The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-17
IRBY ON THE WAR PATH.
HE BIDS DEFIANCE TO BEN
TILLDIAN.

j
Bitter rerms-Ae Calls it " poIiti-
cal MOnstrosity.
The Piedmont Headlight has inter-
viewed Senator lrby at his home in
Laurens, in which he expressed his
opinion very emphatically in regard
to the suffrage plan proposed by Sena-
tor Tillman, declaring that it is "a po-
liticul monstrosity," which will dis
franchise poor aud illiterato whites
Tho interview Is very rucy reading,
and is as follows:
~ have had but little to say thus
far" remarked Senator lrby, "as only
preliminary work was being mapped
out, ana the settlement of u few ques,
tions Of any great Importance brought
before thai body. or course there was
plenty of speakers on hand and [ did
not desire to fatigue the patience ,Of the
members. | have carefully watched
the deliberations, however, Getermin-
ed that Whenever the rights and in
tcrcs Is ol my people were imperilled
that would be heard from in no IN.
certain terms"
SENATOR we asked, what do YOU
think Of the recommendation of Sena-
tor Humans committee on the right
Of suffrage ?'
look upon that report Us Il politi-
Cal mOnStfOSliy---OnC OF the most
dangerous schemes ever concOcteu in
The BRAN OF man, and when the con-
vcnJiOn rec)nveDcS / shall fight it, and
vote agalns1 it., if [ have not auother
member upon the floor at my back.
why, the moro | study that report,
the stronger my opposition and the
creator the danger L sec in it. But
let me take that report up section by
section, and analyZe it for you and |
dc hope that The Headlight will go to
work without delay and arouse the
white voters OF our State us to the dan
Ser that threatens boJh the poor and
i!llterate white man, as also the politl-
cak supremacy OF the Anyi Saxon race
in o,T State.
"rh:a first three sections Of that re-
port are Gpt reiteration Of the old
law and tx which No objection can
be urged. 2ut after that the plot
begins TO lhick>Yn and the further YOU
go the more dam ~ bio and outrageous
it becomrs. First let me take the
qualifications for suffrage, as follows :
"The person Applying Tor registr'
tiOn must be abe ~ read Ahu write any
Section OF tuis constitutiC%, or musl
show that he owns ana pays saNes ON
$500 worth Of property in this tate
Provided, That at the first rcgA IRA
ton under this constitution and uR Ic
January lst, 1898, all male persons SSl
voting Ages who can read u clause i'll
this constitution or understand and
exp lain it when read to them by the
registration officer, shall be filed, one
copy with the Clerk of Court and one
in the Office Of Secretary of State, on
or before January ist, 1888, and such
persons shall remain through life
qualified electors, unless disqualified
by the provisions Of section i of this
article. The certificate Of the Clerk
of Court or Secretary of State shall be
Guificient evidence to establish the
right of said class of citizens to regis
tration and the franchise"
Nov, lot us AnaliZe this section and
see what it means: In the first place
here is a sweeping clause positively
DISTINGUISHING every white man in
South Carolina who is not able both
to read and write, or owns and pays
taxes upon $500 worth Of property in
our State. This language is too plain
to he misunderstood. 1t is u total
disfranchisement of the poor and
illitcrate white man as well as the
negro laboring under the same politi-
Cal disabilities.
But there is q tail this suffrage
kite, in a proviso that holds good until
January lst, 1898, which permits tho
registration officer, if he sees fit and
proper to do so, to grant u pardon to
sach voters as he may see tit and pro-
per, subject to his amnesty-for the
hicnuus crime Of being poor and
in;teratc--;nd thus place them upon
a political equality with the educated
negro and who has accumulated prop
erty. But even this prOvis0 is coup
led with aprOvlslOn so ignominouS and
degrading that proud spirited Anglo
Saxon voter would sooner lose his
right of suffrage than to accept such
political charity. Here is what Soma
tor Tillman's report says: ~ separ.
ate record OF all illitorato persons thus
registered, sworn 10 by the registra-
tion officer, shall be filed, one copy
with the Clerk of Court, one copy with
the Secretary of State, etc" In other
words, for a poor and uneducatcd man
TO vote after this law passes II palpuDle
and bare face fraud must be comInittcd
and then the name of the beneficiary
of this pardon must be fled us a. public
record, both at his court house and ;ll
the State Capitol OF Columbia. 1t will
"be public and perpetual document Of
reproach upon thOusanus vi honest
family names in South Carolina, and
the descendants for generations 10 come
or these pitruOncu voters viii nave the
TACT thrown in their .tel;h that thel,
staccss tors. haihs i;oE:/,,nd l.iLerate was
permitted TO vote in direct conflict
with the spirit of their State Consl .n2-
tioh' through II pardon and special az,
OF suffrage.
why, no brave and proud spiril,I
white nan in the old Palmetto .5t,sl,
would acceptsulfrage an anysuch cond,
tions, and would sooner lose his U" ,,rn,
to vote and be showed off in the SIN,
boat with tho sea island negro IT,
would then indeed be a. politicai owl,
in the State Of his birth, but tho bnn.,l'
name that he will bcqueath to bi,
children and his children's cbijdrnr
would not be filed among the arcbievn.
of South Carolina as are the names ~ ~
pardoned convcts "
y" am responsible, for the calliro
OF our constitutional conventions
pledged the white voters of Son.b
Carolina that not one of them sbnnLl
lose his ballot on account OF ignora,'nn
or proVorty, and [ shall sacredlv kanr
this solemn convenant; and II IT. r
broken by Senator Tiliman and tha &c
convention, it will be with ~, oio