary 10 the Telator herein, therby
Iylhg TO sa poor and ignorant
goes the equal protection of the
10 which they are entitled. and,
'elore the said article and the said