The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-09
WILMINGTON. n. G..
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1898.
A MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
FOR NORTH CAROLINA

The people of North Carolina expect
the legislature to deal with the practi-
cal question growing out of conditions
existing among them. Many Of our
state exchanges have given their views
as to what should be done by the legis-
1ature. There are two or three opin-
ions. One class favor a constitutional
amendment, and an educational test.
The other class prefers a good election
law. The Messenger has referred to it
but once, and then in but a few lines.
1t rather leans to legislative enactment
than to the slow and uncertain method
of calling a constitutional convention,
which might be defeated. 1t is a ques-
zion Of pressing Importance surely. If
there could be an educational test,
such as exists in some northern states
and in some three or four southern
states it would be found useful indeed,
and would afford no little protection to
the state. But it might be hat if sub
mitted to the people for ratification
that it might be defeated. Up to his
date we are not particularly welded
to any plan, but would like the best,
surest and yet least oppressive if it
would be possible to combine these
qualities in one measure. The able
Reidsville Weekly favors the call of a
convention. 1t says:
1.-THE legislature has no power to i'm
pose any restriction whatever upon the
suffrage. An Overwhelming majority
rf tho Whita nppD1p Of the state how
ever, favor an amendment to the con-
s~titution which will eliminate the ne
gro as a political factor. The demo-
cratic party has the necessary strength
in the legislature to rmulat and sub
init an amendment to the people that
will accomplish this object and it will
be the mistake of the century if it is
not done. 1T will require the best
Thought of our Wisest and best men
to devise a plan that will be effective
and satisfactory"
IT certainly will require the coolest,
clearest, wisest heads to decide as TO
the best plan to be adopted, and the
safest way to cOnsummate the end
sought. While a great majority of the
white men desire a constitutional
change, the negroes and the whites who
voted with them in the last election,
and other whites who might suffer
from q constitutional change 6
again unite and defeat the very object
sought. The Messenger sees the ne
cessity of action. and will favor a plan
thai has in it the least wrong and the
best promise of good and satisfactory
results. 1t is a question to be looked
at calmly, con~servatively and with full
knowledge.
A change in regard to suffrage has
gradually taken place in the north.
There is now a very respectable portion
thai would be willing to see the
amendment to the federal constitution
bestowing suffrage upon the negroes
repealed. But the number favorlng
this is perhaps small compared with
those holding on to the action of the gov
ernmen soon after the war. But, we
are gratified to see, there are some OF
the leading up there that
do not refuse to admit the very great
blunder perpetrated by the republican
party at the very start when the cleo
tive franchise was bestowed upon the
" loii0 "LNNA
ceased between the south and the
north. Most of these newspapers so
plainly admitting a grievOus error are
democratic, but some are republican or
independent. There is another class,
some of both parties, that do not ad-
init the blunder perpetrated, but rath-
err think that thus far the negroes have
~,o.,aI thappSoIrnc visa voters in
the main, and have allowed themselves
to be too much controlled and used by
designing, unprincipled, selfish politi-
cal demagogues. Still another class, in
discussing the course of certain south
ern states in abridging suffrage appear
to mourn over this chiefly because 1T
deprives the republican party Of the
support it sought n planned for N
the beStowment so unwiSely n unfOr-
tunately of the suffrage upon the re-
Gently liberated slaves who knew alb
solutely nothing of the real duties and
responsibilities inhering in the ballot.
Papers that condemn Mississippi, Lou
isianna, South Carolina and Alabama,
because of the educational test, and
use of the Australian ballot, as unfair
and unjust, and violative of the Four
teenth and Fifteenth amendments to
the constitution, fail to state that
northern states, like Vermont and
Rhode Island, have severe tests as to
a right to vote. and many northern
states have adopted the Australian
ballot.