The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-11-02
An ADMISSION THAT ~ SIGNIFICANT

n 0LeRgO II Tue O0b NhiOc S'~SS~
N. G. as second. class mail matter
AN ADMISSION THAT - SIGNIFICANT
The Atlanta Constitution sent
special reporter to North Carolin'
during the last campaign, and open
ed wide its columns to assist BIN.
mons and bis machine IN running
negro scare-crow campaign. Hun
drsds OF thousands Of copies OF tn
Constitution, with highly colored po
litical articles supporting Simmon'
and bis machine. were broadcastec
oyer the State. since the last legis
lature Adjourned, the Atlanta Con
stitution has been defending Sim
mons thieving election Law and his
proposed constitutional Amendment
to disfranchise voters. The Constitu-
ton has also advised the State ma
chine in Georgia to adopt the same
scheme.
The above facts make the follow
ing editorial admission by tho At.
lanta Constitution, with reference t.
the Amendment very significant.
We referred to this matter in last
weeks issue, but on account of the
circu N stances referred to above il
deserves further notice in this week q
issue. In an editorial discussing the
Louisiana scheme and the proposed
North Carolina scheme of disfran.
chising, that paper says:
"At any rate, IL the Supreme
Court of the United States, should
ever, in any case from North Caro-
lima, Louisiana, or Georgia, hold that
the Amendment of this character
Chat is the grandson Of the grand.
father clause, known as the Fifth
Section violates the 10Th Amend.
ment of the Federal Constitution,
still the balance of the proposed
amendment would be constitutional
and the educational qualification
would stand; and that would accomp
lish incalculable good"
1t will be seen from the above edi
torial extract that the Constitution
admits that Section 5 of the proposed
disfranchisng scheme may be de
clared unconstitutional by the Su
preme Court of the United States
and that the Court might simpl!
knock out that section and leave tn
remaining sections Of the proposed
amendment to stand. 1t not onl,
admits that the Court could do this
but it admits that when the Cour
does this that the educational quail
fca,ion would apply to disfranchis
both illiterate whites and black
alike. The Constitution not onl
makes this admission, but goes
step further and says it would be
good thing il the Court SO held.
Now, what does this meant
means exactly what We have ofte
stated, aid what has often been dc
MED by Simmons and his machin
In this State, that is that
was their purpose in offerin
this amendment to make it q
constitutional except section Hv
and to make that section 20 en-
phatically unconstitutional an
stand it of by itself 80 distinct 40
separate from the remainder Of tn
amendment, that the Court not onl
could, but would declare section
unconstitutional end leave the r.
mainder Of the amendment to stand
This is exactly what We believe Sim
mons and his machine had in min
when they drew that amendmen,
and, further, that it is what the
expectt d the Supreme Court to do
the amend ment should be adopted
II this was not their purpose, VII
did they not put section 4 and s i
one paragraph a. several member
Of the Democratic caucus insiste
upon being done II Mr.. Simmon
or any member Of that secret Demo
cratic caucus can answer this Q
throw any light upon this matte,
We will be glad to open our column
to them.