The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-08-02
PEeslE3 PATTY plATFoas


Asv1 lssA. iss&
The Peoples Party Convention
assembled In Raleigh, April ls:a-
reafiirms the principles set forth -
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted 1T St. Louis In 1tA~
and instructs the delegates - Sac
National Convention ut Sioux ItiA
May 9th to vote for the nomination
OF William j. Bryan for President
We commend the present gtate
Administration for its high Del
sonsl and ofacial integrity, INC
challenge . comparison of its rec-
ord with any and al Of it, pfeds-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
Iature OF 1899 for It's extravaSsnt ex-
penditnFes OF public money amounting
TO 81 80, 1856 in 1899, - opposed tn
1888 81 IL, expended BY the proceed
ing Legislature, IN excess Of $50.
7s4 o5. not including the sum Of 500.
90 for public education nor the 1s3.3H
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said IAgisIa-
tnre for the careless blundeYing and
careless legislation, including mov'
GROSS blunders and unconstitEsiona'
laws than ever before enacted by any
General A ssembly in North Carolina.
We further denounc the machine
leaders Of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs IT The
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting
iisfrahchising constitutional amend
= 4 ~
pledges Of the party made not only
officially in their campaign handbook
| but by members Of the General Assem-
for office in their canvass before the
people. We denounce them not only
fov doing this in violation NJ fheiv
| 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 basf
lawyers Of the party. must have
known. or at least had q reasonable
doubt. rot only as to the unconstitu
tionslity Of the monstrous provision al
Section 3. Known as the "grandfsths'
clause" in said amendment, but also
Of the great danger of that unconstitu
tloasl sectional section falling, lsav'
ing the remainder of the amendment
to stand, thus disfrauchising by an cd
ucatioral qualification ffty Or sxt1
thousan nd white voters Of North Caro-
lima, who In 1893 gave the DamOcrsti,
party power n the Legislature, arc
, whose ignorance 10 no fault of thsil
own but is chargeahls to the neglect o
the Democratic party, which now seek
to disfranchiss them and make theil
ignorance q crime al0nRside that O
the fslon.
But even If the proposed amesdmen
we're not unconstitutional (as it elesr
" is), still it is especially objectie n
able in the following particulars:
fa) In that il d'gpifies with the vish
} Of suffrage the most vieious, trouble
some and obnoxious class Of the pe1r,
population. and completely disfrap
chises the most faithful.kiudly and or
der|y element OF that race.
(b) In that.while clamorinR for whit,
supremacy and declaring that no whit,
man shall be disfranchised under tbi
amendments. they have 80 written thei
amendment that every white boy BE-
: coming Of age after 1908 stands on tn
same footing with the negro, and ca,
r not vote unless he is able to read an.
, write.
(c) 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 tn
white men who have been the strenstI
OF true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slsuehte
the Suffrage Of the son whose fathe
, they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
mant does not remove the negro from
notifies or settle the negro question il
! North Carolina.
Il (e) Tn that every voter who has no
Maid his poll tax a. much as flv
months before the State election an.
eight months before the national cleo
tion. shall be dissra nchiaed As much a
# he were convicted Of felony or wer
an ignorant negro. The purpose q
this provision is not only to disfran
chise every good honest citizen VIII
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b,
the first of March preceding the cleo
zion. but further to try to bride the vo
Ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex
pense of the public school fund of h,
State, which is derived from DOLL taxes
There turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publi.
schools of the State, for with the adop
tion of the amendment the opponents
IF free schools IN North Carolina viii
At once raise the cry that every dolla,
raised for public instruction means tn,
increase Of the number of negro vo
tiers, and thus the poor white mans
sou will be chained in bondage of ig.
norance and disfranchiscd to prevent
the education of the negro voter
There is no white euDYemacv IN this
The constitutional question pre-
sented by the proposed amendments il
one that must be determined by the
Judgment and conscience of each indi-
vidnal voter. Therefore, we do no.
make it . party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voter.
Of all parties to pass their verdict ir
he light of these facts. The Quessio,
's above party, and NO one should b.
more active and anxious in our judf
9ent to defeat it than the rank and
ale Of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party Is and has a way.
been more distinctly than any etbar
party in North Carolina . white mans
party, and is more anxious than any
other party to solve the race problem,
and to force all parties TO 4 diseusslon
Of the great economic issues 80 vitality
sffecting the welfare of all wealth pro
.1ucers of the State and nation and de-
"ency in politics.
Therefore, We propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment, the best soiu-
ton of the race question that is posi-.
bic as long as the 10Th amendment t.
the Constitution of the United State,
| stands solution which deprives no