The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-04-17


in itself, for she interference of the
Federal government in our State
affairs. However d~isagreeable it
may be to us, the fact is that under
the constitution of the United States
we cannot disfranchise gu g ol9with-
out DISTINGUISHING every white man
who comes within the same category
We cannot make one rule for the
white and another for the black.
You ask me if | have thought of
any plan by which white supremacy
can be secured without violating any
provision of the constitution Of the
United States. | have thought Of
and can think of none but such as
will effectuate the result by raising
the standard of suffrage to such an
extent as will give the white race the
natural and legitimate advantage of
it's superior intelligence. 1t should
desire and ask for no more.
The present election law was an
earnest and honest effort to secure
such a result without fraud. If it.be
true that such fraudulent practices
have grown up under lis provisions
it onlv shows how difficult it is to
provide against corruption in any
election system. Pardon me if ! quote
here what l then Gin 1881 wrote
when discussing the subject. ] had
been endeavoring to show the danger
of maintaining white supremacy by
violence, and thus continued
"But by all means let us hazard
violence, be the consequences what
they may. rather than rely upon
fraud Violence will, undoubtedly,
lower us in our position as a civilized
people. Practice it, and, even if
successful, we must go back many
years in our social progress But
violence will not degrade US as fraud
will. We may.plead in some JUST
fcation, that it is a struggle against
m;srule forced upon us from without,
and, in the language of a modern
author upon the subject of civiliza-
ton, we may say: sCalamities may
be inflicted by others, but no people
can be degraded except by their own
act. The foreign spoiler works mis-
chief: he cannot cause shame. With
nations, as with individuals, none are
d%isbonored, if they are true to them
Selves
We will be permitted to urge 20
such excuse for fraud, nor will Ben.
tbam's, DOR Macaulay's apology for
bribery avail us for its perpetuation.
Fraud will be a calamity inflicted, net
by others, but by ourselves. We will
be degraded by our " act. Its per-
petration will be a mischief, not OF a
foreign spoiler, but a mischief that will
cause shame to us indeed. Nor can it
possibly benefit US. As Grattan once
exclaimed The thing be proposes to
buy is what cannot be sold liberty
Liberty and what is the same, good
government, may be wen by the persua.
sion Of eloquence it may be secured
by the wisdom of craftsmanship; 1t
may be extorted at the point of the
sword. but it can never be stolen. nor
bribed, nor procured By corruption"
So still l say. The supremacy OF the
white race cannot be ATTAINED By
any legislative trio The sole basis
Of its supremacy is uperior intelli-
sence. The only way of maintaining
that superiority is by raising high the
standard of citizenship. and applying
that standard to all, whether white or
black.
I, for one, am not welded to our
present election law. 1t has served its
purpose longer than thought it would
when / devised it. Repeatedly in de-
bate | urged that if it would save the
State from negro rule even for four
or six years it would be worth the e1-
pertinent. 1t has done so for twelve.
and | shall DOW hail any scheme which
can legitimately accomplished its par
poses with greater security. l am will,
ing to adopt the Australian System in
iss own proper form, In the place OF
our modification Of it.
| speak Of our system as a modldca-
ton of the Australian system. may
add that cur law was the pioneer of
the introduction Of the Australian sys-
rem into this country. [ had that sys-
TEN before me when | drafted the bill
which became the presen, law.
The essential principle of the Austria
l;zn system may thus be summarized
TIE secrecy Of the ballot, secured by
tee seclusion of the voter when IN the
act of preparing his vote, which he is
required to do by meaus of az educa-
lional qualification.
H.. H. coE,r cuctom tho