The Washington times., 1915-06-24
OKLAHOMA'S ACTION TOO BALD.

Hut I'm the Oklahoma case the propo-
sition was too bald. In Government
law circles the Supreme Courts deci-
sion was received, not with surprise at
the courts action, but OF renewed Won
der that the Oklahoma legislature so
late as 1910 should have imagined that
such an amendment as 1t submitted to
the State would have any chance at
all to get past the highest court.
The truth Is that the thinking men of
the South have not in the last decade
relied upon the grandfather provisions
to Keep the colored people away from
the ballot box. In different States they
have various devices to accomplish that
end. Only North Carolina and Louisi-
ana. aside from Oklahoma. have passed
grandfather clause" measures in the
strict sense. The other States have
found other ways to accomplish ap-
proximately the same end.
North Cardinals grandfather clause
has done its work and ceased to re
operative. 1t served to keep the colored
men from being registered as voters:
and then when registration list for
tho state had been made up that ex-
cluded the colorcd man. the grand
father clause" by It's own limita-
ton ceased to operate. and the regis
try list assut stood in 1908 was accepted
as the basis from which to determine
the right to vote in future: persons
on that list. and their descendants.
were to be entitled to vote. literacy
test also applied. but with the excep-
tion that persons vested with the ballot
according to the registry lists in 1905,
and their descendants. should be ex-
empted from this test. Thus today, in
that state. persons may vote who were
entitle to do so while the grandfather
clause" was In effect and their de-
scendants: also others who can pass the
literacy test. The colored people who
were not on the registry in 1903 caunot
get on now; nor, indeed. can white peo-
pie. though of the latter the number is
small. while Of the former 1t Is the great
majority. There are some colored peo-
pie In North Carolina. who were never
barred from voting even when the
Many wears before the civil war the
State gave the ballot to the free colored
man. and IT was not taken from them
by the grandfather enactment.
May Restrict Suffrage.
Anv State may restrict the suffrage as
II likes. The Fourteenth Amendment
does not grant any general right to the
vote; 1t merely says there shall be no
discrimination on account of race, color
or previous condition of servitude"
Determination may be based on Hitter
acy, or the ownership of property. or
any other test that applies without re-
ferring to race. color or former servi-
tude-that is. 1t must apply alike to
whites and blacks.
Senator George of Mississippi Is COM
monty regarded as the inventor of the
grandfather test: but even he has been
quoted as declaring that the South did
not relv on that method of excluding
the negro from the vote. The imposi-
ton Of a poll tax which must be paid a
year in advance in order to insure regis
tratton. is one of the favorite methods,
the black man commonly failing to pay.
Virginia. Alabama. and Georgia dis
criminate in favor OF soldiers who have
fought In either the Confederate or
Union army. by excepting them from
the literacv test which others must
meet. This let's a small number OF