The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-05-25
PEoplE3 PARTY pllTP0mf

PEoplE3 PAAr PllTPo8nf
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AAsSsss usa.i.s.Aiy Z. cs.vs.sss..
e ADsil lssA. leso.
The Peoples Party Convention |
in Raleigh, April 18th. |
reaflrms the principles set forth In
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted At ST. Louis In 1895,
and instructs the delegates to the
National Convention at Sioux Falls
May 9th to vote for the nomination
OF William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State
Administration for Its high per.
sopal and Official integrity, and
challenge q comparison of it, rec
ord with any and all Of its preds-
cessors. =,
We condemn the Democratic Legis-
lAture of 1899 for its extravs9ant ex-
penditures Of pubic money amounting
to 81 ,59' ,76578 in 1899, Is opposed TO
i asa, s7l.l1, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, An excess Of. t3lO,-
465, not including the sum Of SlOO.-
90 for public education nor ths 163, $50
for purchase Of State fafms.
We further condemn said Legisls.
tnre for the careless blundefing and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and uDconstiSui0nai
laws than ever before enacted BY any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders of the Democratic PARTY for
laying the whip on the backs II the
Democratic Legislature and foecing
them into enactiDg and submitting q
disfrshchising 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 Office in their canvass before the
people. We denounce them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges but also for submitting q mea-
sure most odi0us 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 ut least had . reasonable
doubt, not only as to the uncOnstitu-
tionality of the mOnstrOus provision Of
Section 5, known Is the 'grandfsth her
clause" in said amendment, but also
Of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
Jog the remainder of the amendment
to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification ffty or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1898 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 q crime alOngside that Of
the felon.
But even if the proposed amendment
we're not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) 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, while clamoring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have 80 written their
coming of age after 1908 stands on the
not vote unless he is able to read and
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 the
white men who have been the strength
| of true democracy stands without q
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
| che suffrage of the son whose father
| hey 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.
te) In that every voter who has not
paid his poll tax as much as Eve
| months before the State election and
| eight months before the national cleo
ton, shall be disfranchised az much rs
| # 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 who
| unfortunately cannot pay his taxes by
the first of March preceding the cleo
5ion, but further to try TO bride the vo-
| ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex-
pense of the public school fund of the
state, which is derived from poll taxes.
| There turks behind this proposition a
| still greater danger to the public
schools of the State, for with the adop-
| tion of the amendment the opponents
| Of free schools In North Carolina will
at once raise the cry that every dollar
| raised for public instruction means the
| increase of the number of negro vo-
| ters, and thus the poor white mans
| son will be chained in bondage of ig-
| norance and disfranchised to prevent
The education of the negro voter.
| There is no white supremacy In this.
| The constitutional question pre-
sented by the proposed amendments is
| one that must be determined by the
judgment and conscience of each indi-
vidual voter. Therefore, we do not
make it party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voters
Of all parties to pass their verdict in
| the light of these facts. The question
is above party, and NO one should be
| more active and anxious in our iuds.
ment TO defeat it than the rank and
die Of the Democratic party.
| The Peoples Party is and has always
been more distinctly than any other
| party in North Carolina q white mans
| party, and is more anxious than any
other party to solve the race problem
and to force all parties to q dfscussI on
of che great economic issues 80 vitality
affecting the welfare of all wealth pro-
ducers of the State and nation and de-
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment, the best solu.
ton of the race question that is posi-.
ole as long as the 10Th amendment to
che Constitution of the United States
stands solution which deprives no