The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-07-31
Tillman DiscIosvs The
Scheme.

BRAScHy1LLE, July % When l
wrote the summary of the suffrage
schemes discussed by the Ring
leaders, which | send in with this, /
had 10 idea that it was 50 soon to
receive direct ccrroboration fron the
man who has been the head of the
Reform movement from it's very in-
ception. But at meeting held at
Hunters Ferry, ten miles from this
place in Barnwell county to-day,
Senator Tillman made a speech in
which he handled the matter, and l
am able TO quote his exact language
ON, the scheme The meeting was
one of the Barnwell county campaign
meetings and during the forenoon
speeches were made by the candi-
dates in the county for delegates TO
the Constitutional convention There
we're about 600 persons present, near
ly all of them being Reformers and
about seventy:6ve being ladies. An
excellent dinner was served, after
which Governor Evans spoke, and
then Senator Tiilman faced the
crowd.
He cane out squarely and gave
the scheme for the regulation of the
suffrage, making reference to his
remark at Ridgeway when advocat-
ing the calling of the Constitutional
convention in which he asked the
people tc trust him and vote for the
convention He stated too that in
the spring after the Forty conference
he had served notice on all opposed
to the Mississippi plan to get ready
for the near future Then he fu
disclosed the scheme as follows: 81
have given great deal of thought to
this matter The 18th amendment
is an insuperable bar to a permanent
and lasting arrangement Any
scheme that may be adopted can
only be temporary and will be largely
dependent on white unity, as it is
upon the administrator of the law
rather than in its language we must
rely. This has been the case with
the registrstion law and the eight
box law. As long as mo discrimina.
tion on account of race or color, can
be made, even an educational quail
6cation pure and simple would only
serve it's purpose of DISTINGUISHING
the negro while he remains ignor"nt.
How then can we disfranchiee ILL
terate negroes without at the same
time taking the right of suffrage from
the same class of white men 1t is
easy enough aud cannot be called
fraudulent system. The Mississippi
constitution provides that every
voter must be registered and that the
applicant for registration must be
able to read clause in the constitu-
tion or be able to understand and
explain it when read to him The
right :v Judge of the latter rests with
the supervisors Of registration If
the applicant can read he must be
registered and therefore be allowed
to vote
"lf he cannot, it is easy to see that
the negro could not understand, while
the white man would. This is natural
as the whites are the more intelligent
race. Couple provision forbidding
registration after a conviction for
crime, and require the applicant to
be also possessed Of a good moral
character. AID you can see now many
Thousands Of negroes will be disfran-
chised without fraud or without in
fring.ag or the 18th amendment to
the United States Constitution
Should VIC ever have a government
that would appoint registration Off
GERS who wanted to enrolithe negroes
as voters this scheme would not
work But there is a difference be.
tween having 1t in the constitution
and depending on the eight box and
laws. \ defeated M
no.ity of woite men could never OBJ
tain control of the government by
using TIE negro vote Such MI
nori,y must obtain control Of the GOV
ernment BY obtaining white major
ity first, aud it would then have no
need Of the negro.
Another safeguard woald be to
provide that no iiiiteratc person fail
mo of The necessary reuuiremaDts