Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-24
FOR REGISTRATION OF VOTERS.
McMahan Expects Ultimate Adoption
of Plan.


of Plan.
News and Courier.
Columbia, May 19.-The Hon. John
]. McMahan Of this city, who was ac-
tive in securing the passage of the law
during the last session of the general
assembly by which Columbia has Sc
cured the commission form of govern
ent, which requires registration Of vo-
who believes that registration Of vo-
ters will be required by the Democrat
ic party in South Carolina at a future
convention although tine resolutions
were lost last night that would have
brought about stricter requirements
for voting.
Mr.. McMahan fought for the resolu-
tions before the committee. and for the
minority report on the floor of the con-
vention last night.
At the request Of the News and Cou
rier correspondent. Mr.. McMahan pre-
pared the following on the subject
today for the News and Courier.
THE Democratic party in South Car
olina, with its election machinery, Is
the real governing body of the state so
far as relates to the election Of all the
officers, from governor and United
States senator to coroner and magis-
trate If it permitted woman's suffrage,
we should have wOman's suffrage re-
gardless of the laws Of the state. II
the party rules abolished the distinc-
ton Of age, children might control in
the selection of the officers Of the
state. though at the general election
only males 81 years Of age and over,
could participate in the ratification Of
the result Of the primary election. In
short, the quality Of the government
of the state depends on the qualifica-
tions for suffrage, not according to the
state constitution, but according to the
constitution and rules OF the Democra-
tic party.
Limitations of Suffrage.
THE doctrine Of universal suffrage
or Of the right Of every white man to
vote, has its legitimate limitations in
the exclusion of convicted criminals, Of
idiots, and Of residents or mere
transients with no real interest in the
community, and no proper knowledge
of conditions, needs, or the personali-
ties Of candidates. In this day of uni
versal education, almost as free as the
air we breathe, which removes the hard
fate of unavoidable illiteracy, and in
this era of complex civilization when
public questions Of vital moments are
so involved in their bearings and re-
lations as to be unintelligible to the
man who does not know something of
current events, there is reason for the
view that q man who cannot read or
who has not other evidences OF some
intelligence should be excluded from
sharing in the selection of officers and
the determination of public questions.
There Is certainly more reason for this
than for the exclusion of women from
voting, or of young men in business
under 81. In other words, If we will
rid our minds Of the assumption that
things are right as we find them, and
il we will think Of the matter logical
ly, we perceive, as the constitutional
law writer's have always laid it down,
that the right to vote is not one Of the
primary rights Of man, is not natural
or inherent, but is a privilege confer
red and regulated by society (the or
ganic state,) in the interest of all the
men, women and children, who consti-
tute the social organism lin this case,
the state Of South Carolina.)
Rules In South Carolina.
THE present rules Of the Democratic
party of this state do not preclude
the convicted criminal from voting, or
the idiot. If the latter can be led to
the polls by some loyal worker, or paid
heeler, and his name has been put on
the club list. and he can drop the ballot
in the box while the oath is being re-
cited to him, he can vote, according to
the requirements Of the party. SUme
ignorant men, not merely illiterate,
but grossly ignorant, possibly newcom-
ers entirely uniformed as TO men and
measures, vote with no more real
choice than the idiot-just as somebody
tells them to do, merely serving as the
medium for dropping into the box the
ballot as handed to them by a worker.
If his name is on the club list five
days before the election (by whomever
it may be placed there) ne can vote
though there is the additional quallfica-
ton prescribed (without any method Of
strictly enforcing IT'D that he must be
a resident of the state for one year
and of the county for sixty days pre-
ceding the ensuing general election.
Registration Would be Strict.
"Registration, on the other hand, is
conducted under strict provisions OF
law and insures that the registered
voter has personally appeared before
a board of three and been enrolled by
them as a voter, or elector, tnat is.
81 years of age. a resident of the state
two years, of the county one year and
of the polling precinct four months
has some intelligence as tested by the
board of three supervisors of regis
tration (either the ability to read or
the possession of $500 worth Of proper
ty, or the ability to give a sensible in
Of a section Of the consti-
tuition read aloud to him. and has
never been convicted of any one OF
certain enumerated crimes. The regis
tration list stands for ten years as
public record in the office Of the clerk
Of court. and can be examined and the
facts on which it should be based test
ed. There is reasonable assurance
therefore against the impositions which
are easily perpetrated in the case of the
making up Of the club list. There Is
likely to be a better average OF intel
ligence and character in the former list
than i'm the latter. In the appeal to
the one electorate therefore there IS
much less temptation to fallacious rea-
soning. to demagosuery. to corrupt in