The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-07
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR..

you are here today, had dreampt that
A.plan of this sort had been cUncOcted.
They had Mr.. Bryan for whom have
the highest respect, and of whom I
nave been proud since we were at COL
lege together and he was first honor
man, one of tho best lawyers in the
state. They had him behind q log
with his rifle read to blow my braius
out. After tho Conservatives had en-
j'yed themselves in defending Tillman
and repudiating and killing Irby and
his plan, Mr.. Brs au was called out Of
he bushes to complete the work.
1t done IN the old way. 1t is the
am" scheme always used when cuse
Is before u farmers jury. An able
awyer comes out and says " Unconsti-
tutional." That Is exactly what I
wanted him to say. had heard Hon.
George Tillman tell Senator Tillman
and Governor Evans he did not know
whether their scheme was consttu-
tlonal or not They know 1t is only tenn.
porary, that they are stepping flom
stone to stone across the stream.
| am no lawyer, but I have always
believed this understanding" clause
to be unconstitutional. Mr. Bryan
| comes forward and says to me: Your
plan is unconstitutional" Let us take
up his understanding clause and 500
what he says of it.
And even aow, dare say that they
would he ready to shout, as Cromwell
did to the bouse of lords, Get you
gone and give place to honester men. i"
| Notwithstanding, sir, that 1t had
been urged under the whip and spur
OF the Reform leaders since 1890, with
the greatest vigor and vehemence, the
| people, the poor people of the State,
two weoks before the election stocked
it and refused to vote it upon the
ground that they might be disfran.
chised-many OF whom broke party
lines. unwilling to trust the leaders,
and voted against the calling OF a con-
stitutionAl convention. BY slim ma
jority of less than 1000 votes In the
| whole Statc--so slim indeed that tho
enemies Of tho Democratic party
charged manipulation and corruption
the convention was called.
Mr.. President, in view Of all these
things, these pledges to the people upon
the stump this spring, and the inter-
vicws and circulars that swept over
this STATIC like 4 snow storm last fall,
what Is the situation? Wo have, sir, a.
suffrage plan presented to this conven-
tion, composed of distinguished mon, q
plan, sir, that instead OF fdisfranchisinR
Jnc man, will and can and must dis
people Of our State.
But, MIR. President, 1t is all right to
qualify the lawyers, your bankers, and
your scholars and your educated peo-
Die. You arc perfectly willing to give
'hcm blanket that is full Of wool; but,
SIR, you arc Offering to the poor man @
blanket OF cotton to protect him from
jhc cold, that will be, sir, set aside.
even if it was not set aside, it is not
(air to make tho discrimination.
Mr.. Patton in his argument the other
hight said 1t was either TO be honestly
~ dishonesty administered. He was
ODk aL it, If it is honestly administer
td nine-tenths Of the illiterate mon in
his State will fall behind the dead line
IND bo disfranchised, and there is no
Ise for any intelligent man to deny It,
II puts it IN the power Of the supervis-
Lg officer, appointed by the Governor
If the State, to disfrunchise any man,
white Or black, who is not able to in
'erprct every section Of tho constitu-
Ion. When the report says ''any," it
'nIy means. sir, any that the sup ,rvtrOr
nay see fit to PROFOUND. II the man
Hno presonts hinself belongs to the
-'.mo political faction that the super
visor does, whom party lines are tightly
ir,wn and partisan spirit runs high,
Will matter little whether he ex-
'lhin- IT. or not he will get his c'.rt H.
it,.
On the contrary, II he IL upon the op-
posin- side ho will be given u section
~ the constitution that would STUMP
wen Il lawyer. and the supervisor could
honestly say he did not explain It and
refuse him the right to register, be ha
White Or black. No doubt about It.
Fhis has boon done it can be- done and
IT will bc done in South Carolina before
two years roll away as sure as tho
sparks fly upward If the committees
plan 10 adopted. Hit Is to be dishonest
" administered and the man who can't
explain the section receives his certitl-
cate then, sir, you demand O. commits
sion OF a crime by the supervisors of
election which sooner or later will re-
fleet upon and disgrace South Caro-
lima.
Then where, sir, is the promise that
not single white mai shall be- dis
franchiscd? Where ls the promise
that has been made to the white peo-
pie in this State that not one Of them
should be disfranchised
Again, Mr.. President, I am guilty OF
no breach Of confidence or improprfety
when ! tell you that the adoption Of
ehio P'Su, o'ou IL cFoIy "ulto lHdu III
this State could explain every pro7i-
sion OF the constitution. will mean tho
disfranchiscm 5nt OF 5000 or ~, 900 Of
the people for another reason. Mr..
Bryan, a. member OF the committee anu
one OF the ablest lawyers in the State,
has said that we would not stand upon
rock and that our house was built
upon sand until 1893, and when | pre-
scntcd proposition placing all mon
upon an equal footing and requiring all
parties from the chief Justice to the
humblost man in the State to explain
the constitution, he contended that this
was unconstitutional, and when asked
about Tho understanding clause in the
committee report spoke in q way as II
he doubted it and called attention to
the fact that Louisiana refused to fol-
low the lead of Mississippi in this re-
spcct because she regarded it as un-
constitutional.
The provision of being able to read
and write is intended for the protect ton
OF that class who are educated. 1t la
unconstitutional beyond q doubt. RI
you qualify the 5000 or 10000 people
n this State who cannot read and write