Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-22

and iliiterate people of both races from vot-
ing, but the democrats had denied and rid
iculed this charge. Senator Vance, he said,
had been able to hold this tendency in
check but when he passed away, it was at
once asserted.
The Fifteenth Amendment.
In order said Mr. Pritchard, that We
may be able to place an intelligent con-
struction upon the proposed amendment
and correctly determine as to whether or
not it is in conflict with the Constitution
of the United States it is necessary to
carefully ascertain the true interest and
meaning of the fifteenth amendment. 1t is
evident that the trainers of the fifteenth
amendment had but one object in view, and
that was to embody in the Constitution of
the United States guarantee that there
should be no discrimination on the part of
any state against any class of people on
account of race color or previous condi-
ton of sertvitude. The trainers of the fif-
Of people which had just been emancipated
from slavery, and. in order that there might
be no cavfl as to the true intent and mean
ing OF said amendment, they not only pro-
TIded that the right to vote should not be
denied on account of race or color, but they
went step further and provided that no
one should be denied the right on account
or previous condition of Servitude." I call
upon my democratic friends to show me a
single individual who, while in a condition
OF servitude, was entitled to vote. All will
admit that no one had that right while in
such condition. Therefore the proposed
amendment is as much in conflict with this
clause of the fifteenth amendment as it
would be with other portions of the amen
ment II 1t had declared that no one of Afri-
can descent should be entitled to vote"
He said it was unfair to compare the pro-
posed law of North Carolina with that of
Massachusetts, which requires an educa-
tional qualification, the Massachusetts law
providing that:
No person shall have the right to vote,
or be eligible TO office, under the constitu-
ton of this commonwealth who shall not
be able to read the constitution in the Eng
ish language and write his name: Provid-
ed, however, That the provisions of this
amendment shall not apply to any person
prevented by physical disa bility from
complying with its acquisitions, nor to
any person who now has the right to vote
nor to any person who shall be sixty years
OF age or upward at the time this amend
ment shall take effect.
Continuing, Mr.. Pritchard said:
The North Carolina Scheme.
There is much in the proposed amend
ment which is calculated to create appre-
hension and alarm on the part of the Hitter
ate and poor white people of North Caro-
lima, as well as the colored race. 1t is a
carefully prepared and well devised scheme
by which 1t is sought to forever prevent
the common people of North Carolina from
participating in the management and con-
by those who advocate the proposed amend
ment that Its object is to secure white
supremacy, at the same time there turks
beneath the surface purpose to disfran-
chlse thousands of our citizens both white
and colored. and thereby enable a certain
class in our state to hold the offices and
enjoy the emoluments of the same
me proposition which they propose to
submit is an attempt to confer the right
OF suffrage by inheritance, a plan which is
repugnant to every principle of the or
Sanlc law of the land, and one which
ignores all that is sacred and dear tn a
free and independent people. If ii were
possible to enforce this unwise provision
II would sooner or later result in the com
piete overthrow of that republican form of
government to which we are entitled nm
der the Constitution of the United States
There are perils attending the submis-
sion OF this amendment which, in nv judg-
meht' cannot be escaped by the poor and
lihterate white people of North Carolina
and in order that l may be fully under
stood when ] make this declaration | call
attention to the fact that in the event the
supreme Court of the United States should
decide that the ancestor and grandfather
clause of the proposed amendment is nm
constitutional there is danger that tbey
may go step further and decide that the
edncationaI and poll-tax qualifications can
properly be segregated from the other nro-
visions, and thereby permitted to become
part OF the organic Law of our state and
as such apply to all classes and races of
PCCP4V tiI4hS anu d. a result thousands of
white farmers and laboring men wo,,Jd
De diSiranchlSed and denied the rights for
winch their ancestors fought at KINGS
mountain and Guilford Court House"
No Danger of Negro Domination
During the civil war, he said. there Was
no property nor educational qualification
required of those who fought for the con-
iederacy' nor was there such qualifications
during the war with Spain. OF the fear of
negro domination in North Carolina he
The democrats of North Caroline ,+
tempt TO Justify their actions in regard 70
me proposed amendment by asserting thar
M a aeal Desro domination. According to
tne census of 1880 our population W.
L,6iI ,9i' and of that population only 49,
- "ele negroes: ana / am sure that if a
census could be taken at this time #
would disclose the fact that the whit -
pie outnumber the negro in a f,rrata, -
portion than they did in 1890. Accordin, 70
me census Of 1899 the whites outnumhsreJ
the negroes more than two 10 ono anI -
ttteiiseht citizen can be induced to beIjeve
mat TWO white North Carolinians arc IN
ms vi peinS dominated by one negro
II IS ABSURD to contend that there is any
udilser OF negro domination in North Car,
lima. In the very nature of him !, Ia oa u
ny ne. FROM the earliest dawn ~
civillzation 10 this good hour the aroot
, m,,se race mas given to the world its his
tory, It's philosophy. its laws, its eoyern-
ment and its Christianity, and it viii ct,,
time to do so. wan eoh-
~ mas often been contended by the deu-
oSsals that there are not more than RI ooo
Hhite republicans in North Carolina
nave made careful poll of the white re
p ~ ohos IN the state, and 1 am prepared
70 snow by documentary evidence thai can
e ao6 20 De contradicted that there are over
go,oVo white republican voters in thar sfste
! 40 NOT peileVe that there are today rnora
man al, ioo,ooo colored voters in the state and
l am sure that at the last election NOT nor.
tnau eoup co!ored people voted for the 90
operative ticket do not undertake To say
tnat the remainder of the colored neonIa
voted the democratic ticket, but I do saw
mat hundreds of them We're comueJyed ~
vote me democratic ticket by intimidat,on
ana violence, their votes in many ca ses he
ing counted for the democrats when act
ually cast for the republican candidates
ana quite number were prevented from
voting at all. - VI"
There are about $4,000 negroes In North
carolina who can read and write. and will
De entitled TO vote in the event the nro-
posed amendment is Adopted, provided thew
can pay their poll tax on or before the 1:r
day of March in each election wear The
old-fashioned cornfeld hand belongs TO the
class of colored people that will he dis
franchised under the proposed amendment
II was he who remained ar howe 5,,rYrr.