Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-29
"DIGNiOORACY BETRAYED BY
THE SOUTH"

THE greatest chastisement that q
man max receive who hath outraged
another, Is to have done the outrage;
and there is no man who Is SO rudely
punished as he that is subject to the
whip Of his own repentance. -
Senaca
Under the caption, Democracy BE.
trayed by the South the New York
World. in its issue Of December 90,
1917, says:
Section OF Article XIV Of the
Constitution Of the United States pro.
vides that:
Representatives shall be appor-
toned among the several States &C
cording. to their respective numbers,
counting tho whole number Of per-
sons In each State. excluding Indians
not taxed. But. when the right to
vote at any election for the choice Of
electors for President and Vice Pres
ident of the United States, Representa-
tives in Congress-, the Executive and
Judicial officers Of q State or the
members Of the Legislature thereof
is denied to any Of the male inhabi.
tants of such State, being twenty,one
years Of age and citizens of the United
States, or In any way abridged except
for participation In rebellion or other
crime, the basis OF representation
snail be reduced In the proportion
which the number OF such male citi-
IONS shall bear to the whole number
of male citizens twentysone years of
age in such State. -
Y'his provision Of the Constitution,
{ together with tho Fifteenth Almond.
ment, declaring that the right of citi.
zens OF the United Statessto vote shall
not be denied or Abridged on account
OF race. color or previoue condition
of servitNde, !" has been nullifled since
tho Hayes Administration withdrew
the Federal troops from tho Southern
States.
For forty years tho right OF Negro
citizens to vote in the South has been
persistently denied and the penaItl s.
provided by the Constitution have
never been enforced. No Southern
State has ever suffered a reduction
III Its representation Through its re,
fusal to permit Negroes to vote. al
though the provision Of the. Constitu.
tion Is mandatory upon Congress.
70 us, this anroars to be a case Of
chickens coming homo to roost." It
cGntinues:
This misrepresentation which the
South has held for moro than a gen.
Grafton 1t owes to the Northern Dem.
ocrats who have. projected the South
ern States from O punishment which
Democrats In general have deemed a
gross infringement upon the soYe-
reign right Of every State to regulate
Its own life and its own affairs. But
the Southern States are now prepar-
ing to acquiesce in such infringement
and to nullify the principle Of local
self government to which the Demo
cratic party has tenaclously adhered
since the time of Jefferson Their
Senators and Representatives In Con-
gTess haYe already voted for such
qualification in the resolution submit.
ting to the Legislatures Of the sew
eral States the prohibition amend
ment to the Constitution Of the
United States, and practically all Of
the Southern Legislatures are ok.
pected to ratify 1T.
Without the votes OF the Southern
Senators and Representatives this
resolution could not have been sub.
united; without the votes Of the
southern Legislatures the amend
ment cannot be adopted. Nation
wide prohibition, If 1t comes, will be
imposed by States which have turned
their backs as squarely upon their
ancient principles Of governments as
the, Russian Bolsheviti have turned
their backs upon the obligations Of
democracy.
These are grave and emphatic
charges. We have called attention to
the fact that the imperialistic and
centralized form Of government. now
being promulgated and supported by
tho present administration is the
same kind Of government advocated
by the alleged advocates of the.
bloody shirt" years ago. What was
all wrong then is all right now. It
was all wrong then because q Repub.
Iican was In the White House. It. Is
all right now because. q Democrat.
q Southerner occupies this same pa
1atial residence OF the nation. The
New York World says: &
When that day arrives the South