Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-25

in the Taft-Bryan campaign of 1905.
This being non-presidential campaign,
no politicians expect this total to be ex-
ceeded this fall. But il it is eaualed there
will still be about 1l,So."-0 peop.e OF
voting age staying away from the polls:
and this number will probably be ex-
ceeded It will be more like l2000,OOb
non-voting males who are of age.
Why won't these dozen millions or so
vote?
or male negroes of voting age We now
have 100000 a ma jority OF whom Will
be kept away from the polls by various
causes such as the. grandfather causes
of the Louisiana and North Carolina cleo
ton laws and the educational tests i'm
posed in other states having large IL
literate negro population. majority OF
the males of voting age In MISSISSIPPI
and nearly half those of Alabama, FLO
rida, Georgia and Louisiana are negroes.
Out of this area as a whole only nve III
every 100 citizens vote, while In New
York the proportion of voters is twenty
one per hundred, or over four tunes as
great. In Mississippi only two per nun
dred citizens get to the polls. Ihe poPu-
lations of Mississippi and California are
many people vote in California as in Mis-
sissippi And California has an educa-
tional test for voters.
Hundreds of thousands Of other resi-
dents of the states will be debarred from
the polls because not yet naturaliZed.
Except in Alabama, Arkansas. Indiana,
Missouri Nebraska, Oregon, South Da-
kota and Wisconsin, aliens cannot vote
before completing Naturalization. III
New York. California, Utah and Mime
months and in Pennsylvania not until
one month after receiving his natura liza
ton papers. All aliens now Admitted 10
our shores are deprived of naturalization
Connecticut, Wyoming and California
no one native or alien, can vote unless
able to read and understand cur IAN
guage.
voting age are of foreign birth. but no
one can even approximate the number
Of those who will be qualified Tor citizeh-
ship and the ballot this autumn. over
100000 Chinese men over tWent! -one WIN
be excluded from the ballot simply De,
cause they are Chinese, and about lOon
Indians will suffer the same fate because
they are not yet citizens
Then there are scores of other bars
nut I'D by various states to keep cltlzens
: pm the polls. About 10000 maies OF
Biting age are forbidden the ballot be-
cause of mental diseases. while many
more are excluded because OF criminal
records. Failure to pay taxes Is a pa
IN most states, while hundreds or tnou'
sands of men otherwise qualified for vot-
ING are each year forbidden the ballot
because they have lately removed &c
neighborhoods where they have not YET
had time to establish legal residence
Thousands Of paupers will be exciudeo
from the voting places in fourteen states
which have special laws excluding them
while hundreds of our soldiers and sailors
will be kept from the booths In states
which have strict laws barring them OUT
But all of these bars cannot surely DC
count for the absence from the elections
of more thar half of our dozen millions
of inhabitants of voting age who VIII mol
show up at the polls this autumn.
The small party vote is another factor
which both republicans and democrats