The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-10-10
4 LOADED
b.. AMENDMENT
WHICH CREATED A MIGHTY STIR IN
THE SOUTH CAROLINA coNsII.
TuTi0NAL CONVENTION

IUIiUNAl CONVENTION.
Inc "Coons Get the Dogs Up the Tree
On section which Pr.hibi.. M.rr,.<.
between the ksces-Divorces rorex.,
Prohibited-rhs Report Of the Conn
mittee GU Suffrage.
The people Of South Carolina are
intensely interested In the work of the
convention now in session in Colum-
bia. 1t is the eighth constitutional
convention OF that State, and it is
struggling with the problem Of how to
frame constitution that. will disfran-
chise Ignorant negroes without dis
iranchising ignorant whites. The ne
grOe- have a tremendous voting ma
Jority in that State over the whites.
and the latter claim to want a consti-
tutional provision by which the mi
nority Of white voters can legally con-
trol the State government. The COM
Inittee on suffrage has reported a plan
Tor consideration. 1t Is as follows:
Residence in the State for two years
In the county one year, i'm The election
district in which he offers TO vote four
months, and the payment Of poll-tax,
six months before the election: pro-
vided, however, that ministers of the
gospel, in. charge Of an organized
church. shall be entitled to vote after
SIX months residence in the State, il
otherwise qualified.
The person applying for registra-
ton must be able to read and write
any section in this Constitution. or
must show that he OWES aud pays taxes
on $500 worth Of property i'm this
state; provided that at the first regis
tratiOn under this Constitution, and
up to January /, 1898, all male persons
OF voting age, who can read a clause
| in the Constitution, or understand and
explain it when read to them by the
registration officer, shall be eligible tt
register and become electors. A sepa.
rate record of every illiterate person
thus registered sworn to by the regis
tratiOn officer, shall be filed, one copy
with the clerk of court, and one in the
office of the Secretary of State on OF
before January /, 1898, and such per.
son shall remain during his life time
a qualified electOr, unless convicted OF
some disqualifying crime.
ANY person who shall apply fol-
registration after January ], 1898, j
otherwise qualified, may be registered
provided ne can both read and writ,
any section of this Constitution, OF
can show that he owns and has pait
taxes during the previous year or
property in this State assessed at 500
or more"
NO DIVORCES.
Among other matters of interes
which have come up is the question o
divorce. On October LIST the cOnven
ton, after hard fight, by a vote of 8
to 40, adopted section of the COnsti
tuition fOrbidding the granting of di
vOrces for any cause whatever, and no
allowing recognition of divorces il
other States.
THE QUESTION OF MIsCEGEN ALTON
TACKLED.
Section "a reads:
"The marriage of white perso
with a negro or mulattO, or a perso
with one-eighth or more of negr
blood, shall be unlawful and void"
: Ex-COngressman Robert Smalls,
cOlOred delegate, proposed an amend
ment adding after the word ''vOid," tn
words, "and any white person VIII
. lives and cOhabits with negro, @
Y mulatto, or person who shall have one
o eighth or more of negro blood, sha
be disqualified from holding any Offic
8 of emOlument or trust in this Stat,
and the offspring of any such Twin
or cOhabitatiOn shall bear the name {
the father, and shall be entitled to in
herit and acquire property the same a
b if they were legitimate"
Z This was the subject of hot ant
at times, amusing and slightly sals
ciOus debate.
Wigg, a cOlOred delegate from Beat
s fort, brought up the marriage issu
e In exultant tones, which rang thrOug
a the house, he declared that for one
r 'the cOons had the dogs up the tree
: Said he:
D ave have asked the convention to
logical in their opposition to US. YC
have reported section aiming at tt
negro for no other purpose than to hi
initiate and insult us. We accept
y and ask i'm return that as you see
;. very anxious to keep the races separa
and make it unlawful for negro ar
a white person to enter into the no
bonds of matrimOny, that you will
: least give us protection for our girl
: and punish the white men who seek
n lead them from the paths of virtu
; But gentlemen, would have you Vi
derstand that l am not opposed to
e white person or a cOlOred person ente
ing into the bonds of matrimony
; they desire. / believe in the good o
r doctrine that to the pure all things a
y pure. ..-
o ais it possible that you, who boa
II so loudly of being the proud sons
| ,<>ff ho y,nhlnSt ~ a a RI
II are afraid to meet the issue like me
!. 1t has gone out to the world that y
have forbidden intermarriage of t
Traces. You have mad an institute
ordained by our Creator unlawf
=, We demand that the act which y
u make unlawful be punishable. Da
n you refuse it, and if you do, what C"
e struction will public opinion pla
" upon your refusal? Is it possible tf
h you are guilty? Surely it cannot b
n Ex-COngressman J tombstone amend
O. the original section by making it re
:. to forbid marriage between a VIII
- person and any person having any r
Is gro blood instead of tone eigth or inc
to negro blood" as it originally was.
" Ex-COngressman Tillman tried ha
At to have this recOnsidered, arguing tt
pr when negro became fifteen-sixteent
q white he or she should be allowed
+, intermarry with the pure white. Il
!. the progeny of the union might
H. white people, instead of forcing the
r. nearly emancipated citizen to bre
back with African descendants and
crease the negro population.
he Senator Tillman shouted to Mr.. oil
stone. "YOu have put more dynam
into this section than there is in all
is rest of the constitution
ru uo oxnlai cd this hy saving thai