The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-16
IRBY ON THE WAR PATH,
CLAIMS TO BE FIGHTING FOR THE
POOR WHITE MEN.

The Suffrage Plan as Reported Bitterly
Attacked and Its Alleged Effect of Dis
franchising Whites Pointed Out--War
Between the Senators.
COLUMBIA, S. g., Oct. 1O.-Senator
Irby has given an interview to the
Piedmont Headlight, which will be
published in that paper today. Sena-
tor Irby strongly attacks Senator Till
mans suffrage plan as reported: Here
is the interesting interview as 1t Will
appear in The Headlight:
We visited Senator Irby at his home
in Laurens last week and interviewed
him about the work of the Constitu-
tional convention and also got his
opinion in regard to the suffrage plan
proposed by Senator Tillman, and
which has been made public within
the last few days. We believe that if
the report of Senator Tillman's COM
mittee was carried out that it would
mean the disfranchisement of thous-
ands of poor and iliiterate white voters
in South Carolina, and vindicate the
position of The Headlight in its oppo,,
sition to the calling of constitutional
convention.
We found Senator lrby in fine spir.
its. and as usual he vas surrounded
by his friends. There is no denying
the fact that the people OF Laurens
honor and love Senator Irby, and they
are clinched to him with hooks of
steel.
We asked the Senator about the
work of the convention.
"I have had but little to say thus
far" remarked Senator Irby, las only
preliminary work was being mapped
out. and the settlement of few ques-
tons of any great importance brought
before that body. Of course there
were plenty of speakers on hand, and
I did not desire to fatigue the patience
of the members. 1 have carefully
watched the deliberations, however,
determined that whenever the rights
and interests of my people were i'm
perilled that I would be heard from In
no uncertain terms"
Senator" we asked, what do you
think of the recommendation OF Sena-
tor Tillman's committee on the right
of suffrages" 49,.
II look upon that report as politi-
cal monstrosity-one of the most dan
gerous schemes ever concocted In the
brain of man, and when the conven-
ton reconvenes I shall fight it and
vote against it if I have not another
member upon the floor at my back.
Why the more I study that report, the
stronger my opposition and the great
or the danger see in it. But let me
take that report up section by
section and analyze it for you, and
do hope that The Headlight will 60
to work without delay and arouse the
white voters of our State as to the dan
ger that threatens both the poor and
illiterate white man, as also the polltl-
cal supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon
race in our State.
1.-The first three sections of that re-
port are but reiteration of the old
law and to which no objection can be
urged. But after that the plot begins
to thicken, and the further you 60 the
more damnable and outrageous it be-
comes. First, let me take the qualifi-
cations for suffrage, as follows:
1.-THE person applying for registra-
ton must be able to read and write
any section of this Constitution, or
must show that he owns and pays
taxes on $500 worth of property in this
State; provided, that at the first regis
tration under this Constitution and up
to Jan. 1, 1898, all male persons of
voting age who can read a clause in
this Constitution or understand and
explain it when read to them by the
registration officer, shall be entitled to
register and become electors, a separ-
ate record of all illiterate persons thus
registered, sworn to by the registered
officer shall be filed, one copy with the
clerk of court and one in the Office OF
secretary of State, on or before Jan. 1,
1898, and such persons shalt remain
through life qualified electors, unless
disqualified by the provisions of Sec
ton of this article. The certificate
of the clerk of court or secretary of
State shall be sufficient evidence to
establish the right of said class of citi-
zens to registration and the franchise. J"
'sNow, let us analyze this section
and see what it means: In the first
place here is sweeping clause posi-
lively disfranchising every white man
in South Carolina who is not able
both to read and write or owns and
pays taxes upon $500 worth of proper
ty in our State. This language is too
plain to be misunderstood. 1t is a
total disfranchisement of the poor and
illiterate white men as well as the ne
gro laboring under the same political
disabilities.
but there is tail 10 this suffrage
kite that holds good until January l.,
1898, which permits the registration
officer, if he sees proper and fit to do
so, to grant pardon to such voters as
he may see fit and proper, subject to
his amnesty-for the heinous crime of
being poor and illiterate-and thus
place them upon a political equality
with the educated negro and who has
accumulated property. But even this
rroviso is coupled with provision SO
ignominous and degrading that a
proud-spirited Anglo-Saxon voter
would sooner lose his right of suffrage
than to accept such political charity.
Here is what Senator Tillman's report
says: "A separate record of all illit
crate persons thus registered, sworn to
by the registration officer, shall be
fled, one copy with the clerk of court,
ono with the secretary Of State etc u