flaws, the ballot is given her. For an intelligent woman to refuse to use her ballot is as sinful as the Biblical character who buried his talent. Woman has always had much influence, but now she has influence plus power. Will any self-respecting woman fail to use this power to keep the nation's record untarnished and to make its future more glorious? Will any mother vote for legislators who permit her children to work unnecessarily long hours? Will she vote for health officers who are incapable of protecting the health of the home? Will she vote for police officers who put dollars above moral considerations? or will she elect school officials who educate clever rogues? Will she help to elect a police judge who will not enforce the law against those who are corrupting the morals of the youth? In short, will any true mother fail to appreciate the saying of Frances Willard, "We need the mother heart in legislation." 231. Educational Restrictions on Suffrage. Some sort of educational test is now required in one third of the States.1 In some it is merely ability to read; in others, to read and write; and in still others, to read, write, and understand a passage from the Constitution. The first educational test was adopted by Connecticut in 1855 during the Know Nothing agitation against foreign immigrants. Massachusetts followed in 1857, Wyoming in 1889, and Maine in 1891. Since that date most of the Southern States have adopted educational tests. In the Northern States the tests do not extend beyond the ability to read and write. In some of the Southern States the understanding clauses were added.2 1 The following States have the educational test in some form: Connecticut (1855 and 1897), Massachusetts (1857), Wyoming (1889), Mississippi (1890), Maine (1891), California (1894), South Carolina (1895), Washington (1896), Delaware (1897), Louisiana (1898), Alabama (1901), Virginia (1902), North Carolina (1902), New Hampshire (1903), Georgia (1908), and Oklahoma (1910), 2 The Virginia educational test is as follows: Every person unless physically unable," makes application to register in his own handwriting, without aid, suggestions, or memorandum, in the presence of the registration officers. "Grandfather Clauses" were inserted in the constitutions of most Southern States. These clauses provided that persons who voted before the Civil War and their male descendants may vote without taking the educational tests. These exceptions however were all abolished by 1915 when the last, that of Oklahoma, was declared to be in conflict with Amendment XV of the Constitution of the United States. Ideal Educational Test.—Justice would seem to demand that every adult citizen of the United States — whether man or woman, white or colored-should have the right to vote, provided such citizen is sufficiently intelligent and has not forfeited the right by misconduct, such as crime. The most practical way of testing intelligence is by a civil service examination conducted under the direction of an impartial civil service board. Such an examination would not be unlike the State examinations given by the Board of Regency for New York State. This need be given only once, provided the applicant passes the first time, and as the voter registers anew he could simply present his certificate. The questions of such an examination should concern government and should not be made difficult enough to exclude an unreasonable number. Nor should any questions be asked which are not taught in free public schools. Every intelligent and energetic person should be encouraged to vote, and not discouraged. 232. Tax Restrictions on Suffrage. — In a number of Southern States suffrage is restricted to those who have paid a small annual poll tax. This tax varies from one to two dollars. For instance, in Virginia one cannot vote unless he has per stating thereon his name, age, date and place of birth, residence, and occupation at the time and for two years next preceding, and whether he has previously voted, and, if so, the State, county, and precinct in which he voted last; and ... answers on oath any and all questions affecting his qualifications as an elector, submitted to him by the officers of registration, which questions, and his answers thereto, shall be reduced to writing, certified by the said officers, and preserved as a part of their official records." This registration is permanent so long as the person registered remains in the same precinct. sonally paid his $1.50 poll tax six months previous to the f regular election. Moreover, this tax must be paid for the past three years. That is, if one fails to pay this tax for three years he must pay $4.50 six months before the regular election. The voter is required to pay this tax six months before the election so that the candidates for office will not have been nominated. Thus the politicians are not so likely to give voters money with which to pay this tax. The payment of this tax is strictly enforced. If it is not paid at the end of f three years real estate can be sold to pay it if the man owns any. A poll tax is not very just because the poor man must pay as much as the millionaire. In the South its purpose was to discourage from voting the negroes who had passed the educational test. In practice it keeps a great many whites from voting, some worthy and many worthless ones. BIBLIOGRAPHY PORTER, K. H. History of Suffrage in the United States. 1918. 1922. MERRIAM, C. E. The American Party System. 1922. See bibliography at end of Chapter XXVI. QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 1. What is meant by the word suffrage? By the word citizenship? 2. Is suffrage determined by the United States or by the States? 3. What restrictions are placed upon the regulation of suffrage by the Constitution of the United States? 4. Could any State permit women to vote for presidential electors but for no other officers? 5. What three restrictions does every State place upon suffrage? What three additional ones do some States impose? What abnormal persons are excluded from suffrage in nearly all States? 6. Has the requirement that an American voter must be 21 years of age any special significance? 7. Do any States permit aliens to vote? Under what condition? 8. How many years must one reside in the State in which you live before he may vote? 9. How many States had full woman suffrage when the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted? 10. How many had presidential suffrage? 11. Distinguish between the words suffragist and suffragette. 12. Explain the sentence, Every right implies a duty; and tell why every mother should vote. 13. What kind of educational tests do a number of States have? 14. What is meant by "grandfather" clauses? 15. What would be an ideal educational test for suffrage? 16. What tax restrictions do some States have on suffrage? 17. Explain the Virginia law. QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. Should voting be viewed as a right, privilege, or duty? 2. Under what conditions may a Chinese woman vote for United States senators and representatives in some States? (See U. S. Constitution, Amend. XIV, Sec. 1; Art. I, Sec. 2; Amend. XVII; Amend. XV.) 3. Under what conditions may a. Chinese woman vote for the President? (Art. II, Sec. 1, Cl. 2.) 4. If the women in the United States should disfranchise the men, what effect would it have upon the State's representation in Congress? (Amend. XIV, Sec. 2.) 5. Can you advance any good argument against the following statement? "Every law-abiding adult citizen — man or woman, white or colored — should be permitted to vote if such person passes an examination which shows that he has a graded school education and average intelligence." 6. Is there any connection between the honor system in school examinations and the right to vote? 7. In a democracy is education a luxury, or is it a necessity? 8. Should our schools turn out citizens with a general education or a technical education? Should they be men of culture, of affairs, or cultured men of affairs? If a man is trained in a single trade, can he know much about complex society and help to manage a republic? 9. In the eighth assembly district of New York City only 42 out of 13,662 families own their own homes, and of these 42 homes all but 14 are mortgaged. Is this population likely conservative or radical in voting? Does this mean that all but the 14 families should be disfranchised? (See Sec. 4.) 10. It is the ideal of every good citizen to leave the world a little better than he found it. Intelligent voting is one way to attain this ideal. Are you preparing to be a good citizen? How? |