Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-10-29
How Suffrage Amendment Compares
. With The Virginia Law.


has no serious opposition for reelection t,
the position at the coming session of the
Legislature, has taken deep interest il
the Maryland suffrage amendment anC
hopes to see it adopted. The Virginia Law
has helped the State in many ways ant
he does not see-why there should be oppo.
sition to the Maryland amendment on the
part of thinking white men. In compar-
ing the proposed law for Maryland with
that of Virginia, he said:
THE suffrage clause of the Virginia Con-
stitution of 1902 and the franchise quail
fications proposed by the Maryland amend
ment are based upon identical principles
Both stand upon these propositions The
status of voter at a designated period
2. the ancestral status; 8, an educational
test; 4. property qualification.
THE Maryland amendment, however,
applies these principles much more liber-
ally than the Virginia Constitution. For
instance. Virginia limited the privileged
status to persons and their sons who served
in the army and navy of the United States
or the Confederate States prior to 1902.
The proposed Maryland amendment in
cludes all Of those who had right to vote
on or prior to January 1, 1869, all persons
naturalized between January 1, 1859, and
the date of the adoption of the amendment
and all the male descendants of these two
classes. The educational test is practically
the same. except that the Virginia test is
more severe and Virginia limits the prop
erty qualification to the voter himself, while
the Maryland amendment enables a man
to qualify on his wife's property.
THE suffrage clauses of the Virginia
Constitution were unsuccessfully attacked
in the Federal courts and it would seem
that if the Virginia Constitution can stand
the test the Maryland amendment will Ger
tainly be upheld.
1.-THE suffrage qualifications of the Vir-
ginia Constitution were not dictated by
partisan considerations. When the Con-
stitution of 1902 was enacted the Demo-
cratic party had been in complete control
of the State since 1884. White supremacy
was then finally established The negro
electorate had become potential rather than
actual. 1t was quiescent and ineffective,
but there was always the fear that it might
be called into life by bad men for bad pur-
poses. The very existence of a large cor
rupt and venal mass of voters was a con-
slant temptation to a certain class of
politicians and in certain local contests the
negro vote was manipulated after fashion
which threatened decentralization.
1.-THE suffrage was restricted by the Con-
stitution of 1902 not for the purpose of
strengthening the hold of the Democratic
party of the State, but to obtain pure
electorate and to put an end to the demon
alization invited by the existence of great
numbers of venal and ignorant voters. In
deed, one of the actual and anticipated
results of the Acknowledgement of the ne
gro was that the Democratic majorities in
the black counties were diminished II
was the opinion of some wise and patriotic
Democratic leaders that upon the constitu-
tiOnal elimination of the ignorant negro
vote voters would cease to consolidate upon
the single issue of negro domination, and
individuals could express by their politica
utilization their opionions upon economic
and governmental questions
This was contamination devoutly tc
be wished for. and the elimination of the
negro as a political factor has permitted
the whites much greater independence
which is already especially noticeable in
local and municipal elections. Ihave been
in close touch with the situation in Vir.
ginia. and have had unusual opportuni.
hisitate to say that the constitutional elm
ination of the ignorant and venal negro
vote has in the short space of seven years
done a splendid work in Virginia. II has
arrested progressive political demoraliza-
ton which, if permitted to continue, would
have threatened the well-being of the
State. 1t has removed IA great fear from
mems hearts and permitted them freedom
of political thought and action.
"In the last seven years new life has
entered the State. There is higher stand
ard of civic virtues, a great insistence upon
governmental efficiency and the State amid
great prosperity, is approaching an unex-
ampled period of development and pro-
gress.