Evening journal., 1914-03-25
18th Amendment
WILL CONTINUE
Southern Senators Hopes
for white Mans Govern
ment" Are Blasted
STRAIGHT CUT FIGHT
AGAINST THE NEGRO

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL
WASHINGTON. March 25.-south-
ern Senators have at last become coia-
vinced that there is not the slightest
hope of repeating the fifteenth amend
ment to the Constitution so that. in
the words of Senator Williams Of Mis-
sippi, the United States may become
a "white mans government"
The issue was sharply drawn in
the Senate when Senator Williams, in
connection with the fight for an
amendment TO the constitution per-
mitting women's suffrage offered an
amendment to insert the word white
between the proposition "of" and the
word citizens in the constitutional
provision which reads:
'The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United states or any
State on account of sex"
Senator Williams would have made
the sentence read that the right of
white citizens" Of the United States
to vote shall not be abridged.
This" the Senator explained TO the
correspondent of THE EVENING
JOURNAL, brought squarely before
the Senate the question which many
have been up for a long time. I want
to express my sympathy with the idea
that sooner OF later we would declare
this to be a white mans government
think that would be better for an
OF US, including even those people who
are not white aud who live amongst
us. Whether they are Chinese, Jap.
anese, or negroes, makes no difference
TO me. or course. the Chinaman as
an individual Is superior man to the
negro. AS to the japanese, he Is sim.
ply different, that is about all, but n,
is not white"
There was no attempt TO cloud th,
issue. lt was a straight out fight tC
deprive the negro OF his vote and th,
people of Delaware are entitled Il
know just how the Senate lined up or
this very important proposition.
Prior to the submission of Senator
Williams amendment, Senator Varda
man had introduced one frankly de
signed to repeal the fifteenth amend
ment. On this amendment only tw,
Senators outside the southern Statel
voted aye" They were Senators Cor
OF Oklahoma, and Myers Of Montana
Strangely enough. when the name o
Senator Salisbury of Delaware wal
reached, II was announced that he wa
paired with Senator Colt Of Rhode Is
land, but that If ne we're paired h
would vote for the amendment to dis
enfranchise the negro. Senator du
Pont announced that he would vot
against the amendment. There wer
4S other members, including all tn
! northern Senators, with the exceptio
Of Salisbury. Gore and Myers. VIII
voted against the plan to disenfran
chise the negro. There was virtual
the same lineup when the Williams
amendment was taken up after th
/ Nardaman amendment had been de
feated. The same northern Senators
salisbury, Gore and Myers voted 70
I the disenfranchisement Of the negro
while the majority of the northern
Senators voted against the proposition
All the southern Senators Of course
/ Joined with Salisbury, Gore an
Myers in favoring the disenfranchise
ment proposal.
On the question of women's suffrage
there was a majority of only one vot,
but a majority Of two-thirds was nee
essary for the passage of the Join
resolution. Senator DUPONT vote
may" and it was announced that MI
Salisbury, were he present would vot
the same way.