The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-10-11
SOUTHERN
OLIGARCHY
Spirit Of the Constitution VioIat-
ed. Voters Rights Destroyed
In Centralized Power.
A FEW INTERESTING FACTS

TeSenIau0n IN congress ana IN the elect
.oralcolleges be reduced in states where
the elective franchise has been limited
by special DETERMINATIONS Is raising
stbe race question This is not true. The
platform does not touch the race ques-
ton. The clause in question has to do
with a more vital and important mat
ter, the equality of voters
The constitution of the United States,
Article |, Section II, -, defines the basis
Of representation as follows:
Representatives and direct taxes
shall be apportioned among the several
states which may be included within
this Union according to their respective
numbers, which shall be determined
by adding to the whole number Of free
persons, Including those bound to serv-
lee for term of years, and excluding
Indians not taxed three-ffths of all
other persons.
According to the fourteenth amend
ment:
Representative shall be apportion-
ed among the several states according
to their respective numbers, counting
the whole number Of persons In each
state, excluding Indians not taxed"
Now, obviously if by some such plan
as the wholesale Acknowledgement Of
certain class Of the population the
entire population of a state, voting and
nonvoting, can be made to count In
the representation Of that state in con
gress, while other states are there rep
resented in proportion to their number
Of voters, there is an inequality which
tends toward the establishment Of just
such an oligarchy as existed in the
antebellum congress, only instead of
counting three-fifths of large nom
voting population certain southern
states now count the whole. Moreover,
their representation is vested In men
who are committed to policy not only
Democratic, but essentially local and
ia many respects directly antagonistic
to the interests not only Of northern
Republicans, but of northern Demo
Gratis as we'll The perception of a
similar condition Of things made the
.twar Democrat Of forty years ago
Under the present Mississippi consti-
tuition one voter In Mississippi equals
ten tn Connecticut, ten In Ohio, twelve
in Massachusetts, sixteen In California,
seventeen in Iowa and twenty-nine in
New York. How do you like that, cit
liens?
Let us look at the matter In detail
John Sharp Williams, the Democratic
leader of the house, was asked some
time ago whether he would accept the
nomination for president. He said:
My nomination would no sooner be
announced than it would be heralded
Gar and wide that my platform consist
ed Of the constitution Of Mississippi
and the amendments thereto"
Mr.. Williams knew he could never
win on that platform. He was elected
to the Fifty eighth congress without
opposition, receiving 1,433 votes, his
district the Eighth Mississippi, having
population of 190.885. In the First
district of Connecticut having popu-
lation of 220,003, 15 per cent more than
that of the Eighth Mississippi, e.
Stevens Henry received 20,2S9 votes,
and had that district been of the same
size as Mr. Williams district Mr..
Henry must have had 1852 votes to
secure election more than ten times
as many as 1t took to elect the Demo-
cratic leader of the house. Moreover,
in opposition to Mr.. Henry, i7211
votes were cast for William O'Nell.
Democrat; 1892 for Edward Agard,
Prohibitionist; 7O8 for Jameson, Social
list, and IA for Joseph s. Powell,
Socialist Labor More than ten times
as many votes were cast in Connecti-
cut as were cast in Mississippi for a
winning candidate. The scattering vote
amounted altogether to 1,244 within
200 votes of the total vote In the Eighth
Mississippi district, for Williams was
without opposition. II this scattering
vote had united for the Socialist can
didate, and all the other voters in the
First Connecticut district had been dis 4
franchised, that candidate would have
been elected in conditions very nearly
corresponding, SO far as numbers are
concerned, to the conditions Of the Mis-
sissippi election which put Mr.. VIII
lians in the house of representatives.
And Mr. Williams is arguing against
imperialism on the ground that the
Philippines are governed without rep
resentationl
In the Eighth New Jersey district
Representative Wiley was elected by
1854 votes against 12,005 Democratic
votes out Of population Of 1S1,947.
1t took thirteen votes In this New Jer-
eey district, which is smaller than that
OF Representative Williams, to elect a
congressman opposed by vote two
thirds as large as his own. To be
elected unanimously he would havc to
receive more than twenty votes to Mr.
Williams one. is one Mississippian
equal to more than score Of Jersey
men at the polls?
Mr. Cannon, the speaker Of the
house, received 22,941 votes in dis
triet whose population Is 209,233, and
ne was opposed by Democratic vote
OF 15,25f and a Prohibitionist vote of
], 106 More than ten times as many I
Democratic votes were cast against I
Cannon In Illinois as for Williams in
Mississippi
Boys Elect Qniers.
The Boys Department Of the Young
Mems Christian Association elected (