The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-11-30

I.d,r the above h adlng the A she
GILL. Gazette II the % has ine fol
loelrg editorial which should bt
carefully and widely read
Not the least of the deplorabIe eff
sec.s Of such legislation as tue pro.
no-,d constitutional amendment he.
.trlc,ing the suffrage by an educa.
lYrtI quah Fl cation is the fact that i,
-, his 10 Az extraordinary degree the
r,,rrtCAL POWER OF THE TOWNS
OVER HAT OF THE COUNTRY Dis.
rp.crS OF The STATE. The suffrage
r..rrfions IN Louisiana have shown
II, what length this Is likely 70 go,
wl,p IN the election OF last fall n
FEW CITIES east more than EIGHTY
par CENT If he 80 0hO votes cast in
IN, entire Safe. The small vote
showed now completely political lib
.r.v WAS dead n ,ne State, and the
f,cr that nearly ell Of this was cast
IN thp tpNrs showed that e. W citiz ns
~ tnp rursl districts, where THOUS-
.NT- HAD BEEN DisFRANCHlSED, any
Inner f.ll that tue suffrsge right
WAS worth exercising. Sharp and
Jom .,erlug mon who have tnts red
m, ar ua Of modern politics with
th,. .aea Of "Exing" n state or n coun-
~ SO that their sovereignty will
MT he open TO assault at the polls,
se.k 10 placate and manipulate the
nypeuple ~ 'he EXPENSE OF TBI
COUNTRY RESIDENTS. III the latter
al. "A tipdranco To their schemes
some device for disIrauchlsing them,
ar rendering elections in the rural
distress u fraud and farce, is sure
10 be- among tho early moves OF the
mac6lue. Tue proposed North Car
DINA constitutional amendmt mt is
l.r,.Iv a,m,d to- DESTROY THE LIT
fcAr. POWER OF THE RURAL DIS
TRICTS Ii will deprive thousands
81 honest white farmers of the vot-
INC frsnchiae, and the negro voters
that II aft els will be largely the
hooes, AID Industrious toilers In the
fed4. for ~ large ma Jrlty OF the ne
grDe, in the towns can meet its edu-
ca,,oryl test. This will be one fur
th,r INCENTIvE FOR THE NEGRO, who
ls not bound 10 the farm rs is the
farmer or the farmers son, to make
tho town his home. The Philadel-
mia X cord n few days ago com
mented on the tende lcy that already
existed for the negroes TO DRIFT to the
towns, regarding 1t as "deplorable
feature of the situation in the South"
The Record remarks that while their
coming to towns opens up for them
educational, social aud religious OPP
portuulties, INTO which they were
strangers in the country, the advan-
tspe IS far more than { II set by ire
maz, of temptations i'll which they
are suddenly tbrowp." There can
be no ques ton tbs. y statute which
grants political privileges to q town
resident that il wITHHOLDs FROM A
MANN THE COUNTRY will greatly
advance this tendency of the coiOred
population of the State to gather In
the cities. lis effect may be to stim-
ulate them to acquire q limited edu.
cation, but beyond this the enect
would be disastrous TO the interests
Of the State and of the negro popu-
latiOn.
Ths constitutional amendment,
with its unconstitutional MIN sec
liou. whose probable elimination
must be taken into account in any
consid ration of the ultimate effects
of the amendment If it be ratified at
the polls, is so revolutionary and rad
icsl proposition that it is well a
campaign of considerable length re-
mains in which to fathom and dis
cuss its meaning and the results and
Influences il would have on various
classes of citizens and public inter
eats