The Denver star., 1916-11-11

ADOPTION OF TINS Oou8tbxuxlous oSVVSo W
time Of war in the Army or Navy OF
States, or Of any State Of the United
States or Of the Confederate States; or
SECOND. A son Of any such person.
Oklahoma and Georgia Grandfather
Clauses.
In 1907 OKLAHOMA adopted this
qualifications:
No person shall bs registered a. an
sisetor Of this State or be allowed to
vote In any election hsrsin unless he
shall b able to read and write any
section Of the Constitution Of oklaho-
ma; but no person who was on Janu-
ary I, 1866, or at any time prior there.
to, entitled to vote under any form Of
government, or who at any time re-
sided In some foreign nation and no
linsal descendant Of any such person
shall ba denied the right to register
and vote because Of his inability to 80
read and write sections Of such Con-
stitution.
In 1909 GEORGIA by an amendment
to her Constitution required that:
! or naval forces Of the United States
or the Confederate States Of the State
Of Georgia in time Of war or BE LAW
FULLY DESCENDED FROM SOME
ONE WHO DID so SERVE. Such
must register before January I, 1915.
Meant Hereditary Privilege Unre-
pealable.
8. SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS LEG
ISLATION. Thus the six clauses
caro- upon the statute looks of the
leading Southern States Severa!
things must be noted about this legis-
lation: F1RST-It establishes for the
first time in any modern government
pretending to be ruled by the people
the principle of HEREDITARY PRIV
ILEGE. There cannot be the slightest
doubt that had any one but the Negro
been the immediate victim Of this step
that the nation would have been con-
vulsed from end to end This shows
that II Of any species Of deception or
falsehood a grave injury to the cause
! Of democracy can be hidden behind the
excuse of racial hatred: it can be car
ried through practically without pro-
test
|
culiar nature Of the legislation-it is
practically impossible to repeal it. The
Supreme Court decided in June. 1915.
| that the Oklahoma Grandfather Clause
was unconstitutional. but at that time
there were thousands of white men ex-
ercising the right to vote for life in a
registration already closed in LOUISE
ANA, NORTH CAROLINA. ALA
BAMA. VIRGINIA. OKLAHOMA and
GEORGIA How are these men to he
stricken from the rolls? They cannot
be. Moreover. Louisiana. after her reg
istration of white illiterates under the
Grandfather Clause had closed. actual
~ had the impudence to amend her
Constitution and allow further period
for registration under the Clause.
Undertaking Clause and White Phi
mary Disfranchise Colored.
6. EFFECT OF GRANDFATHER
CLAUSES" The result of this legis-
lation does not show itself upon the
Negro race. BY legal and extra-legal
methods outside the working of the
Grandfather Clause the Negro has
been and is DISTINGUISHED in the States
South Of Mason and Dixon line In
Louisiana. for instance. where there
are over 10000 male Negroes of vot-
+, ing age WHO CAN READ AND
WRITE. less than 1900 of them are
registered voters. and that proportion
probably holds true in most OF these
| Southern States. This has been ac-
cOmplished by legal methods which
permit the local registrar to register
almost any white man under the "un-
| Outstanding" clause and to refuse regis
tration to almost any Negro. no mat
ter how web educated he may be
Also, beyond these there is the extra
legal method of the WHITE PRI-
| MARY-that is. an arrangement of
primary laws by which a single party
dominates the State. Its primary cleo
ton becomes the real election. and into
| the hands of the party managers the
States put the power to determine who
shall vote in the primary. This is. of
course. outrageously illegal and some
sine will he declared SO by the courts.
but at present 1t is a method of dis
franchising even the registered Negro
voters.
The effect, then. of the Grandfather
Clause is, as l said. not upon the Ne
gro voter. He has been disfranchised
by other methods. The full effect of
the Grandfather Clause falls upon the
Southern white man. and 1t falls with
crushing force.
Effect of Grandfather Clauses Is on
White South.
Consider our present political cam
paign: we hear of Mr.. Hughes speak
ing in California. Wisconsin. Maine
and even in Tennessee: we hear of Mr.
Wilson speaking in New jersey. iii