The aegis & intelligencer., 1902-06-13
.Io0N'S PEASES.
DiSERkNCaLSTNG "CIT1ZEMS. -

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DiSEKANCaLSTNG "CIT1ZENS.
During tie -ecent debate On the
Philippine qoestion, Senator Sim
mons, cfEorth Carolina, put to his
colleague, Senator Pritchard, as well
rs the cE,Ier Republican supporters OF
this n!easn-e, GuessiQl which should
set the Whole ouratry to thinking.
Senator Pritchard was inveighing
agaiI st certain legislation of the
Democrats of North Carolina after
the epoch Of carpet-bagging and re-
construction and especially against
me -ecent Const It = tional amendment
OF that State in regard to suffrage.
When Senator Summons asked him if
be favored the suffrage provision
recommended by the Taft Commis-
sion. IN answer to this, the Senator
evasivelv replied that the Philippine
bill provides for census Of the i'll
I,abiearts, ard ,-ntil tha census shall
ilave haen taken I'VE shall have no
Information on Y. hich we can base
our opinion one Wa or the other as
to the capacity of th=se people to ex-
ereisc the righe Of suffrage
Very few people seem to be aware
OF tie extra ordinary provisions,
whirn are subs tantially, that none
shal! vote there except such as can
read AMI write the English or
Spanish language or who own $3.50
worth ofproperty or pay S15 per
wear in taxes AS there are very few
of the inha5itaats who can speak
eitksr eftbs Asagaages or own $3.50
wotsh sis Il aprasfass
aer,iaio theGright ofsuarage and isl
very napsh ;zerse sisn the pro s VISIONS
a,ioptsd b so,ns Of tas cisshern
States. Under the North Carolina
Constitution every negro can qualify
himself to be voter by learningto
read and as education shall spread,
this test will entirely cease to
eL6ect the race. 1t simply acts as a
protection for the government from
a mass oIlgnorance and as .nanifestly
a. much il TIE interest Of the blacks
as we'll as the whites. From the
standpoint CT :: poll tax the highest
an.ourt cnargec ii any OF he South
ern States is 81 Per wear, w: lie in the
Philippine Islands a E>epublcan Cor
e-~.,s pas Il at SO. Republican
u.s+u-s a~d o:gan5 have violently
ass iic,. MS 50 poll+ax N the South
cr-l States as prast tical denial ofthc
I4rGg2 o mt4ltitudcs OF voters, but
ere as uumb as cvstcrs concerning the
$l5 Pcll taxi1 le Philippine Islands.
The average ) llippino is as much
emitted 20 the right 80 vote as is the
A.ri-an, and III act, rlore SO, for With
tne suroe e,'uc.tti"ra' privileges that
'svr be II ace1rle1 me negro iii the
south, tt I'll: oino vii undoubtedly
ir the sar LEM. III Of iirie. have be-
come much more intelligent citizen.
The Il option ofthe Fifteenth Amend
1hen: by tha carpet-bag Legislatures
of II Sooih, turned upon the people
ofLat sectioi . dense mass Of ignor-
suce with privilege mat they did not
know how to exercise nearly 50 we'll
as tae average ragalog. The leaders
of the Pek ublican party today do not
reoudiate tie action of their pre-
decesso-s in giving the negro the right
to vote. If they wish to be consist
ent ii " s.,.,lll carry ont tde sauc
.le and allow til, FilipTnao q similar
privilege. If. is right in one case it
is Ill another.
1t would srcin. however, that a
Giferent idea seems to p,rmeate the
psrr3 in power, and i,dg:1g from
This suffrage provision i'll the Philip
p,re lii and from other potent facts,
i IS evident tlat a colonial system is
to be established ii our new dornin-
i~-:s OH "a strictly imperial basis.
Under the provisions Of the present
law he right 10 vote VIII beexerc.sed
by = few property holders and the
carpet-hag employees of the Com
rlission and the result of such policy
would be roere mockery of repre-
sentative government as is exercised /
r. the people o. tii2 United States.
Il is not surprising that tac Filipinos
IRE filed with distrust as to the in
tentions of the United States Govern
rent when they see Congress giving
lis sanction to ali electoral system /
thai would rcluce then and their
children to polite; pariahs and es-
taDIish over there an oligarchical
government.
Since Dewey bombardcd Manila. it |
setr1s that this government las not
actri II, a f-;ril manner : ith the
s1ativei tngt : found rei" -ontrol,
Ii s-as on!y reasonable to suppose
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