The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-05
THE AMENDMENT NIISREpRT,-
SENTED--"THE WHITES
WILL RULE"

The Progressive Farmer has come down
from its perch on the fence and is
joining hands with Pritchard and other
opponents of White Supremacy in eight
ing the Constitutional Amendment. We
had expected all along that its devotion
| to negro rule, as shown so plainly in
the campaign of 1898, would cause if 10
join hands again with those who want
| North Carolina ruled by negroes ana
selfish or corrupt white men. In stand
| ing with Pritchard and Isaac Smith
| in this fight, the Progressive Farmer
shows that it is Radical paper through
| thick and thin. We would not refer to
that paper ut all, however, for it mas
only come out in the open on its own
level, if it had not made two Incorrect
assertions. 1t says:
1T is admitted that if the grand-fath
er clause is unconstitutional the 'edu
cational qualification will apply to whites
and blacks alike
| Admitted by whom? We know that It
was not admitted by any lawyer in the
| General Assembly AS matter of fact
there isn't fiedgeling lawyer in the
State who does not know that if the
| Federal Supreme Court declares the
grandfather clause unconstitutional. the
| whole act will be declared unconstiid-
tional, for they are not such provisions as
| can be separated They all stand or
fall together. So much for that aSscr-
| ton
| Again the Progressive Farmer saws:
we believe the amendment was
| drawn with this purpose Ito establish
| IAN educational qualification for both
| races in view, and the files OF the Raj
eigh dailies will show that the 1ueStl III
was duly considered"
| That paragraph is disingenuous if not
! dishonest. The Farmer first states that
lit believes the amendment was drawn
| to establish IAN educational quallfica-
| ton for both races" and in order to
strengthen its faith adds ''the flies of
the Raleigh dailies will show that the
cred by whom? And what was the result?
The Progressive Farmer was right in
saying that it was duly considered
No sooner had it appeared in print than
the Radicals cried out that it made an
educational qualification 'for both races
In view OF that cry it was duly consid.
hr N
every lawyer in that body stated that
by no possible construction could the
amendment apply the educational quail
ificaton TO any white man or white hoy
over thirteen years of age. Not o1ly
did the legal members of the Legislature
come to this opinion after it had been
auly considered" but eminent mem
bers of the BAR ex-Judges of the Su-
preme and Superior court, were united
! in the opinion that it did not apply to
both races And the average man.
who knows no law. but reads the amend
ment which is 50 plain that all can UNI
| derstand it. will not be deceived by the
cry of those office-holders who are fight
| ing the amendment because it destroys
| their occupation as 'niggtI-traders.
| They know its adoption relegates them
| permanently to the shades of private
| life. for they have never had a chance Of
success unless they could start in by
using 100000 negroes to kill the votes
of 10000 white men. With that power
taken from them, where will they be able
to even make Il fight? They realize this
and that is why in their desperation
| they seek To deceive the people by mis-
representing the true purport Of the
amendment.
The amendment, stripped of all eva
sion or misrepresentation, means this
and only this: to make White Supren-
! acy permanent by legal and constitu
tional methods The white people of
North Carolina have resolved thai they
will rule the State no matter what the
cost or the sacrifice. They will never
again submit to having 100000 negroes,
acting with a few thousand white men,
control the destiny of the State
| The sooner the Radicals and others
who have been manipulating the negro
| vote realize that the determination shown
By the white men in 1898 was but an
earnest of the resolve to make that vic
tory permanent by adopting the amend
ment--the sooner they realize this fact
the better it will be for them.
The white men will rule the land or
die
| That is what the amendment is 10
/ guarantee.
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