The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-05
Mr.. SIMMONS VIEWS
He SAYS THAT THE SUFFRAGE AMEND.
MENT WILL CARRY BY BIG MAJORITY.
He Declares that North Carolina VIII Send
Solid Bryan Delegation to the Next
National Convention.

which the right of about one hundred
and twenty thousand negroes to vote is
/ involved. Georgia amid other States
contemplate restricting the negro vote
after the manner North Carolina has
| adopted. If the amendment now before
the people of that State is ratified and
/ sustained by the courts, it is believed
/ that similar amendments will be adopt
ed by other Southern States. which prac-
/ tically means the elimination of the ne
| gro from politics.
| The Atlanta Journal has obtained from
h. NJ. Simmons, chairman of the Dem
ocratic Committee of North Carolina.
a statement i'm which he admits that full
| ly one hundred thousand colored persons
will be disqualified by the North Caro-
lima amendment, against which the ne
groes are now wagimg political life
| struggle Chairman Simmons declares
the North Carolina Democrats will send
a solid delegation for Bryan to the next
national convention and deG,.and the re-
affirmation OF the Chicago platform.
MIR. SINIMONS1S STATEMENT.
Mr.. Simnlonss statement, which will
be a campaign slogan IN the South, will
be published tomorrow, in part. as fol-
lows:
Concerning the suffrage amendment to
the Constitution of This State, submit
ted to the people by the last Legislature
and to be voted upon at the election
to be held in August, 1900 | beg to say
that the amendment is the result of deep
rooted conviction om the part of our
white people that the best interest of the
State and both races requires the elm
dnation from politics of the vicious and
incompetent negro vote.
'@The last campaign in North Caroliul
was made chiefly upon the issue of white
supremacy. The head1tiness with which
| the people responded to this issue is
| shown by the fact that we overcame a
majority of 10000, poled against the
Democratic party in 1897. and carried
the State by a majority of 10000. We
| feel that we have temporized with the
race question in politics long enough.
1.-THE salient features of the measure
are contained in its fourth and fifth soc
tons. which provide that every person
presenting himself for registration shall
be aple TO read and write any section Of
the Constitution in the English lan-
guage, and that no male person who was.
ON january j, 1867, or at any time prior
thereto, entitled to vote, under the laws
of any State i'm the United States,
wherein he then resided, and no lineal
descendant of any person, shall be de-
MED the right TO register and vote at
any election in this State by reason Of
his failure to possess educational aualib-
cations prescribed in section 4 of this ar
ticle provided he shall have registered in
accordance with the terms of this section
prior to December i. 1908. The General
Assembly shall provide for a permanent
record of all persons who registered I'M
der this section ON or before November
/. 1908. and all such persons shall be en-
titled to register and vote at all cleo
tions by the people IN, this State unless
disqualified under section 2 of this ar
ticle: provided such persons shall have
paid their poll tax as required by law
SOME NEGROES CAN VOTE.
ut will be seen from these sections of
the proposed amendment tilat every ne
gro who can read and write Will be en-
titled to vote. lit is estimated that be-
tween $4,000 and 10000 negroes IN the
State can now comply with this test.
There are probably in the State 1000 or
1900 negro voters who are lineal de-
scendants of what were known before
the war as free negroes who were en-
titled to vote in this State under the
Constitution as it existed prior to 1885.
These will be entitled to vote.
There are probably few hundred
negroes in the State who We're residents
| prior to 1867 of States in which negroes
were allowed to vote and they also cam
vote under the fifth section. The rest
of the negroes will not be able TO vote
until they have qualified themselves by
learning TO read and write.
while some question has been made
as to iihe constftutionality of the amend
meDt by the Republican politicians, we
know no lawyer of recognized legal abil-
ity and standing in the State who has in
vestigated the question who doubts its
constitutionality. A careful study of it
will disclose the fact THAT it does not III
any legal sense contrayene the Fifteenth
Amendment TO the United States Constl-
tution or a'bridge the rights of the black
imam to vote ON account of race, color
or previous condition Of seryitude,' but
| that it simply establishes qualification
| of suffrage.
"Ihis qualification is that the voter
shall have a due understanding of the
nature of his act and the effect thereof
upon himself and his fellowmen, and it
prescribes two ways in which the voter
| may show that he possesses this required
/ degree of understanding:
81 If he can read and write it is COM
cusively presumed from that fact that
he possesses the required degree of UNI
| Outstanding.
~. If he or his ancestors began to ex-
ercise the right of suffrage prior to 1867
! it is conclusiyely presumed from that
/ fact that he possesses the required de-
| gree of understanding.
'aThe amendment will receive the unit
ed support of the Democratic party and
that part of the Populist vote which has
not. by fusion with the Republican party,
become thoroughly republfcanized. In adj
| dition to this large number of white
Republicans will support the amendment,
hecause they believe it to be to the best
| interests of the State and both races
| that it should pass, and because they see
no hone for their party in North Caro-
lima SO long as it remains under the
control Of the negro, as it necessarily will
SO long as the negroes constitute four~
| ffth> of its voting strength.
| "Best on the market for coughs and
/ \ H.. II l.. Gr.a