Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-02-04
FA KORS LIMITED VOTE.

IA BOhO LIMIIhD HOIH.
President Taft has gone on record in
favor Of limiting the right of suffrage in
Porto Rico by an educational and prop
erty qualification" in order to avoid the
the dangers of an illiterate electorate.
In a special message transmitted to Con-
gress last Saturday the President urges that
legislation be adopted, as a result of an
investigation by Secretary Of War Dickin-
son, for the purpose of cutting down the
right to vote in Porto Rico. The system
now in vogue there is manhood suffrage"
established under the terms Of the Foraker
act of 1900.
Secretary Dickinson has convinced the
President that manhood suffrage" is some
thing for which Porto Rico is not ready
In his special message the President says
that, as a very large percentage of the
voters are unable to read or write, "the
electorate is not one which should be en-
trusted with the government of the island"
The recommendations of the President
and of Secretary Dickinson for an educa-
tional and property test in order to purify
the electorate in Porto Rico will probably
attract considerable attention in Maryland
and in the Southern States, where limita-
tons have been placed upon the elective
franchise for the purpose Of eliminating
the negro vote. Southern members are
already contending that the conditions at
which the Administration is aiming in
Porto Rico are similar to those which have
led to Acknowledgement in the South.
When Senator Foraker was in Congress
he contended strongly for the adoption Of
a manhood suffrage for the Porto Ricans.
Mr.. Dickinson found the Foraker plan
failure.
The special report of Secretary Dickin-
son was Saturday sent to Congress by the
President with the special message and
draft of the legislation recommended. Com
menting upon the matter of citizenship,
the President in his message says:
The Secretary suggests not an act max
ing all Porto Rican citizens American citi-
zens with or without their consent, but an
act to provide machinery by which Porto
Rican citizens who shall make the proper
application for citizenship to proper court
shall become American citizens upon TAX
ing the oath of allegiance to the United
States"
AS to the proposed limitations upon the
elective franchise, the Taft special message
says:
After a certain date the right to vote
and to hold Office is to be confined to Amer
lean citizens, and only those American
citizens are to enjoy the franchise who
can satisfy certain educational or property
qualifications.
AT present there is manhood suffrage in
the island. and as a very large percentage
Of the voters are unable to read or write
the electorate is not one which should be
entrusted with the government. 1t is much
better in the interests of the people of the
island that the suffrage should be limited
by an educational and property qualifica-
ton"
The bill forwarded by the President pro-
vides that after the general election of
1910 the qualified voters for any election
shall consist only Of those citizens of the
ficati0ns as are required by the laws Of
Porto Pico. 'are able to read or write; or
on the day of registration shall own taxa
BILE real estate in their own right or name,
or who are on said day bona fide members
of a firm or co-partnership which shall own
taxable real estate in the name of such
firm or co-partnership or on the day of
registration shall possess and produce to
the Board of Registration tax receipts show
ing the. payment Of any kind of taxes for
the last six months of the year in which
the election is held"
Secretary Dickinson, in his report oppos-
ing universal suffrage, says:
Many men, both Americans and Porto
Ricans of such education, character and
general knowledge of affairs in the island
as to make their judgment entitled to great
weight are of the opinion that such a sys-
TEN would be disastrous to the health and
economic and political welfare of the is
land. would jeopardize investments. retard
healthy development and would eventuate
in forcing the United States in the no dis
tant future to withdraw power IMPROVE
IDENTIFY granted and set beck. on account
of having travelled too fast, the realization
of local self-government.
They represent that it was unwise to
grant general suffrage to people, a vast
majority of whom have neither the educa-
ton to vote intelligently nor the property
interests to make them deeply concerned
in the administration of public affairs.
From a careful inquiry from many
sources ! am satisfied that many voters
simply record the dictates of political
leaders or Of their employers.
Many believe that il was mistake to
confer generally the right to vote upon a
population Of which about 80 per cent
were illiterate. cannot but regard il as
great menace to the political and mate
rial welfare of the island"