The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-02-11
FOR UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE.

constitution of the United States which
was passed in 1868 provided that citi-
zenship should not be restricted in any
state and fixed 90 a penalty for the vio-
lation of this provision that the repre-
sentation of the offending state in the
National house of representatives
should be cut down in proportion as
the right of suffrage was restricted.
This is then q part of the organic law
OF the land. 1t belongs to the consti
tuition as much as do those articles
which were framed more than hun
dred years ago and it is the plain duty
OF Congress to see that it is complied
with. OF late years there has been an
increasing tendency to limit the right
of suffrage. In the south this has
been done with evident intent to dis
franchise the negroes, in the North it
has been done. as in Massachusetts, to
disfranchise the ignorant and the
shiftless. For the present, however,
there is no need to discuss the wisdom
of the acts of the various states in this
regard. 1t may be wiser to restrict
the right of franchise, universal fran
chise may be dangerous thing. We
think not, but the fact remains that
the constitution provides that where
the franchise is limited the congress
sional representation shall be reduced.
The republicans of the house are about
to see whether or no they shall carry
out the provisions OF the constitution.
To US it seems an absurdity for men to
caucus as to whether they shall uphold
the provisions of an instrument they
are sworn to uphold. There have been
from time to time many laws upon the
statute books which we're opposed by a
large element of the people, laws
which many felt to be unwise and un-
just, bnt among good and law-abiding
citizens there was never any question
but that the laws should be obeyed so
long as they were laws. In our opinion
then the duty of congress is clear.
The requirements of the constitution
and of the amendments should be car
ried out to the letter, regardless of
whether it hurts republican Massa
chusetts or democratic Georgia. If
these states wish to retain their repre-
sentation they can extend their right
of franchise just as Iowa has extended
hers We believe that Congress should
go still further in securing the right of
universal suffrage to the people of the
United States. The first step should
be to enact suffrage law, complete in
all its details, which should apply with
equal force to every state in the Un on.
The next step should be to enact that
national elections should be entirely
separate from any other election. A
national election day should be desig-
mated and within ten days of that time
no other vote should be taken for any
office whatsoever, whether state, coun-
tv, township or municipal. This should
| include National naturalization law
and should carry with it the power to
protect the people of every state in
their right to vote and to insure free
ballot and fair count. AS corollary
the United States Senate should be
chosen by direct vote OF the people.
The enactment of such law would
do away with the cry of the South
against local negro domination for
each state would be left free to pre-.
scribe its own methods for state elec.
tions and its own limitations as to
franchise. In fact they would be given
a freer hand than they have at present
in this regard.
There is no possible justification for
the fact that white man in Florida
has four or five times the representa-.
tion in National affairs at present as
does the white man of Iowa or Hin nois
The Congressman from Florida has
just as much power in making laws fol
the people of Iowa as does the lowe
Congressman and he should be elected
on the same basis. 1t may be urged
that such law as outlined above
would be matter of great expense a:
the National government would be
obliged to police the polls during Ma
tional elections. No price is too higf
to pay for liberty. The untrammelle6
ballot is the highest right of the Amer
ican citizen and it is of more import
once than the building of canals or the
suss:d dizing of ships or the suppression
of ofoleomargarine.
Holding National elections separate
from all other elections would have an
other good effect throughout the
whole country. 1t would divorce the
affairs of the State and Nation. Now
it often happens that popular Ma
tional ticket carries through an unpop
ular and corrupt state ticket. The
questions involved are entirely differ
ent and the voter would have much
better opportunity to express an intel
ligent opinion at the polls were he no
obliged to consider all the problems o