The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-02-15
For Coughs Murray's Hore
hound, Mullen and Tar. rs
cents for large bottle.
what a Waste Of time.
.(Washington Post

We note in the esteemed Atlantis
Constitution another evidence of the
Southern tendency to take to heart:the
hostile comments of Northen newspa.
pers, whether they proceed from hon.
est ignorance or deliberate misrepres-
entation. Some days ago, for in
stance, the Philadelphia Press. indulg.
ed itself in t%hroughly characteristic
reference to what it is pleased to repre-
sent to its readers as conditions at the
lSouth.n Whether it knew better, we
have no means of knowing. This is
what it said;
Booker Washington says that the
negroes of Georgia wi over $4,000,
600 in taxable property, though it Is
assessed at Is, 700, 600, or in the same
proportion as that of the white man
But however much property they may
own, it d~oesInot qualify them in that
State to vote. 1t speaks well for the
negroes, who not very long ago were
slaves, that they have acquired that
much property in a State where they
are Disseminated against in 30 many
ways by law and custom. Given
equal opportunities in education and
otherwise and the negroes will be able
to look out for themselves"
Whereupon, the Constitution, pro.
ceeds to explain, at great length, and
with aff%ectionate attention to detail
that the Georgia laws do not make the
least mention of literacy as q necessary
qualification for the suffrage, or pre-
scribe any other condition which can
by the most riotous exercise Of ingen-
uity be construed a. a discrim-
ination against the negro. Care.
fully analyzing the statutes bearing
upon this question, ii goes on to say:
"If there Is anything that does quail
ify a negro to vote in the state of Geor.
gia, that thing should be the posses
sion of taxable property, for in Geor-
gia suffrage is based on a clean tax re-
ceipt. Georgia is n of the Southern
States that have never abridged the
negroes privilege of suffrage by max
ing lileracy the basis of eligibility. If
the negroe pays his poll tax, just as q
white voter must pay his poll tax, he
can vote in Georgia, and many OF
them do pay their poll tax and vote.
1t is a fair presumption that the Geor-
gia negroes who pay taxes on SlS, 700,
600 of taxable property do vote, for
that class of negroe is able and apt to
keep up his poll tax. The grossly ig-
norant and INDECENT negro is not like.
ly to keep up his poll tax, and his suf-
frage is by no means desirable"
1t seems to US that the Philadelphia
Press sufficiently refuted its W &C
cusation in the first place. If the
Georgia negroes have accumulated $50,
00O, 900 of taxable property, and have
been permitted TO "swear it in" at SIS,
700. 600, clearly they are treated ex.
actly as the whites are, and cannot see
up the smallest complaint Of injus'
ltice or oppression. The mere fact
that they have been able to make all
this money shows that they receive
every possible encouragement and
protection at the hands of their white
fellow citizens. The further fact that
they are assessed on the same reduced
valuation is answer enough to all non
~sensical gabble about discrimination.
For the rest-the story of d~isfranchise-
ment-why should any Southern
newspaper concern stself with the silly
Tor tal-e) accusations of the Philadel-
phia Press? Surely, u esteemed
contemporaries beyond the. Potomac
have matters Of real consequence with
which TO occupy their time.