The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-24

abIiIties; But what guarantee uaS III
poor aHd the UGefUCated white ma
| that this HkiudHess" will GDntinHe
Suppose that u party gets into poWe
! whose interest il is to disfTapcEise th
poor man so as to increase the pOlitica
| strength Df the educated Or rich man
Under the pr0p0sed change in our Con
! stitntiOn this can be done, and tina
voter cant help himself. Who kn1W
when some political revolutions MA
take place in South Carolina by whicl
the wealthy class may regain p0We
and the Reform party be overthrown
When this is done you will quickly Sc,
the lines drawn upon the ignorant aDt
poor white as well as black man, an(
he will be made political serf. Blu
60 long as that voter is armed with tht
ballot he has weapon with which Il
fight his battles, and he won't have Il
depend on the Carprice or manipuia
tjons ofaHy faction that he may vote.
Our advice TO The poor and uniettereC
voters Uf South Carolina is to hold or
to your ballot like grim death to deal
negro, and don't let any body of men
take this right from you. With free
dIu UIIt J va hsu
your own battles; but draw the suffrage
line against The poor OF uneducated
classes, and you are no better than q
slave. 1t matters not what our Reform
leaders may advise, the Headlight in
tends to stand by The poor white voters
of South Carolina In this fight, if il
ruins our business; and we do not be-
lieye that any true friends to the cnm-
mon people will advocate Constitu-
tional Convention, and that certainly
inperils the suffrage of the poor man,
aud without giving him an opportunity
To vote in the matter.
But the advocates of the Constitu-
tiGGal Convention say that this sacri-
flee of a few must be made for "the
good of our movement 1t was e
votes of these same poor and un-
educated white men that gave birth
aud success to our Reform party, and
they are as true to its principles as the
needle to the pole. If 1t be necessary
for the success for this great movement
to strip the coat from the back to that
poor voter and make him face the cold
of winter in his shirt sleeves, why take
va tiilS Ebdt anu WIN lltl Cbtn pail.
If you must tear his shoes off, do so,
and he will uneomplainingly follow the
plough with his bare fact. But for Gods
sake, leave him his ballot! When you
take this from him you take his all
and place honest and true white men
in the same boat with the sea island
negro, and thus degrade and humiliate
him. Any change in our Constitution
that must deprive the poor white mau
of his vote should be entitled "An Act
TO make political serfs of poor white
felix's and niggers.n
We have been threatened with the
loss of 2 500 subscribers if the Headlight
did not support Constitutional Con-
vention, as our headers favored it."
We do not know how our Headers"
stand on this issue, but no man is our
keeper, for we act on our own honest
If it costs us the last
patron on our books, we shall tell the
people the truth, and advise them
We went into the
Reform Movement not to further the
political ambition Of leaders, but TO
promote the happiness and the welfare
of the whole people; and also to preserve
unto the majority the right to rule their
State. 1t is the poor aud the humble
that need friends aud advisers, and we
shall stand by them if it ruias US The
poor people of Spartanburg County
have kept the Headlight alive with
their quarters, and We would be q
indeed did We give our aid
q nd - cnha,S.A SAS
will deprv.. them of their right to
vote.
1t is an insult to the Anglo-Saxon
race to assert that South Carolina will
ever again submit to the ruSe of the
African. We wrested our Govern
ment from the hands of the negro
when he was backed by Federal
payonets; and now that We have the
oallot-boxes in hand, and all the power
Of Government at our back, it is the
height of folly to argue that unless We
take the vote from the poor ignorant
white man she negro will knock US
down and capture the Government.
ihe negro race is out oS politics, and
since the adoption of our direct pri-
mary no faction will dare appeal to
him.
We are toFd by those Convention
advocates that they will arrange to pro-
sect the vote of the uaedaeated or poor
white man, iu the event that he is dis
frauchiSed by the new Constitution.
We are unwilling that free corn white
citizens shall become 6epen-
dent upon any man or political faction
Of men to De allowed to vote. The
Constitution Of the United States gives
him the ealfot, and be should be per-
United to exercise this right and power
waaout being beholden 10 any man, or
the violation Of law. 1t is az honor and
3 proQd privilege to cast your ballot as
the law directs; but it is degradation
to an honest man TO have to evade the
.aws of Als State, or secure the conni-
eaRce of some one else. before he can
Votel3 And it is argued that only 8
few white men Will be DEPRIVED of their
so&rage under an educational euah6ca-
sicn. While this is not true, ter it will
affect thousands of voters in South
Iarolipa. and every man Of them a
true Reformer, even admitting that
there is only ope white man in oar
State but caa read aaQ wFitet Now, Is
Dot this one mans ballot as dear to
ain as EAe vote Of q Governor OF. Cea-
2pessman is to that Governor or Coz
sressmap? Aud is it Dot robbery to
deprive him of that ballot ard without
permitting him to saj whether or not
be IS willing to make the sacrifice? If
our Reform Movement poQst oe perpet-
2&ted by such acts Of injustice, then It
should go 6owa-
Apd another reason that We oppose
Any saucational or property oualiica-
sjoD to suffrage. The upper co0aties Of
South Carolina are toe white belt, and
ia this section 10 YOU find nany poor
sHd URletteEed men. Under the Dew
Democratic Consultation of our State
eveEy white Voter will be given an op-
onrtQHity TO, cast his ballot for tie
tandidates of bis choice. Now when
%e make these 6iscsiTniaations We
'!nply weaken our own political
MASP 9s@