The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-04

constitutional, the educational qualIh
cation will apply TO whites and blacks
alike. Therefore thousands who would
support the amendment, il the consti'
tutionality of the grandfather clause
were clearly established, will, II in
doubt as to this matter, oppose it. On
the other hand, many who would op
pose an educational qualification ap
plying to whites and blacks alike may
be led by this clause TO take "a leap in
the dark" From either standpoint il
is clearly much better and much fatreE
to settle once for all the question Of the
constitutionality Of the grandfather
clause.
In this connection, the following
from the New York Outlook may prove
interesting:
1.-The New York Tribune has pub
Iished an interesting letter from Ral
eigh, North Carolina, upon the political
aspects OF the proposed d~isfranchise-
ment Of illiterate negroes. The negro
voting population at the last census
was 100 600 out Of q total of 34S 600.
As threefourths Of the negroes are
illiterate as against one fourth Of the
whites, an amendment aimed at litter
acy would disfranchise eighty thou
sand negroes and sixty thousand
whites, leaving the white voters in a
majority of six to one The amend
ment submitted, however, proposes to
disfranchise the eighty thousand litter
ate negroes while permitting the sixty
thousand ~illiterate whites TO vote. by
stipulating that the disfranchisement
clause shall not apply to men whose
families had the suffrage in 1867. APP
parenlly nearly all the D mUcrats, a
part of the Populiste, and a few Re
publicans are Inclined to favor this
firm Of acknowledgements; but the
considerations hardly thought of at the
beginning. In the frat place, it lie nov
recognized that If the our declare
the portion of the amendment aimed
at the negro unconstitutional, this de
claration will simply invslidate the
clause permitting illiteraTe whites 60
vote. E lough of the amendment Will
remain TO establish an educational
qualIac alton for all, and therefore not
only the iIliterate whites but all who
regard q voice in the government as u
right Of white manhood fear to vOue
for the measure. Another poll lcaI
force array ed against the amendment
ia the liquor traffic. The great ma
jority of the white people demand
some form of ~prohibitIon, while The
great majority OF the nesroes prefer
nigh license. The present L g%IslsCure,
says the 'TIibune's' correspondent, has
established dispensarIes In several
counties, TO the intense. Indignation Of
the liquor men, and the latter are De
clariDg that If the negroes are elImI
mated from the voting population there
Is not q county or town In she State
that does not C ,nTaln a mel rITy for
local option or sven for ab-Olu Q pro
hlbItion IDBs nucn as b Iq Ior ele
ment is more llKsly 10 act a q unIE
than temperance element, this con
slderation probably means thousands
Of votes agaInsT the amendment Ii
the National re Aders of the r ,puO ican
party adopt che proposed plan OF insist
Ing that the f ,urIeenUh Amendment
co the National Constitution os eOeyt d,
and the represen alton Of States dIs
franchIslng aOulC men, e. sept for
crime, be propOrJIonaTely r, due d, tie
amendment may be defeated by a
neavy majority ; for the D 1mocraCs Of
North Carolina are even less wiling
than the RepuOl C n 30 have the rep
re%sentation IF LnerrS ate reduced"
Tnis 10 a pretty fair View OF the stu
alton but me article contains one or
two errors. For instance, the OUTLOOK
says that the fact hat the notification
of the grandfather clause would estaO
llsh an EDUC 4tIOnal gu AlI1caGIon for
voters Of both races I'VE hardly
thought of at drst
o. the contrary, We believe the
amendment was drawn with this pur
pose in view, and the files Of tue Raj
eIgh daIlies show that the question
vas duly considered.
Again we do not believe that threats
20 reOuce the Congressional represen
tation seriously threaten the success Of
the amendment. L il is a good thing
and people so consider it, the fear OF
one or two congressman will
han dIy cause them to opposeI 1t
It is strange, REMARKS an exchange,
that manila nffan 90 Wild nunr Eh1nnn