New-York tribune., 1907-08-24
STJFFRAGE IN THE SOUTH.

Secretary Taft in his address at Lexington.
KY reduced TO rational terms the Southern sur
frage issue. 1t has been somewhat hard for the
North TO understand the Souths passionate ana
sweeping denial of the negrOs rights as voter,
and it has been equally hard for the South to
understand the Norths inSiStence on the uncon-
ditional recognition of the guarantees OF the
Fifteenth Amendment TO the federal ConStltu-
tom But the time seems favorable for a clearer
and friendlier understanding, now that the
South is beginning to Danish its groundlesS drean
of negro domination" and the North 10 realize
that negro enfranchiSement, if unavoidable under
the conditions which confronted the nation be
tween 1865 and 1870. was by no means an ideal
solution of the problem. The RECONSTRUCTION the-
ory was too one-sided and proved unworkable
and in so far as it sought TO establish the negro
in possession of the franchise its operations were
nulIified by most of the reconstructed states
The negro was deprived of the ballot by force
and fraud and then by less violent resort TO
the indrections Of the law, and the North mas
watched the process of disfranchisement, at first
with resentment and latterly with disapprovai
mingled with a certain feeling of helplessness.
The virtual disfranchisement of the negro in
most of the Southern States has come to be
accepted as regrettable but accomplished fact
and 1t is doubtful whether any considerable
body of voters even in the North. would now
favor y ! turn to reconstruction conditions. Dis
franchisement by force and then by law was the
reaction from the evils OF premature enfran-
chsement. One process was the complement or
the other and now that the second has run It's
course il NAV be time for both sections TO begin
TO cast about for a middle course settlement of a
troublesome and still more or less Irritating
question.
It is visionary to suggest. Governor Varda-
man and other Southern radicals have done, that
the true solution is the repeal of the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth amendments Having been made
a citizen. the negro cannot be returned to peon-
age or serfdom. He is here to stay. and his
labor is needed by the South, even If his defects
as a citizen patent Liberal allowance will
be made at the North for the embarrassments
which the South faces in trying TO deal with an
inert ignorant and socially unassmabIe ele
ment in its population But. as Secretary Taft
points out the true working compromise lies In
the direction of gradual extension of the
gro's voting rights. as he qualities himself to en-
ploy them intelligenty and usefuly. and the
gradual elimination of all disqualification tests
which do not apply equally 10 both whites and
negroes.
There are some Southern states in which
groes vote without hindrance discrimination
based on color. There are others in which they
are made eligible voters. but are obliged TO
undergo tests not applied to the less intelligent
and undesirable classes of white citizens. Again.
there are states i'm which practically no negroes
are voters. Though legal ingenuity has been
stretched TO avoid conflict between Southern
suffrage laws and practices and the guarantees
of the Fifteenth Amendment. those guarantees
in many cases practically nullified Yet
as time goes on and larger percentage of the
negro population shows itself qualified by in
telligence and character TO use the ballot IT will
he easy for the Southern States 10 abandon in
vidlous race determinations and set up suf-
frage standards applying mDartially to both
whites and negroes. The electorate viii rennnin
RESPONSIBLE and sufficiently restricted. and the
federal Constitution will be respected in letter
as we'll rs in spirit. The Southern States are
now making material sacrifice Of personal lib
erty In order to stop the sale Of luuor and thus
stimulate economic efficiency and safeguard pub
lie order. They easily make the other sacri-
flee of excluding small fraction of their white
ponulation from the SUFFRAGE hv imnosing tests
which at the same time will give the ballot TO
the negroes who can satisfy reasonable suffrage
requirements Treated sanev. the "negro dom
ination" issue will soon disannear. and the South
can again turn TO fhe cultivation of serious noI-
iticS and regain the n1ace 1t once held an the
councils Of the nation"