Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-29
REVIVED ATTEMPTTO PUNISH
THE SOUTH.

we again hear of the plan to re-
duce the representation of the
Southern States i'm the House
of Representatives. This was
favorite measure of Mr..
Henry C.. Payne, a member of
Congress from Wisconsin, now
Postmaster-G General of the Unit
ed States. Mr.. Payne introduced
a bill to carry out his design
against the South and ardently
urged its passage. He was un-
successful in his attempt and
could scarcely obtain a hearing
for his arguments outside the
partisan newspapers. But as a
member of the Presidents Cabi-
net and enjoying the reputa-
tion of being the political con-
ductor of the Administration.
he now occupies more poten-
tial position than he did as a
member of Congress. 1t is re-
ported now that Mr.. Payne says
Congress will be expected to
enact his bill, and without any
prompting in the Presidents
message. If it should fail to do
: SO, then he thinks the Republi-
can National Convention will
take action upon the subject.
This bill to deprive the South
ern States of a portion of their
representation i'm Congress is
based upon the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Federal Con
stitution which was ratified by
force of arms in 1866, 1867 and
1868, when the entire South. eX-
cept the negro population, was
disfranchised. Section , of that
amendment provides as follows:
Representatives shall be APP
portioned among the several
States according to their res
pective numbers. counting the
whole number of persons in
each State, excluding Indians
not taxed. But when the right
to vote at any election for the
choice of Electors for President
and Vice-President of the Unit
ed States, Representatives in
Congress, the executive and
judicial officers of State, or
the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied to any of the
male inhabitants of such State.
being twenty-one years of age
and citizens of the United States
or i'm any way abridged, except
for participation in rebellion or
other crime, the basis of repre-
sentation therein shall be- re
duced in the proportion which
the number of such male citi-
Zens shall bear To the whole
number of male citizens twenty
one years of age in such State"
The Fifteenth Amendment
prohibits any denial or abridg
ment of the right to vote on ac-
count of race, color or previous
condition of servitude.
The representation of the
States in Congress down to the
time of the adoption of the
Fourteenth Amendment was
apportioned among the States
according to their respective
numbers, which were deter
mined by adding To the whole
number of free persons three
fifths of the slave populations
In framing or enforcing IL law
to carry out the views of the
Postmaster-General there will
be many practical difficulties.
OF course the object of the bill
is to reach every State in the
South, but ostensibly ii will be
directed against those whose
Constitutions contain the so
called "grandfather clause. ="
That clause is intended to dis
franchise as many negroes as
possible without coming in con-
flict with the Fifteenth Amend
ment to the Federal Constitu-
ton. If they disfranchised
the negro because of his race,
then that provision would be
null and void and Mr.. Payne's
bill would be unnecessary. All
that would be required would
be for the persons SO unconsti-
tutionally deprived of their
votes to appeal to the courts.
But no one is deprived of his
vote on that account. The dis
franchised people are mainly
the illiterates. If all the Hitter
ates were disfranchised, the
census would be a guide to the
number. But all illiterates are
not disfranchised, and it is
practically impossible to ascer-
tain with any degree of accur-
acy the number disfranchised.
The number, in fact, varies
from year to year.
In the Constitution of Ala
ma, for instance, the follow
persons who have the re-
lite qualifications of age,
nd residence are permitted
te: First-All who can