Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-05-06
CHAIRMAN VANDIVER
ON AMENDMENT

1T SHOULD BE ADOPTED BY THE PEOPLE,

uary. 1869. or earlier. and also al! white
men who on that date or earlier were
qualified voters in any of the States of
the Union.
No educational or other test can ha
exacted from Applicant .or registration
belonging to this class of men.
The fact that they were qualified vot-
ers anywhere In the United States on
January l. 1869, or earlier. entities
them. without more. to registration.
BY this Second Clause the suffrage Is
preserved to all white men throughout
the Union who possessed 1t on January
I. 1862 or earlier.
But no negro can come In under this
clause unless he was a qualified voter
on January l. 1869. or prior thereto. In
the State where he then resided.
The purpose and effect OF this Second
Clause land We shall presently see of
the proposed amendment from conflict
with the Fifteenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States.
Limitation Of Grandfather Clause.
Coming now to the Third Clause of
the Amendment. we find that 1t pre-
serves suffrage to the lineal descend
ants born not later than 1885 OF all
male citizens Of the United States who
were qualified voters on January 1. 1869.
without distinction of race, color or na-
tionality. and without any test except
the uniform and impartial test of lineal
descent and birth prior to the year 1885.
Any adult male descendant of any
man who on January l. 1869. was
qualified voter In any State of the Union
may be registered on that ground alone.
whether white or black. literate or illit-
crate. native born or naturalized. pro-
vided, first. that he have the necessary
qualification of residence in Maryland.
and. second. that he be 81 years Of age
or over in the year 1906.
This clause operates with equal force
| In law upon all such adult male lineal
descendants.
No man. whether white or black. can
come in under this grandfather clause"
unless he was in esse in 1885. and con-
sequently at least q years old In 1906.
| but aii may tOinC unuCt ttIlS CihuSo
who were born prior to 1885.
The lineal descendants born after the
| year 1885 of those who voted on Janu-
| ary l. 1869. cannot become registered
voters in 1907. or afterward except un-
der the educational test prescribed by
the First Clause of the Amendment.
for the obvious reason that In 1906 (ths
| specific date designated) they will not
be 21 years old.
BY this simple provision the grand
father clause" will gradually cease to
be operative. and no male. whether
white or black. who shall arrive at age
after 1906 can become a registered voter
scribed by the Educational Clause But
no man. white or black. who was voter
on January l. 1869, or who Is a lineal
| descendant of such voter and twenty
one years Of age or over In 1906. can bo
denied registration because of his ina
bility to meet such educational test
From the Virginia Constitution.
This clause is taken from the present
Constitution of Virginia and represents
the result of the deliberations of the re-
cent Virginia State Convention upon
the subject. aided as these deliberations
were by careful study OF the provisions
of the several Southern States upon the
question of negro suffrage and by the
successful and satisfactory practical op-
Grafton of such provisions in those
States.
II thus reflects and adopts the latest
and best views of the strongest men of
the South.
Recurring to itr precise language. we
find that it confars the right to regis
tration (as the indispensable prelimi-
nary to the right to vote) upon every
adult male possessing the prescribed
| qualification of one years legal resi-
dence in Maryland. who is able to read
and give reasonable explanation of
| any section of the Constitution of Mary
land submitted to him by the Registra-
ton Officers; or. il such adult male Is
unable to read, then the right to regis
tration is given IL he lis able to under
! stand and give explanation" OF any Sec
| ton of the Constitution when read to
him by them.
If the applicant is able to read and
give reasonable explanation of any
section of the Constitution when thus
submitted to him. he is entitled to reg
istration.
This st"nding alone would fairly
mean thu he applicant must be able
both to rod and give a reasonable ex-
planatior of the section submitted to
him. I:"t the succeeding words of the
clause show that such cannot be It's
| meaning. for these succeeding words
declare that II :he applicant cannot
read. hut crn undrrsta nd and give ex-
planation of the section when read to
him. he is in that event entitled to reg
istration.
From this examination of the whole
clause II is clear that no more is re-
quired of any applicant than an ability
to give a reasonable explanation of any
section of the Constitution. whether