The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-09-14
" A INDUSTRIOUS ABsuRo,ry y

"o"S'huuS ABSUR0lTY."
700" Democrats Opposed to the
"r"nd-son Of His Grandfather, Com
nitutioBal Amendment t,.,..
The correspondent of the Char
Iotte Observer, writing to that pane,
from Fayetteville, under date of
March 4th, says:
The Observer correctly guages pub.
TIC sentiment in throwing out a word
Oh warning against taking for grant
ed the carrying st the ballot box of
inc suffrage constitutional amend
ment. 1t will require hard work from
the rank and file and leaders of the
party. There is certainly ne cloud
on the title of the Cape Fear Dem.
ocracy to orthodoxy, dut the writer
is surprised at the number of lead.
ing Democrats whom he meets or.
posed to the amendment. The clause
about the grand son of his grand
father" Is especially decried as a
monstrOus absurdity.
The suffrage amendment referred
to above, which was adopted by the
last Legislature, is as follows:
THE SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT.
Section L. That Article vi of the
Constitution of North Carolina be-,
and the same is hereby repealed, and
IN lieu thereof shall be substituted
the following Article of Said Constj
tuition:
ARTICLE vi.
Suffrage and Eligibility to Office
Qualifications of an Elector.
Section l. Every male person born
in the United States, and every male
person who has been naturalized, q
years of age and possessing the qtai-
ifications set out in this Article shall
be entitled t. vote at any election by
the people in the State, except as
herein otherwise provided.
Sec. 2. He shall have resided in
the State of North Carolina for two
years, in the county six months and
in the precinct, ward or other cleo
ton district, in which he offers to
vote four months next pre- cediug the
election: Provided, That removal
from one precinct, ward or other
election district to another in the
same county, shall not operate to de-
prive any person of the right to vote
in a precinct, ward or other election
district from which he has removed
until after such removal. No person
who has been convicted, or who has
confessed his guilt in open court
upon indictment, of any crime, the
punishment of which is, or may
thereafter be, Imprisonment in the
State prison, shall be permitted &c
vote unless the said person shall be
first restored to citizenship in TIE
manner prescribed by law.
Sec. 3. Every person Offering to
vote shall be at the time a legally
registered voter as herein prescribed
and in the manner hereinafter pro.
vided by law, and the General AS.
sembly of North Carolina shall enact
general registration laws to carry in
to effect the provisions of this Ar
ticle.
Sec. 4. Every person presenting
himself for registration shall be able
to read and write any section of thu
Constitution in the English language
and, before he shall be entitled t.
vote, have paid, on or before the firs
day of March of the year in which h
proposes to vote, his poll tax, as pre-
scribed by law, for the previous year
Poll taxes shall be lien only on as
sessed property, and no process shall
issue to enforce the collection of tn
same except against assessed prop
erty.
Sec. 5. No male person, who wa
on January l, 1867, or at any tim
prior thereto, entitled to vote unde
the laws Of any State in the Unite
States wherein he then resided, an
no lineal descendant Of any such pei
son; shall be denied the right to reg
lister and vote at any election in thi
State by reason of his failure to pc
sess the educational qualification
prescribed in section 4 of this Article
Provided. He shall have registere
in accordance with the terms of thi
section prior to Dec. l, 1908
The General Assembly shall pr'
vide for permanent record of q
persons who register under this SCI