The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-15
Depew Says Proposed Amend
ment Allows States to Fix
Test for Franchise.
FINDS NORTHERN S0L0NS
NOT OPPOSED TO SCHEME
Empire State Senator Says Few
congressman Uphold Rights
of Blacks.
Rv Leased Wire TO The Tribune

By Leased Wire 10 The Tribune
WASHINGTON, Jan. l4-That the
adoption of al amendment to the con
stitution providing for the election OF
United States senators by direct vote
of the people, as proposed in the reso-
luton now before congress, may annul
the fourteenth amendment to the con
stitution, and may make constitutional
laws in the south disfranchising the ne
gro, is the statement made by Senator
Chauncey N. Depew in an interview to
day.
''Thc joint resolution now before the
senate said Senator Depcw. ''for the
election of United States senators by
the people, fixes the qualifications OF
electors 10 vote for United States sen.
ators in This language; The electors
in each state shall have the qualifica-
tions re"uisite for electors of the most
numerous branch of state legislatures.
In other words. the qualifications shall
be fixed by the state legislatures.
The fourteenth amendment guaran
iced 30 the negroes the right to vote,
and the southern states by various dc
Wees have disfranchised them. Take
Mississippi, for instance. with l,S00,000
population; it casts on an average, [
think. from 10000 TO 10000 votes
RepealS Amendment.
tUnder this resolution, allowing by
constitutional amendment the state to
fix the qualifications of electors, it re
peals the fourteenth amendment, which
saws that every citizen 81 Years of age.
who has not engaged in the rebellion
an1 has not committed crime, shall be
entitled TO vote.
"My proposition is that the qualifi
cations of electors for United States
senators and congressman shall be uni
form in all states, and that congress
shall make laws to see that the votes
are properly registered and counted
When / offered this amendment to the
same resolution to the committee on
privileges ard elections SIX years ago,
it was adopted by unanimous vote of
the Republicans. Then the Democratic
senators who had been vigorously, and
with good deal Of temper, advocating
the Mann amendment. said that if the
negroes were permitted to vote. they
did not want the election of United
States senator's by the people, and
would not have it. They killed the
resolution.
GAS an Indication of the change in
public sentiment in regard TO this dis
franchisement of negroes in the south.
] got only one vote besides bv own 10
my amendment in the committee the
the rest of the Republicans, excepting
this one, were against 1T.
Change of Sentiment.
Now, it becomes one of the most
interesting questions in our politics
whether in six years public sentiment
has so changed that Republicans from
northern states are willing. in order to
get the election of senators by popular
vote to practically repeal the fourteenth
amendment to the constitution and al
low the states, by constitutional pro
vision, to disfranchise forever the ne
gro vote,
'The southern states have been en-
deavoring by various processes to repeal
the fourteenth amendment. They have
nulified it, but they always have been
afraid that the supreme court of the
United States might declare that nulli-
fication eXpediencies we're unconstitu
tionaI
Now, under the guise of securing
the election Of United States senators
by direct vote, they advocate an amend
ment to the constitution under which.
in their states, one-half or more of the
peonle can be permanently dsfran-
chised. In other words, the election Of
United States senators by the people
means that one half Of the people shall
not vote, and they Will be barred by
constitutional authority