The Cairo bulletin., 1904-12-12
THE PRESIDENT SEES A LIGHT.

The news comes from Washington
that Presidant Roosevelt is emphat-
ioaly opposed to the bill offered by
Senator Plat in the senate to cut
down representation in the exon
federate states While this is moth
ing more than the president should
40, the Southern people will certainly
feel more kindly TO Mr. Roosevelt
than they have done. il he Is instru-
mental in choking of Platt's piratical
Enterprise II IL said that the presi-
lent desires revision of the tariff.
and that he wants the support of
Southern congressman for this mea.
sure. Row SO far as that Is con,
cerned the congressman from the
South can conscientiously support
any measure that makes even a
tentative effort at the reformation of
the tariff Practical Democratic
statesmen have long since recognized
that the task OF trimming the tariff
Town to a revenue basis must be
carried ont gradually. No matter
low dlintily the pruning knife is APP
oiled the Democrats can afford 60
sustain the application
We do not wish 10 be understood
as advocating anything not in line
With Democratic principles; nor do
We hold that the South is under any
. special gratitude TO the president for
opposing an utterly lawless and un-
constitutional measure. The repre-
sentation in a state can be cut down
only when that state passes law
DISTINGUISHING negroes on account OF
their color. In few states in the
/ South the negro vote is cut down by
an educational or property qualifica-
ton. In the majority of the South
ern states there is no law at all tina,
affects negro suffrage. Yet Plat
proposes to cut down the representa-
I ton in Tennessee, for example. be.
cause we have adopted the Australi-
an ballot system. He proposes TO cut
down the representation in Texas,
Georgia ana Arkansas. because a
citizen white or black--must pay
his poll tax in those states Similar
gauzy pretexts are seized upon 10
cut down the representation in other
states
Now Mr.. Roosevelt has Intelligence
enough TO see that such a law as
! Platt's would be entirely unconstitu-
tional. He can also see that to de
prive the South Of nineteen repre-
sentatives Is 10 seal the disfran.
chisement Of 100000 negroes in the
South: that is 10 say more than half
Of the entire negro population of the
Southern states affected The mo
ment that congress by statute de
clares that this population has been
disfranchised, Il will be disfranchis
ed. The states will have 10 accept
he action of congress. if that action
is sustained by the supreme court Of
he United States. Under the law
I If TENNESSEE any negro can qualify
himself for voting in exactly the
same way that a white man does
] There isn't an election law. or clause
Of a law in Tennessee that is in con
fict with the federal constitution
But if congress should decide that
$4,000 negroes are DISTINGUISHED IA
f Tennessee they will become disfrah
chised by that act Of a Republican
congress and not through any law
now on the statute books of Tennes
/ see.
SIR. Roosevelt can see that his par
" IS about to do a fool thing as we'll
as an Unconstitutional thing he
knows that if the Plat bill is passed
The Republican party viii have aci
aallx disiEanchised more ian half %