The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-25
GEORGIA WANTS 1T.

In fifty six counties in Georgia there
are more negro than white voters, and
vet out of forty-four Senators and Ito
members of the House, there are only
nine in both branches who are not
Democrats. The white voters in Geor-
gia have the negro vote under control
as this representation shows, but in 1893
the North Carolina Democrats had al
most as solid control of the General
Assembly and in the very next year the
negroes by joining hands with the Popu-
by an immense majority. The wiser
statesmen of Georgia are growing tired
of the strenuous measures necessary to
suppress the negro vote, and they are
preparing to follow Mississippi, Louis
lana, South Carolina and North Caro-
lima in the elimination of the mass or
negro voters by constitutional amend
ment The Legislature is now in SEES
sion in Atlanta and Hon. II. w. Hard
wick, member from Washington, has
introduced bill which follows the line
of the North Carolina amendment. The
only material difference between his bill
and the North Carolina bill is thus sta
ted by the Journal:
''The bill in itself is practically the
same as the amendment submitted by
the last General Assembly of North
Carolina.
'The North Carolina amendment
makes the qualification of voter the
ability to read and write any section
of the Federal Constitution. This would
disqualify in addition to probably seven
ty-five or one hundred thousand negro
voters a large number of white voters.
The whites are provided for, however,
in what is known as the ''grandfather's
clause" which stipulates that any man
who is a lineal descendant of any voter
prior to 1867 can vote, whether he can
read or write or not.
''Mr. Hardwicks bill will contain the
same qualifications, with the same pro-
vision, except that the qualifications are
more rigid. The voters must not only
be able to read or write any section of
the constitution, but must be able to
give an intelligent Interpretation of the
same.
"This qualification is intended, evil
IDENTIFY. to reach the class known as free
school negroes who have learned to
read and write only, and because Of
this meagre intelligence are said to he
more vicious and more dangerous in
some sections of the State than the
more ignorant of the race"
Governor Gambler and other party
leaders believe that the time has come
to eliminate the negro by legally disfran-
chising him rather than by other means.
The Southern people will not tolerate
negro rule, or rule by men dependent
on the negro vote, and it is their duty
to find the best method of securing per-
manent white supremacy We believe
that the Georgians will be wise to adopt
an amendment now while everything is
running their way, and not wait, ar
the North Carolinians did, for "the. evil
day. when the State is disgraced by bad
government. No Southern State can
afford to have its material and political
interests in jeopardy. Mississippi was
the wisest Southern State. All the rest
must follow. The sooner the better.
Now is the accepted time,' because the
National Republican party is planning
to deny suffrage in Hawaii, Porto Rico
and other possessions, which will make
it impossible to interfere with the suf-
frage amendments in the South without
exposing themselves to the ridicule of
the world.