The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-03-20

ing that he is vested with the high
prlvilegeOf the elective franchise when
really his oath on the Holy Evangelists
OF Almighty God is a vain farce, a
Olasphemy of the laws of God and a
mockery of. the rights of mani
1t is expressly provided in the goth
Chapter of the Book of Exodus, "Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain, for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless that taketh His name
IN vain, " yet Judge Avery holds the
registrar guiltless although he taketh
the name Of the Lord his God in vain
every time he administers a worthless
oath to credulous voter. If it were
merely a difference of opinion between
Justice Avery and Justice Clark the
layman might remain in doubt, but
when it comes to the opinion of Justice
Avery against the mandate of Almighty
God, the weight of authority by all
such as be devoutly and reverently in
cllned will be given to the latter.
am glad to see that even the par
tisan majority of the Committee on
Elections in the present Democratic
Congress in the contested case of Will
llams VS.. Settle have in the last few
weeks, by vote of 13 to 2, sustained
Judge Clark and disapproved of Judge
Avery, giving Settle some three hun
DIR d votes of which he had been de
prlved under the decision, But, of
course, we in North Carolina must
abide by Judge Avery's decision until
it is reversed by the Supreme Court, or
until the Judges who concurred in that
opinion are defeated at the polls.
In concluding his remarkable opin-
ion, which was handed down in March,
1892, Judge Avery declares with ap-
parent 1GiUete that the voters will
have ample time to have any improper
registrations corrected before the ensu.
ing election, and the learned Judge
gives this comforting assurance with
out apparently considering that the
volume containing that opinion would
not be published for many months
thereafter, and without suspecting
that Mr. Simmons would be able to
spring it's startling provisions like a
thunder bolt on the eve of election,
when the first notice to the ignorant
voter would be given by the challenge
of his vote.
The truth is our people disregarded
both the Supreme Court and Mr.. Sim
mons secret circular, and went along
in the oldfashioned way just as if
nothing had happened; but it will not
be safe to try this again, we might as
well realize that right now in order to
secure votes for Senator Ransom this
drastic and elastic election law will be
stretched from the Blue Ridge to the
Smoky Mountains and that no ignorant
man is safe unless he gets some friend
learned in the law to go with him bod
lily before the registrar and see that
| there is strict compliance with all the
technicalities of the law.
Now our people have stood a great
many unpleasant things for great
many years on account of The appeal
of our brethren in the East, we have
not failed to note during this time that
the surest Democratic counties in the
State are those with the heaviest negro
population while Edgecombe, North
ampton and New Hanover are rolling
up Democratic majorities by the thou
sands and Halifax is successfully con
tending for the Democratic banner, it
would neither be unreasonable nor sur
prising if on some fine frosty morning
in November 1.-The appeal of our breth-
ren in the East" should be converted
into ''the appeal of our brethren in the
West, nay into the righteous demand
of honest men all over the State in
favor of election laws so plain and
simple that they need no judicial con-
struction and in favor of that local self
government which will not tolerate any
non elective intermediary between the
people and the officers who tax and
govern them.
RICHMOND PEARSON.