The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-05-12

4ts Feuth haa taken np fha question
81 restricted Franchise Uifh Uni UU.f
ursnlniliy hui nith faifnrH HH1 rli
NIN towards the llliffaff i'HIhf ana
il e WAY uhi4h has dfs~n nu special
criticism from the North Indeed. W.
ma in many representative Northern
nsVeyspeft Hn expression ~ relief That
sn easy n path ~ a. b. found out ~
serious difficulty fuf in ans country
nothing can b. more serious. save fam
Inc or pestlleuce. than the rule II the
unqualified majority
A fair indication ~ how the virginia
suffrage experiment strikes cons fNI-
tive people may be found in that most
judiciuus and non partisan journal. the
Review ~ Reviews. THE virginia
Constitutional Convention, which began
its work nearly year ago. completed
u early in April and adjourned 20
convene again on May %. for the Dur
pose either Of proclalming the new or
Ennic law or else OF submitting II 20
popular vote. Its ehief problem was
solved on April Z by its adoption of an
article dealing with the suffrage qucs-
ton. The Virginia plan adopts a pfin-
ciple that several other states have put
into force. known as the understand
ing CLAUSE" az a Temporary eNpedient
for short period-that Is to say, until
January 1, 1904. local registrars may
applicants otherwise qualified who are
ablc either to read or To- give "rea-
sonable" explanation OF any section Of
the new constitution when read To
them. this in addition to taxpayers and
to old soldiers or their sons. That the
general purpose of this clause Is to
give an opportunity for enrolment to
white voters, while excluding iliterate
negroes, In not denied by anyone. Yet
ii does not follow. as many people as
sert that there is anything radically
unfair in this plan. Generally speak
ing, the illterate white man possesses
greater political capacity than the IL
literate negro. The important part OF
a measure OF this kind is not the tenn
porary but the permanent method that
ii introduces. The permanent plan in
Virginia Is to be yearly poll tax OF
$3.50. besides which each applicant for
registration must be able to write his
application clearly and without assist
ance in the presence Of the registrar.
quite regardless OF any favoritism that
may be shown to the white voters.
the Southern franchise laws render an
excellent service to the negro race
when they require from the negro vot-
ers either educational or property quail
ification, or both. The ballot Is of no
value whatever to the negro who is
not fit to exercise 1t. The existence
of reasonable qualifications as to liter
acy and property furnish excellent in
centives to progress. valuable on all
accounts and harmful on none. The
best and wisest friends of the negro
race are not worrying themselves at
all about new Southern franchise laws.
No Southern State has made provisions
which exclude the negro of intelligence
and property. The Virginia constitu-
ton provides for an improved educa-
n6uannaH natl AI dc
of control over railroads and other cor
porations."
II cannot fail to be noticed in Hawaii
that universal suffrage is no longer
basic American principle and that we
are nearing the time when public rule
will be in the hands of the qualified
majority. where alone such n RESPONSE
billy should rest. Congress held the
, opinion when 1t framed the organic
law for this Territory that Hawaiians
We're qualified for the exercise of the
full suffrage, but its faith was so much
shaken by the record of the Home
Rule Legislature and by the failure of
Wilcox, that one of it's eminent mem
bers did not hesitate to say. at the
Haywood dinner, that the duty might
devolve on Congress to amend the Ha-
wailan voting privilege. To avert such
a misfortune the Hawaiians have only
to join the American parties and throw
! their influence towards honest rule
AS we pointed out to them two years
ago, It is their focking by themselves
no race lines and their trying to pay of
the old scores Of the monarchy, which
deprives them of influence at Wash
ington and plays the mischief with
their chance to get on here. To save
themselves they should stop their
Home Rule nonsense and become Re-
publicans and Democrats as other
Americans are Then their suffrage,
protected by both parties in Congress,
would be as safe as anything can be
/ in mutable world.