The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-12

peated in the second part Of the clause.
1t IS found in the present Constitu-
ton OF Virginia. from which the whole
clause is taken. and il cannot be srD-
posed that the omission o. this wo-t!
reasonable" was intended 70 affect the
Interpretation c. the cle1sa.
Inability to Read.
The right to registration conferred
upon men able to ''undsrs-and ard give
explanation. while rot able 70 read. is
not made 10 depend mon IN inability
to read from physical defect. such $
blindness. bnt Is conferred absolVt' y
upon them witho';t regard 70 RE cows
Of their inability. whether the same
arises from want OF sufficient education
or any other cause whatever.
The right. in other words. is made 10
depend upon the fact Of the inability TO
read, and not at al upon the cause Of
such inability. Hence the practical and
substantial test Of admission TO regis
tration or exclusion from il under this
whole clause is the ability or inability
Of the applicant 70 understand and
give reasonable explanation" OF any
section of our State Constitution read
to him by the Registration officers. No
greater or different test is required
from the man who can read and the
man who cannot read. Both are
required to be able to give a rec
sonable explanation Of any section sub
mitted by the Registration officers.
The man Who can read and give a rea-
soaable explanation ofthe section which
is submitted to him to be read by him
is put upon the same plane precisely as
the man who cannot read. but can IN
derstand and give a reasonable expla-
nation Of the section read to him.
And 50, too. the man who cannot
read the section submitted TO him 10
be read 10y him. bit is called on to give
a reasonable explanation OF a section
read to him by the Registration Officers
is put upon the same plane precisely as
the man who can read the section sub
nitted TO him by the Registration or
GERS to be read by him.
Starting, therefore. with this plain
Interpretation of the meaning of the
whole clause, viz, that any illiterate
man. whether white or black who can
understand and give a reasonable ex-
PLANTATION OF any section of the Con-
stitution which may be read by him 10
the Registration Officers or read to him
by them. is entitled to registration. the
question is whether, in connect n
with the other clauses of the Amend
ment. it is a good and desirable amend
ment TO the Constitution OF Maryland,
and. as such should be adopted by the
people. or whether it is the bad propo-
sition which some OF its opponents
proclaim it TO be. and, as such, should
be rejected.
Nc Race Discrimination.
In passing upon this question we
must consider ar the very outset wheth-
er it violates either the Fourteenth or
FiftserJh Aue~drent to the Constitu-
tiCn Ct 90 United States.
The rts-r-~:h Amendment declares
-'-- o. citizens OF the United
shall not be denied or
70 Tlijed S-7tes. or by
co-vt 81. -~-a color. or
s1 a. .t-5a."
to- .@ra - r. ~ ri91sa
e-4 = g. ---',fs-er ar
9~a uo--i-llv eii,-a
7~l ~ ,. r.-tz-ns Of he
or. . DIR: --ir7-:ol ls
es ~r-.est an citizen on &C.
count of ~9se ~ "Glor and hence tha~a
is no ros i'i- 1aen Cor TIE suggestion
that the Fifteenth Amendment stands
as an obstacle in its way.
Taking up the Fourteenth Amend
ment, We find that its first section has
been repeatedly held by the Supreme
Court Of the United States TO have no
application whatever to the question
of suffrage. and this must now be treat
ed as absolutely settled.
AS to the second section of the Four
teenth Amendment the utmost that
has ever been suggested is that an ed
uc0onal qualification may subject the
State imposing it TO reduction of its
representation in Congress and in the
Electoral College but Judge Cooley
clearly shows in his principles of Con-
stitutional Law page 1872. that to re-
quire ability to read is no denial Of
suffrage. and hence that such denial
cannot be a violation of the second
section of the Fourteenth Amendment.
All objection TO this educational test
clause as contrary TO either the Four
teenth or Fifteenth Amendments being
thus eliminated we have only to con-
slider its expediency under our existing
political conditions in Maryland.
To judge this properly we must as
certain whom it will reach and control
and how it will operate.
Taking it in connection with the
other sections of the proposed amend
ment, it is clear that it does not affect
or touch in the registration of the year
1906 any native born white man whom
soeyer who voted anywhere in the
Union on January. 1869 or earlier. nor
the lineal descendant of any such na-
tive born white man. 1t will not and
can not apply to or exclude any such
men.
Nor will it apply to any naturalized
citizen of the United States who on
January l, 1869, or earlier. voted any
where in the Union, nor to the lineal
descendant Of any such naturalized cit
iZen.
NJ. r,.i11 "a -. L.. -. 1,,