The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-09-28

vides all adult males into three
classes:
I. Those who were entitled to
vote in any of the United States
on January 1, 1869, or prior there
to.
II. Any male lineal descendant
Of such person who may be 81
years of age, or over, in 1906
that is, these born in 1855, or prior
thereto.
Let us stop a moment to see the
reason for these two classes, and
the persons whom they would in
clude or exclude.
(a) THE REASON.
The amendment is said to be
fair on its face, because it treats
all, white and black, alike. But
why was the date January 1860,
selected? Just there is the first
fraud in the amendment. The XIV
amendment to the Constitution
of the United States provides that
"the right Of citizens of the Unit
ed States to vote shall not be de-
MED or abridged by the United
States, or by any State, on ac-
count Of race, color or previous
condition ofservitude."
The resolution of Congress sub
hitting this amendment to the
States was passed February p,
1869, and the amendment was rati-
fed March so, 1870. On January
I, 1869, negroes generally had no
right to vote, at least so few had
the right that they may be disre-
garded, but shortly after that time
discrimination on account of color
was forbidden. The fixing of the
date, January :, 1869, is, there
fore, covert intentional discrim-
ination against the negro on ac-
count of this color. This could
not be expressly done, but the at
tempt is made in this indirect
and hidden way to nullify a part of
the Constitution of the United
States.
(b) THE PERSON INCLUDED.
These two classes include only
those who could vote in I86Q-that
IS, men now ST years of age, and
over, and their descendants, who
were born in 1885 or prior thereto.
All persons who have come to
this country from abroad since
I869-that is, for the last SO years,
and their children are discrimina-
ted against. The foreign-born
citizen, or the native born citizen
of foreign parents, even though he
has been voting for IS years, must
pass his examination in Constitu-
tlonal law before he can register.
1t is estimated that in this State,
under this amendment, "a 900
white men and 1000 colored men,
out of total of $4,000 legal vo-
tiers, will be deprived of the right
to vote unless they can pass this
examination in Constitutional law
conducted by the officers of regis
tration. In the city of Baltimore
it is estimated that 10000 whites
and $1,000 negroes will have to
pass the examination.
So far as we have gone, the effect
VI lHC dlllCuuluCuI Will DC 70 us
franchise practically all of the
negroes, and a vast number of
foreign born citizens and their
children. The negroes and the
torelgn-born are Jumped together
as unworthy the franchise unless
they can pass an examination in
Constitutional law. The native
born white man of native-born
parents has birthright to vote, no
matter how ignorant or depraved,
if he has not been convinced of an
Infamous crime" The trainers
of the amendment did not want to
class the foreign born white man
with the negro, but it became nee
essary, because, to fully exclude
the negro, the date, January 1860,
had to be fixed. We will now see
how the fraudulent attempt to
nullify the Constitution of the