The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-20
NOW WE ARE kIsREPREsEHTED

now We ARE MIsREPRESEETED.
The New York Evening Post of Thurs
day contains an editorial article on the
fight against the Virginia Constitution
introduced as follows:
a number OF patriotic citizens Of the
State Of Virginia. representing both the
white and the colored races are now en-
gagged in a con:es: which to them is a
fight for the good name OF their Safe
and or its Republican form Of govern
ment Their effort Is to have the new
Constitution Of the State, which was
proclaimed July 10th of this year. declar-
cd Illegal because Of the manner IN
which 1t was drawn because of its ut
Just Determinations in the matter OF
manhood suffrage and because OF the
method of its PRONUNCIATION. Primarily. it
Is a fight on behalf Of the intelligent
1aw-ab;ding tax-paying negro. whom the
Constitution and the officials created by
# have deprived Of his vote But in the
eyes OF the white opponents of the ring
which has obtained control OF the gov
eminent Of Virginia, 1t is battle to
prevent the control of the State by an
unprincipled olsarchy which may turn
about at any time and still further lint
trS SCH7SRS DS heptiN1I'o 'ttANN N'S'S~|A-
OF the = Hot as 1t sees lit.
The Evening Post is sensible paper
and q conservative paper. but when 1t
comes to discussing the negro question
It seems to lose its common sense and its
sense Of fairness. Who pray are these
..patriotio citizens that are trying to
overthrow the Virginia Constitution and
threat ,7ing to bring all manner OF alb
surd suits against the members OF the
Constitutional Convention? The Evening
Post says that they are Of both races
hut if there are any patriotic whites IN
the State engaged in the fight we have
rot heard Of them. The compliments are
ssveral negro citizens and the chief at
torney is Mr.. John s Wise, renegade
TirEinian, now a citizen Of New York.
who openly declared when ne was recent
II In Richmond that his interest In the
cases would las. as long as the negroes
passed around the hat. We did not hear
him make the remark. but it has fire.
auently been asserted in the newspapers
that he did speak to that effect ard the
statement has never been denied by Mr.
Wise The other lawyer in the case is
8 negro From all that we can learn
the money raised TO prosecute these suits
was contributed by the negroes and by
them alone. If any white man has con-
t,ibuted we are not aware of the fact.
But another misstatement by the Even
ing Post should receive attention. "Pri-
marily." It says, this is d fight on be-
half of the intelligent, law-abdirg. tax
paving negro whom the Constitution and
the officials created by it have deprived
Of his vote This is absolutely untrue
both as to the direct and Indirect state
nent The Constitution provides. with
out discrimination as to race. that any
for the year next preceding that In
which he offers to register. State taxes
aggregating at least one dollar have been
paid, shall be entitled to register and
vote And that fule has been strictly
adhered to by the registrars.
Il any such taxpayer, be he white or
black, was refused registration he had
the right under the Constitution to appeal
to the Judge Of his jurisdiction. and had
also in the event of a decision against
him the right Of appeal from that judge
to the highest court il the State. In
come cases, as we chance to know, good
negro citizens. who did not pay quite as
much as one dollar in taxes. but who
owned property and who were classed
among the taxpayers Of the State. were
squeezed in under other provisions. Nor
DO we believe that any considerable num-
Der of negroes. although they did not pay
as much as one dollar, but who could
give an intelligent explanation of such
to them were excluded. AS rule only
those were excluded who We're known
to be slliftless and ignorant, who paid no
taxes. who manifested no special inter
est in government and who knew abso-
lutely nothing about the principles OF
government, and SO were utterly incon-
petent to exercise the right of franchise.
Finally We direct the attention of the
Evening Post to the fact that in the case
of Mr. Wise's clients not one of them
who claimed to have been unlawfully
excluded employed the simple and ell
Client remedy which the Constitution it
self provides. II they had done so and
had made good In court their allegations
everybody who knows the judge Of the
Hastings Court of this city knows that
he would promptly have ordered the
registrars to put the names CT these
persons on the list