The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-05-10

Inc H0opI0'6 f0IGy convention
in Raleigh, April 18th.
reafirms the principles set forth In |
the Peoples Party National plat :,
form adopted at st. Louis In 1896,
and instructs tho delegates to the |
National Convention at Sioux Falls |
May 9Th to vote for the nomination
of William ]. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State |
for its high PEI
sonai and official integrity, and
challenge a comparison of its rec
ord with any and all OF its prede-
cessors.
We conde mn the Democratic Legis-
lature Of 1899 for its extravagans ex-
penditures OF public money amounting
to sl,5s 1875 in 1899, IS opposed to
81 1913 Sill, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, an excess Of $780,
1914 IS, not including the sum of 500.
90 for public education nor the $63, $50
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn aid Legis!a-
tnre for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blundsrs End unconstitutional
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders of the Democratic party Tor
laying the whip on the backs OF the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enactiDg and submitting q
DISTINGUISHING constitutional amend
ment in violation of the solemn
pledges of the party made not only
officially in their campaign handbook
but by members of the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for "ffice in their canvass before tne
people. We denounce them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
sure most odious in form and danger
Gus in effect. That General Assembly
being composed of some OF the best
lawyers of the party, must have
known. or at least had reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu-
uOnality of the monstrous provision OF
Section 5, Known as the "grandfath her
clause" in said amendment, but also
OF the great danger of that unconstltu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
| TO stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification atty or sixty
| thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1913 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
whose ignorance is no fault of their
own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
| to disfranchise them and make their
ignorance a crime alongside that OF
| the felon.
But even if the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
az In that it dignifies with the right
Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
| some and obnoxious class of the negro
| population, and completely disfran
| chises the most faithful, kindly and or
derby element of that race.
(b) In that, " lille clamOring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have SO written their
amendment that every white boy be-
| coming of age after 1908 stands on the
same footing with the negro, and can
| not vote unless he ia able to read and
write.
Co In that by the latter provision,
they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
! lot while the unfortunate son of the
white men who have been the strength
of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
the Suffrage of the son whose father
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend.
ment does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question in
North Carolina.
| (e) In that every voter who has moi
paid his poll tax as much IS i've
months before the State election ant
eight months before the national cleo
tiOn, shall be disfranchised as much u
if he were convicted of felony or were
an ignorant negro. The purpose Of
this provision is not only to disfran
chise every good honest citizen wh(
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes By
the first of March preceding the cleo
ton, but further to try to bribe the vo
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex
pense of the public school fund of TIT
State, which is derived from poll taxes
There Turks behind this proposition 1
still greater danger to the public
schools of tho State, for with the adop
. ton of the amendment the opponents
of free schools In North Carolina viii
|
raised for public instruction means tn
increase of the number of negro vo
ters, and thus the poor white man
son will be chained in bondage of ig
norance and disfranchised to proven
the education of the negro voter
There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question pre-
! scented by the proposed amendment i
one that must be determined by tn
Judgment and conscience of each indi
, vidual voter. Therefore, we do no
make it party question. We state tn
evils and dangers and leave the voter
of all parties to pass their verdict il
, the light of these facts. The question
is above party, aud no one should b
: more active and anxious in our judg
: ment to defeat 1t than the rank an
Gle of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and hiss Away
, oeen more distinctly than any otbe
. party in North Carolina q white man
party, and is more anxious than an
,thsr party to solve the race problem
and to force all parties to disoussl0
Of che great economic issues so vital
affecting the welfare of all wealth Pre-
ducers of the State and natlon and de
cency in politics.
h Therefore, We propose in lieu of thi
! dangerous amendment, the best solu
: ton of the race question that is posi-
bic as long as the 10Th amendment t
the Constitution of the United State
!, stands s..lution which deprives n
y white man in North Carolina now O
hereafter of his right of suffrage, Ia
O wit:
e Amend Section 6, Art. 6. Of the Cor
= stitution of North Carolina by inser,
ing among the disquali6cations fG
office, enumerated therein, the follow
ing. viz: All negroes and all person
of negro descent to the third genera
ton Inclusive.
ia II the Democratic Legislature whic
q meets in June will offer this safe. Col
= stitutional and wholesome amendmeI
]. lieu of the present scheme it wi
I. have our hearty support. If they wi