The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-10-15
IRBY ON THE WAR PATH.
HE BIDS DEFIANCE TO BEN
~ TILLbfAN.

The Piedmont Headlight hasinter
viewed Senator Irby at his hOhe II
Laurens, in which he expressed hi
opinion very emphatically in regard
to the suffrage plan proposed by Sena
tor TilIman, declaring that IL Is IA po
liticat Iuonstrosity." which will dis
franchise poor aud illiterate whites
The interview is yeiy racy reading
and is as follows:
"I / have had but little to say thu.
far" remarked Senator Irby, "as only
preliminary work was being mapped
nut, and the settlement OF u few ques
tions of any great Importance brough1
before that body. OF course there was
pIeUty OF speakers on land and L did
noC desire 10 fatigue the patience of the
members. have carefully watched
The deliberations, however, determin
ed THAI Whenever the rights and in.
tereots of my people were imperilled
that would be heard from in no un-
certain terms"
SENATOR" we aske' "what do you
think of the recomme ndatiOn of Sena-
tor Iiilman's committee on the right
Of 3utlrage?'
" [ look upon that report as u politi-
cal mOnstroslty- of the most
dangerous schemes ever cOncocted in
the brain OF man, and when the con-
vote against It, If have not another
member upon the floor at my back.
Why, the more | study that report,
the stronger my opposition and the
greater the danger L see in it. But
let me take that report up section by
section, and analyze 1t for you and
dc hope that The Headlight will go to
work without delay aud arouse the
white voters Of our State as to the dan
4, Il
llllterate white man, as also the pOliti-
cal supremacy of the Ang glo- Saxon race
ia our State.
The first three sections of that re-
port are but u 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
go the more damuable and outrageous
1T becomes. First, let mo take the
quail tications for suffrage as follows ::
The person applying for registra
tion must be able tU 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 registra-
tiOn under thls constitution and up to
January lst, 1898, all male persons of
voting age no can read q clause in
this constitution or understand and
explain 1T when read to them by the
reg istratlon officer, shall be filed, one
copy with the -lerk Ot Court and one
in the office Of Secretary of State, on
or before January lst, 1898, and such
persons snail remain through life
qualified electors, unless disqualified
by Tie provisions of section of this
artiCle. The certificate of the Clerk
ui Court ur secretary OF State shall be
sufficient evidence to establish the
right OF said class of citizens to regis
: tratiun and he franchise"
''Nuw, let us analize this section and
see What 1T means: In the first place
here is IA sweeping clause positively
dIefranchising every white man in
South Carolina who Is not able both
to rcuu ana write, or owns and pays
taxes upon $500 worth OI property In
our State. This language is too plain
to be misunderstood. 1t is q total
disfraucuiscmeut OF the poor and
illterate wnlte man as well as the
negro laborlng under the same politi-
cal disabilities.
But there is u tail this suffrage
kite. in a provlso that holds good until
January lst 1898, which permits the
regisJratlun officer, if he sees fit and
proper to do so, to grant u pardon to
sucn voters as he may see lit and pro-
per, subject 10 his amnesty-fOr the
hienous crime Of being poor and
ill!teiatc-and thus pace them upon
"a pollJlcal equality with the educated
negro and VINO has accumulated prop
erty. Shut even this proviso is COUP
ped " tina provision so ignominous and
degrading Luat a proud spirited Anglo
SuXon voter would sooner lose his
Tlght OF suffrage than to accept such
polltical cnarity. Here is what Sena-
tor TllimaD's report says: a separ-
ate record OF all liliterate persons thus
registered, sworn to by the registra-
tion officer, shall be filed, one copy
with the Clerk of Court, one copy with
Ebe Secretary of State, etc" In other
words, for u poor and uneducated man
TO vote after this law passes palpable
and bare face fraud must be committed
and then the name Of the beneficiary
OF this pardon must be filed as a public
record, both ut his court house and at
the State Capitol of Columbia. 1T will
be a public aud perpetual document OF
reproach upon thousands oil honest
family names in South Carolina, and
the descendants for generations to come
of these pardoned voters will have the
tHct thrown in their tet th that their
;ap&es tors being poor and illiterate was
periaitted to vote in direct conflict
with Ehe spirit Of their State Constitu-
plOLi, VLtClS III a. pehiuoh uhu opcSidi hSt
of suffrage,
Why, NO brave and proud spirited
white man IN the old Palmetto State
would accept suH rage an any such condi.
tions, and would sooner lose his right
TO vote and be showed of, in the same
boat with the seas Island negro He
would then indeed be q political exile
ia :he State Of his birth, but the honest
naso that he will bequeath to his
children and his children's children
would aot be filed among the archieyei
of South Can olina as are the names o.
pardoned eopvicts.
II am responsible, for the calling
of our constitutional convention.
pledged the white voters of SOutf
Carolina that not one Of them shoult
lose his ballot on account of Ignorance
Gss proverty, and / shall sacredly keel
this solemn cOnvenant; and IL 1t 4
iernkASl by Senator Tillman and th'
I convection, it will be with my de
nunciatiosl of the Infamous plot ring
ing in the ears of the delegates Wha
brave and self-respecting white ma
desires his name handed down to futur
generations as being 20 poverty stricke
,and ignorant that q separate claus
hs4l to be engrafted into the constitu
,tion Of his State to enable him to vote
But Ehis pardon for illiteracy an
poverty is oaly temporary. Here
smother clause, in Senator Tillman'