Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-09
NEGRO D1sFRANcH1sEMENT.

Whole middle West. The prosperity of
both sections goes hand in hand.
NEGRO OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
The trials of the citizens OF southern
states to control the negro vote have
been the subject of much comment on
the part of US northerners. Many of us
have loudly denounced their methods,
while some of us. being more tolerant
and perhaps having a better apprecia-
ton of the conditions existing in the
south, have had aught but sympathy.
DISTINGUISHING the negro by means of
suffrage requlrments. but others are
still cropping around for some means of
alleviating their troubles.
North Carolina now proposes in an
amendmnet to the state constitution to
be voted on next year, a scheme similar
to the ones worked in other states. of an
educational and property qualification
for the exercise of the suffrage. The
clause reads as follows:
Sec. 4.--Every person presenting him
lself for registration shall be able to
read and write any section of the con-
| stitution in the English language; and,
before he shall be entitled to vote, have
/ paid, on or before the first day of March
of the year in which he proposes to vote,
| his poll tax, as prescribed by law, for
the previous year.
This would in effect disfranchise up
/ wards of 100000 negroes, and very
large number of whites as well, which
i could not be very strongly objected to
l.so long as the law was administered
& when the body polite becomes over
4 burdened with mass of ignorant and
4 shiftless voters there is but one remedy
4, i. e. a restricting qualification of some
kind.
But the people of North Carolina are
neglecting their opportunities in a sec
ond provision of the proposed amend
lnent, which is manifestly designed te
discriminate between white and black
voters. 1t provides as follows:
Sec. 5.-No male person who was, OF
thereto entitled to vote under the law.
of any state in the United States where
in he then resided, and no lineal de
scendant of any such person, shall b'
denied the right to register and vote a
ANY ELECTION in this state by reason o
his failure to possess the educationa
qualifications prescribed in section o
this article.
OF course this places without the pal
of the law all white voters, and onl.
, white voters, for no negroes were givel
+ the ballot prior to 1867. Such fagran
attempts to draw the color line do no
: reflect any credit upon the people o
: North Carolina. Their actions are NOR
. ally IL not legally wrong and should b
= condmened by all liberty-loving people
If the ignorant vote is a menace to thei
welfare, as we'll it might be- they ca
), not be blamed for trying to stifie 1t, blu
= the ignorant black vote is no more dan
gerous than the ignorant white vote
and If one must go so must the othe1
No, South Carolina, you lose the sym
pathy of all fair-minded people whe
IS you allow your native born prejudice
d to carry you into scheme so manifest
% ly unjust.
II James K. Jones, Jr., son OF Senate
lie Jones, has arrived In Washington afte
= long stay in Europe with his fathe
He stated that Senator Jones has no IL
= tention Of resigning the chairmanship
., the national democratic committee.