The Washington herald., 1915-09-17
Popular Elections.

South Carolina has been added to the prohibi-
referendum from the legislature The total vote
cast is reported to have been about $4,000 which
is practically the same as that in the Presidential
| election in 1912, and few thousand more than
that in the State election last year when COVER
nor was elected. 1t must therefore be accepted as
popular election such as they have in South
Carolina, though it would mot be accepted as a
popular verdict in many other States South Caro-
lima has population of 100000, $4,000 men of
voting age, one-half of whom are negroes; but
eliminating the negro from the political contest,
as they do in South Carolina, there are I65,7oo
white men of voting age and 10000 of these are
native born, of native white parents, about whose
right to vote there should be question even in
that State. This brings the popular election down
to one-sixth of the whole number of men of vot-
ing age and less than onc-third OF the native white
men of voting age. which would not be considered
popular verdict on any question in some of our
great States.
South Carolina has been gradually substitut-
ing class government for popular government for
many years. 1t has now eliminated more than
two-thirds of the white voters we'll all the
negro voters in election a referendum from
the legislature. This does not commend the
referendum as cure for old political evils. They
sometimes have exciting campaigns in South Caro-
lima and we told that this prohibition
pagn exciting one, but it appears to have
concerned only one-third of the white voters in
the State The other two-thirds did not count
any more than did the negroes and yet We now
have great moving picture drama exhibiting in
~1, 6 81 IL,
the old Ku Klux Klan as the savior of white
civilization in the South and the real Birth of
Nation" Ever since the organization of the
Ku Klux Klan the popular vote in South Caro-
lima has been decreasing, until more than
two-thirds of the native white of voting age
who the sons of native white parents and
must therefore belong to the old native white
stock, never heard from in popular elections.
They do not count any more than they did
in the old arstocratic days before the civil war
nor any more than do the plantation negroes;
but perhaps that the white mans civilization
the organizers of the Ku Klux klan had in mind
when, in white masks appearing like the knights
OF old, they rode through the country and warned
the negroes, and other white men too, that popu
lar election to be held, but they not in
vited to the polls. If popular elections in
South Carolina the direct result of the Ku Klux
klan and illustrate the true meaning OF the Birth
of Nation, it may dispe some OF the illusions
and cool some of the enthusiasm of the people in
the North who applauding this great dra-
matte film.
Prohibition, it is said by Capt. Hobson, should
be submitted to the people that popular vote by
all the people may decide this great moral and
social question In South Carolina it was decided
for 100000 people, one-half OF them white and
los 200 OF them white men of voting age by $4,000
men casting the vote On an amendment to the
Federal Constitution these $4,000 white men
would cast the vote of the great State OF South
Carolina and that vote would be equal to the vote
OF New York where 100000 men voted in 1912
What is a popular vote and what is a popular
election,