The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-10-10

Senator Erby-SaYsit il Means the Total
Disfrauchisement of the Poor Hitter
ate White Man as Wen as the Negro -
Declares He is Responsible for The
Calling of the Convention and Not
One White Man Shall Lose His Vote,
COLUMBIA, S. c., Oct. 9-Senator
Irby, in an interview which will be pub
lished in to.morrow's Register, vigor
ously attacks the report of the Suffrage
Committee, of which Senator Tillman is
chairman, to the Constitutional Con
yention. Senator Irby says:
81 look upon that report as political
monstrosity- one of the most dangerous
schemes ever concocted in the brain of
man, and when the Convention recon-
venes / shall fight it and vote against it,
If have not another member upon the
floor at my back. Why, the more /
study taat report the stronger my oppo-
sition and the greater the danger see
in it, Let us analyze the Suffrage Com
mittee's proposed article:
In the first place, here is a sweeping
clause positively disfranohising every
white man in South Carolina who is not
able both to read and write; or does not
own and pay taxes upon 5000 worth of
property in our State Tais language is
too plain to be misunderstood. 1t IL a
total disfranchisement of the poor and
illiterate white man, as well as the negro
laboring under the same political disa
bilities.
bat there is a tail TO t1is suffrage
kite, in pFoviso that holds good until
January /, 1898, which permits the regis
tration officer, if he sees fit and proper 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 iliterate-and thus place
them upon political equality with the
educated negro and VINO has accumu-
lated property But even this proyiso 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:
"sA separate record of all illiterate per-
sons thus registered sworn to by the
registration officers, shall be filed, one
cspy with the Clerk of the Court, one
COPY with the Secretary of State, etc.
ia other words. for poor uneduca-
ted man to vote, after this Law passes, a
palpahle and bareface frau1 must be
committed, and then the name of the
beneficiary Of this pardon must
be iil.d as a public re
cor3, both AZ his court house and
at the STATE Capitol in Columbia
Il will b3 public and perpetual docu-
ment cf reproach upon thousands of
| h0nest family names in South Caro.iDa,
! and he Descendants for generations to
come Of these paFd3Dec voters will
have the fset thrown in thair teeth that
their ancestors being poor and iiliC-
crate wee permitted TO vote in
direct conflict with the spirit o.
their State Constitution, through a
pardon and special act Of suffrage.
"Why, no brave and proud spirited
white man In the old Palmetto State
would accept suffrage under any such
conditions, and wonld sooner loose bis
| right to vote and be showed off in the
same boat With the Sea Island negro.
/ He would then indeed be political exile
| in the State Of his birth, buf the honest
name that he will bequeath to his chill
dren would not be filed among the
archieves OF South Carol n as are the
names of pardoned convicLs.
II am responsible for the calling Of
| our Constitutional Convention pledged
| the white voters of South Carolina that
not one of them should lose his ballot on
| account of ignorance or poverty, and ]
| shall sacredly keep this solemn covenant;
and if it is broken by Senator Tillman
| and the convention it will be with my
denunclation of the Infamous plot ring
ing in the ears of the delegates What
brave and self respecting white man de~
sires his names handed down to future
| generations as being so poverty stricken
and ignorant that separate clause had
| to be engrafted into the Constitution of
| his State TO enable him to vote.
| 81 have unsheathed my sword and
thrown away the scabbard. am in the
| battle to the end. No poor and un-
| educated white man viii lose his vote if
/ have the power 10 prevent it. shall
denounce this outrage upon the floor of
| the convention, and shall denounce it
upon the stand before the people. We
can preserve white supremacy in South
Carolina without either disfranchise-
ment or humiliating a single white vo-
| FOR -