The Monitor
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Eight Thousand Colored People
in Omaha and Vicinity, and to the Good of the Community
The Rev. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.00 a Year. 5c a Copy. Omaha, Nebraska. July 3, 1915 Volume I. Number 1
•vV "" * 11 ' '' ' -.11 . , I —II—I. ■' 1 ~' ' I ■ ■ ■ - —
GRANDFATHER CLAUSE
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Oklahoma and Maryland Suffrage Re
strictions Illegal—Supreme Court
Decision Unanimous.
Washington, D. C., June 30.—The
"grandfather clause,” by which South
ern states have distranchised hun
dreds op thousands of Negroe-s, while
permitting any white man to vote, re
ceived its death blow from the Su
preme Court of the United States on
Monday, June 21.
The decision of the court that the
"grandfather clause” was unconstitu
tional was unanimous, and is virtually
the first ruling by tint' highest court
on this point. The court has side
stepped this issue several times, but
the question is now answered so flat 1.
in the negative that It is doubtful
whether any further laws aimed at
distranchising the Negroes will in
elude the “grandfather clause.”
This decision invalidates the "grand
father clause” of the Maryland law
only recently adopted, and applied
only to state and city elections, and
the similar clause in the Oklahoma
law, which applied to all elections
The Maryland law was an attempt ta
^ avoid any national issue on which the
case could be taken to the Supreme
Court.
Chief Justice White announced the
decision, holding that it was a viola
tion of the fifteenth amendment to
select an arbitrary date, such as 1866,
in fixing the qualification of voters
Tin decision, it is believed, will reach
the "grandfather clause” legislation
in many southern states.
For more than fifteen years the
"grandfather clause” has been insert
ed in constitutions of southern states
The most popular form has been to
exempt from educational and property
tests for voting those who could vote
in 1866, 1867 or 1868, thus allowln.
Ihe tests to apply to those who did
not vote at those dates.
The Oklahoma Idea.
The Oklahoma "grandfather clause”
provides “that no person shall be reg
istered as an elector in this state or
be allowed to vote in any election
herein unless he is able to road and
write any section of thie constitution
of the State of Oklahoma, but no per
son who was on January 1, 1866, or
any time prior thereto, entitled to
vote under any form of government
or who at that time resided in some
foreign nation, and no lineal descend
ants of such person shall be denie i
the right to register and vote because
of hiH inability to so read and write
sections of said constitution.”
In Maryland the clause was insert
j ed in laws governing elections in va
rious cities. In 1908 it was inserted
* 1 , in the law governing municipal elec
tions in the city of Annapolis. It
authorized the registration as voters
of all taxpayers of the city assessed
for at least $600; all duly naturalized
citizens, all male children of natural
ized citizens 21 years of age and “aM
Think on These Things
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
good, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things.''
1^—■——■———I
RICHARD B. HARRISON.
Talented Dramatic Reader, who wili be heard In recitals at St. John’s
A. M. E. Church Tuesday and Thursday nights.
citizens who before January 1, 1868,
were entitled to vote in the state of
Maryland or any other state in the
United States at a state election and
the lawful male descendants of any
person who prior to January 1, 1868,
were entiti.'d to vote in the State of
Maryland or in any other Statx* of the
United States at a state election.’’
Various arguments were advanced
to meet the attack that these clauses
violated the fifteenth amendment ot
the constitution, providing that “the
right of citizens of the United States
to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any state on account of race, color or
previous conditions of servitude.” An- j
other line of argument was that the
clauses did not "deny” or “abridge”
11he right of Negroes to vote, as for
bidden by the fifteenth amendment,
but it merely discriminated against
them by allowing those not Negroes
to vote without meeting the qualifica
tions imposed ostensibly upon all. The
Supreme Court brushed these Ingen
ious arguments aside and, going di
rect to the core, held the grandfather
clause as invalid, being violative of
the fifteenth amendment of the consti
tution.
The effect of the decision is far
reaching. It sounds the death-knell
of the notorious attempts of state leg
islatures to overrule the policy not
only of a superior legislative power,
but of the nation Itself.
“To hold otherwise,” said the court,
“would be placing the seal of appro
val upon a mere form of words to
make a part mightier than the whole.”
PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL GOES
ON RECORD AGAINST PRE
JUDICIAL PLAYS.
STRICT CENSORSHIP DEMANDED
(Prom the Pittsburgh Courier.)
The Pittsburgh city council went on
record Tuesday, June 15th, against
photo plays reflecting on the race and
took a firm stand against such photo
plays as the “Birth of a Nation” be
ing permitted to be shown in Pitts
burgh.
The Pittsburgh Courier first called
attention of the council to this photo
play being shown here and appealed
to Mr. Enoch Rauh to introduce a
resolution against it* and William N.
Randolph, president of the Pitts
burgh branch of the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
People, drafted a resolution and gave
it to Councilman Garland and with
the assistance of Mr. Enoch Rauh,
who made a strong speech in council
on Tuesday against permitting sucn
•photoplays, which he characterized as
an outrage. The resolution passed by
a unanimous vote to request the May
or and those in charge to make a rigid
censor of these photoplays and not
permit such plays as the “Birth of a
Nation” being shown in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh coimcil is to be con
gratulated on going on record against
such plays that are derogatory to any
race and we feel very grateful for
their action.
The colored people have never been
aroused to such a pitch all over the
country since the Brownville affair,
as they have been about these pnoto
plays that are doing the race so much
injustice and they should be stopped
at any cost.
No race has gotten justice without
fighting for their rights and we are
glad to note the fighting spirit that
has been aroused by the colored citi
zens in demanding their rights ana
justice to the race.
The various associations in Pitts
burgh have allied themselves and are
sending out an appeal to all the vari
ous white organizations throughout
the city, asking co-operation in the
suppression of the “Birth of a Na
tion,” and like plays, and they are
to be commended for their action.
What the various organizations
among us should do when it is an
nounced the photoplay, “The Birth of
a Nation," is going to be exhibited
here is to get out an injunction and
fight it by all fair means and use alt
resources to have it suppressed.
Copy of Resolution.
“WHEREAS, The colored race has
been humiliated by the exhibition in
various cities of this country of mov
ing picture films which are not true
to the life of these worthy citizens
of this republic, and
“WHEREAS, No race of people in
modern times has made greater prog
ress in civilization and are more
worthy of praise, rather than libel,
for the upward climb they have mado
(Continued on second page)