The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-07-10
VIZ MEACHAM REPLIES TO MEssRs.
BOGGs AND McIVER.

During the last few weeks quite a
number of articles have appeared in
rour columns favoring the proposed
constitutional amendment, not one
If which has shown any good reason
or necessity for the change.
All with one accord deal in vague
n7atitudes and guess at the good
work to be accomplished. None
have declared a greater object sought
nv if than the elimination of the ne
GRO vote. With Geo. E. Boggs that
i held up to be the paramount OBJ
ipct to be attained, and in order to
Give his statements some plausible
appearance, uses the subject of edu-
cation as a %subterfuge to dodge the
question. All this silly twaddle
about education is nothing more than
Dure rot. Neither education nor
T1f-eracy ever has affected a mans
vote. He does like Mr.. Boggs-
votes the way his prejudices lead
him. or as his environments compel
him to vote. The Republican party
has in its ranks as learned men as
any party. The Democratic party
has the same thing. The Populist
marty contains in its ranks as able
md learned statesmen as any party.
Education never did, and never will,
control mems votes, and to adopt
Bo-.s theory we would be compelled
TO disfranchise the descendants of
foreigners because their ancestors
were not Of our nationality.
Again. if Mr.. BOggs has not lived
long enough to learn that Il mans
moral status does not depend upon
the political party with which he
afiliutes. he has lived to very little
purpose. Another writer, called a
professor, declares the amendment to
he the proper construction to be
placed upon the fifteenth amend
ment to the Constitution of the
United States, which says that no
person shall be declared from voting
on account of color. And yet those
who favor the amendment give as a
reason for so doing that it will debar
the negro from exercising that right.
The Constitution of the United States
reads as follows, viz: ''Al persons
born or ~naturaIized in the United
States and are under the Jurisdiction
of the United States are CITIZENS of
the United States. No State shall
make any law abridging the rights
or immunities Of any citizen of the
United States Is voting Il right or
immunity Of Il citizen? Is the owning
of property a right or immunity of a
citizen? No sane man can say that
the II is not as much a right or i'm
munity as the other. If You can
deny the citizen one of these two
rights, you can just as easily deny
llm the other.
And yet we are told by the learned
professor that it will improve the
morals of the people to take a
solemn oath to maintain and support
the Constitution of the United States
and then go to the polls and cast
their votes to deprive a certain class
1f citizens Of rights secured to them
by that Constitution. In other words,
Eve 20 to the registrar and take this
solemn oath to maintain and support
the Constitution of the United States
in order to get our names on the
rolls that we may cast our votes to
-lke away the citizens right, which
We Swore to protect. Call that mo-
rgiry!- Well, we can only say God
deliver Us from such morality.
All the writer's, so far as we have
.a.n able to read, favoring the move
.-"rloOk the most dangerous feature
IN the whole field. 1t is the section
which provides for converting the
legislature as soon as practicable
tier its passage in order to revise
-H" registration laws. A~bitter par
san body of men finding themselves
fastened in power for all time, who
would use the means now being used
m order to fasten this thing upon the
l.op.e, could hardly be expected to
.' less than to so amend these regis,
-ration laws as to place the profess
."nal politicians beyond the fear of
Ter being routed by the people,
.'"ever obnoxious they may prove
u be. They now belong to organ
-an-zcd corporate monopoly, and in
Nu their former legislation has been