The Washington herald., 1908-02-08
Disfrancbisement legislation


Two States have now under considera-
/ tion legislation for the disfranchisement
| of negro Maryland and Oklahoma.
IN both of these Commonwealths The
whites far outnumber the blacks-in Okla
| homa the population being ten to one
and in Maryland five TO one: so that in
neither State is there any danger Of negro
domination, the possibility which has been
held to justify the disfranchlsement legis-
lation of the South. The negro has, iu
fact. voted for many years in Maryland
without challenging white supremacy.
save in a few counties where the blacks
are more numerous than the whites. Thus
the necessity for disfranchisement felt by
Southerners generally has not strongly
impressed the people of this State, and
two years ago d constitutional amendment
for the suppression of the negro vote was
overwhelmingly defeated.
Under these circumstances the problem
of disfranchlsement has this year been
approached with extreme caution by the
Maryland Democracy. The Baltimore Sun.
the leading party organ. is conspicuously
lukewarm on the subject, and the BaIti-
more News, an independent paper. frankly
.cOnfesses that no intrinsic and unavoida-
bic necessity exists" for a suffrage amend
ment. 1t asserts that the negro vote has
not been an injurious factor in the State
or municipal government or in Federal
elections, but would not object to a reason
able Acknowledgement measure-one that
al a Fy4sv.a IL,
ter class Of negroes TO vote-if it could be
counted on 80 put a stop to the ceaseIess
agitation Of the race question. Having
regard 10 the rather uncertain state Of
public sentiment on the disfranchisement
proposition the Democratic leaders have
evolved a constitutional amendment es-
tablishing new suffrage qualifications
which in their judgment will meet the OBJ
jections that led to the defeat of the
former measure.
The proposed amendment contains some
novel features. Native-b born whites are
granted the suffrage by inheritance-bv
the familiar grandfather clause. But as
there is a large foreign population in
Maryland, it has been found politically
expedient to confer on foreign-born citi- |
zens or their descendants the right 10 |
vote on the same terms as the natives
thus creating two classes of citizens enti- |
tied to the suffrage by Inheritance No
time limit is fixed TO the operation of the /
clauses. as in the case Of the /
grandfather clauses Of other States, so |
that the Maryland Democracy proposes to |
for the first time in American
history, perpetually hereditary electo-
rate. A wide difference of opinion has de-
veloped concerning the propriety and con
of this proposition, but its
advocates insist that it viii strengthen
the amendment at the polls. even If if
should prove to weaken it from con-
5titutional standpoint Negro voters are
required to have either property or
an educational qualification, neither Of
which is onerous Curiously enough. II is
provided that a negro may vote If his
wife owns property. though he may have
none himself II approved by the people.
he dlsfranchisement amendment will be
brought before the bar of the United
states Supreme Court, where Republican
eaders feel confident it will be annulled.
Is do also the more timorous of the
Democrats.
Oklahoma's disfranchisement law. while
obtaining grandfather clause. seeks 10
Xclude negro voters by requiring a sat
sfactory construction Of some provision
T the Oklahoma or Federal Constitution
his test is TO be applied not at the