The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-10-09
SAFEGUARDING THE SUI
FRAGE IN INDIANA
Elimination OF the Fleater Foreign
Vote Possible Only Under New
Constitution.

How TO purify our elections Is the
most fundamental political problem OF
Indiana today. The need of safe
guarding the suffrage is recognized
by all as one of the main necessities
Tor constitutional changes. Some OF
these proposed changes I'm our suf-
frage clause involve registration of
voters, elimination 81 the unnatural
lied foreign vote, equal suffrage. poll
tax requirements and educational test.
The last three propositions are subject
to wide difference OF opinion. Equal
suffrage would probably be submit
ted to the people by the oonvention,
but as a separate proposition, to be
determined upon it's own merits. with
out involving the constitution itsslf.
A requirement that every voter
should hold poll tax receipt. both
for the year OF the election and the
year preceding, is one of the reforms
emphasized. II is contended that the
poll tax Is really a suffrage tax, and
that no citizen who is unwilling to
pay this tax, which he Is legally hound
to do anyhow, should be permitted TO
vote. This would tend to make the
vote more stable The necessity of
having receipts for two successive
years would prevent the payment of
the tax being used as a means of
buying votes.
The educational test has been
growing in favor with the develop
ment Of general education. Educa.
tion In Indiana Is not only free, but
compulsory, and Is costing over sS..
900, 900 per year in taxes It is a
common axiom that free government
can only exist through an enlightened
electorate. This suggests the need of
an educational test for suffrage. Both
the poll tax requirement and the edu-
cational test are IN force in many
states. Whether they should be
adopted in Indiana or not, they are at
least deserving Of a consideration
such as they can only receive through
ia constitutional convention.
The fact that under our present
registration law. the registration of
voters, prior to the e4ection of 1912.
cost more than the conducting of ths
election itself. suggests the need of
constitutional provision whereby
registration laws may exempt rural
communities and small towns.
There can be little or NO difference
Of opinion as to the wisdom OF siina-
mating the unnaturalfzed foreign vote
Our constitution of 1851 provides that
foreigners. after years residence In
the United States and six months In
the state, and who have taken out
their nrs& papers declaring their In
tention to become citizens, can vote
This was done to attract immisra-
tion Of the. home-building kind 10
populate the vast areas of unsettled
farm lands of that day. During the
middle Of the nineteenth century many
of that stable type of foreigners were
coming from Europe. They and their
descendants constitute elements of
our best citizenship today.
But we no longer need to offer
special induceEfent for immigration
Our task now is to safeguard the bal
lot. Much of our present immagra-
ton Is transient and politically un-
desirable. The immigrant who comes
here with the purpose only 10 make
some money. send It back across the
sea and later follow himself should
not be permitted to vote. He cannot
become a naturalized citizen within
five years, but his first papers declar-
Ing his intention TO become a citizen
are promptly provided for him by po-
litical manipulators. and he is voted
from that time forth without eveS at-
tanning citizenship. For example, In
1904 1850 torsign immigrants fled
papers declaring their intention to be-
come citizens, and during that year
only 49S were naturaIized. In 1908
the ratio was 5.7S5 to Isl, and in 1910,
4.33S TO 20S.
These lax provisions in regard 10
our suffrage and elections are fruit
ful sources OF corrupt and stolen cleo
uons, which have become the increas-
ing shame of the state. The only
means whereby the Australian ballot
system can be safely evaded as 70
bribery Is through the illiterate voter,
who can have his ballot marked for
him and can be safely checked off by
collusion with the election officer
Voting in Indiana should no longer
be made medium of financial profit
II should be held privilege. This