The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-07-27
The Mississippi and uisiana
Amendments.

Certain politicians are telling the
people that even if the amendment is
ratified the Supreme Court o. the I'M
ted States vii set it aside
The Republicans of mississippi said
The same tl..n, when the white people
Of Mississippi submitted TO the people
Iof that Stare the amendment to their
constitution for the purpose Of eli1aj-
mating the ignorant Negro vote, ald es,
tablishin@ white supremacy. The pee
pie paid 10 heed to them, however. as
they VIII pay 10 heed to them IL
This STATE and overwhelmingly ADOPT
the amendment.
Shortly thereafter the Republicans
made up u case TO test the cot}Sti tu-
tio2;.iity Of the t1lisaiszippi a1nen,ilnent
and took it to the Supreme Court OF.
the United States. ar,i that court very
promptly sustained :,>- constitutional
ity, nocWiths landing rla amendment
bad, IN addition to the educational
qualification, an understanding quail.
ficaion.. and even left it to the regis
trar OF elections to inyGsti gate and de-
c1Ga the question Of whether the yo-
ter sufficiently understood the nature
OF TIL; act to constitute him an inteIli-
gent voter
When the white people &C Louisiana
decided hat they could 10 longer sal
hit to l2eg1so GGD,in4t ioG Gay eille.,l
i convention Of tie people, am. Il sub
ulsttea to the people an amendment
sl3rs4st identical with GU amendments
i:iil>Et}. our amendment was t;5.t.,,
from theirs. and us n mississippi. SIX
Republicans aid even if it WA al.o:jt-
ed by lie people it was Uccon>1ifll-
tion:.l and would be set aside by the
Supreme Court. lac Louisiana PEG
pie paid no mor> attention to the
cla1nor and pred crions of these r.
pubucans than DID the people OF Mis-
siSsipDi, and the amendment w;ts over
| whelminGly adopted. 1Iarc rhan Il
| year has elapsed since its adoption,
and no effort has been mad On TIE
| part Of the Republicans even to GET i
case before the court TO test It's CON
| stit.itiOnaltty. The fact is that the de-
cis&on in the Mississippi case satisfied
| the Republicans of Louisiana tha.
| tlley nee+i not expect the Supreme
Court CT the United States To lend
tiieln any assistance in continuing Ne
! gro rule III the South, and they have
! very wisely kept out of the courts.
| Il, this State we VIII doubtless i1ea,
| the election, as the Democrats in Mis-
, sissippi and Louisiana did. about the
uncons titutioIaiity OF the amend
neur, but the people viii pay go at
/; tention to them here as they paid Rome
| to them there.
| After the Ia Utica ton of the amend
ment we will hear nothing from them
about its ns,itutiora!ity. The peo>
| pie have learned from experience to
| expect the objection that il is uncon-
stitutionaf' TO be made to every de
m3nd or attempt on their part TO re-
| form o.. correct abuses in government!
or admins tration. They know if they
should desist from their purpose ev-
! cry time the constitutional argument
| is made they could not hope TO make
any progress toward bert"ring taa;;
condition. 1t is 4 standing ScarecroW
which has ceased to scare. The
am endrlect ylas been carefully and
thoroughly Investigated by the ahiest
lawyers in the State and South ana
found to be sound.