The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-10-25

Adopted unassmoasiy iHeOsavssti"
April issA. iseo.
The Peoples Party Convention
assembled In Raleigh, April ls.a.
reafii rms the principles set forth -
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted At St. Louis In isasA,
and instruets the delegates - ins
National Convention at Sioux Ysiia
May 9th to vote for the nomination
of William j. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State |
Administration for its high pei
sonal and Official integrity. and
challenge q comparison OF it, rec
ord with any and all OF its prede- |
eessors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
iature Of 1899 for Its extravkgaxt ex-
penditures Of public money Amounting
TO 3l,59s,7e5.7e in 1899, as opposed TO
Il ,aS3, s71.ll, expended By the proceed
ing Legislature, an excess OF $780,
| 794 60, not including the sum OF $780,
900 for public education nor the SS3, $50
| for purchase Of State farms.
| We further condemn ssid Legisls-
ture for the careless laundering aud
| careless legislation, including more
gross blundeFs and unconstitaSionA1
| laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
| We further denounce the machine
leaders of the Democratic pssty for
laying the whip on the bacha Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting
disfrahchising 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 denouuce 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 q reasonable
doubt, not only a. to the uncOnstitu-
tionality of the monstrous provision of
Section 5, known as the "grsndfsther
. clause" in said amendment, but also
Of the great danger of that unconstitu-
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder Of the amendment
Q to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
!, ucational qualification atty or sixty
a thousand white voters of North Caro-
: lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power IN the Legislature, and
l. whose ignorance Is no fault OF theil
l. own but is chargeable to the neglect Of
q the Democratic party, which now seeks
to disfranchise them and make theil
ignorance q crime alongside that o.
the felon.
But even il the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
ri (a) In that it dignifies with the righ
i of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
3 some and obnoxious class of the negr,
i population, and completely disfran
d chises the most faithful, kindly and or
d derby element of that race.
dl (b) In that while clamoring for whit
. supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be disfranchised under thi
- amendment, they have so written thei
o amendment that every white boy be
; coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
j. same footing with the negro, and cal
le not vote unless he is able to read ant
sr write.
n (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 strength
d Of true democracy stands without
le vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
le the suffrage of the son whose fathe
g. they dare not openly attack.
rti (d) In that this suffrage amend
I. ment does not remove the negro froT
,, politics or settle the negro question il
North Carolina.
~ (e) In that every voter who has NO
10 paid his poll tax as much as fiv
"a months before the State election an
D. eight months before the national cleo
n ton, shall be disfranchised as much a
te il he were convicted of felony or wer
10 an ignorant negro. The purpose @
7 this provision is not only to disfran
g.. chise every good honest citizen VIII
=. : unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b
u the first of March preceding the cleo
n ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex
70 pense Of the public school fund of tn
Y State, which is derived from poll take,
There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publ
schools of the State, for with the adop
tion Of the amendment the opponent
Of free schools in North Carolina wi
at once raise the cry that every dolla
8 raised for public instruction means til
81 increase Of the number of negro vo
st tiers, and thus the poor white man
{. son will be chained in bondage of iR
n norance and disfranchised to proven
Il the education of the negro voter
4 There is no white supremacy In this
~ The constitutional question pre-
- sented by the proposed amendment
10 one that must be determined by tn
D. judgment and conscience of each indi
ID vidual voter. Therefore, we do no
g. make IL party question. We state tn
le evils and dangers and leave the voter
h. of all parties to pass their verdict il
n. the light Of these facts. The question
~ is above party, and no one should b
y more active and anxious in our Jude
u ment to defeat it than the rank an
Or file of the Democratic party.
n The Peoples Party is and has Away
been more distinctly than any othe
party in North Carolina q white man
al party, and is more anxious than an
VI other party to solve the race problem
n and to force all parties to 4 discusslo
g. Of the great economic issues 90 vital
h affecting the welfare of all wealth pro
ducers Of the State and nation and de
cency in politics.
II Therefore, we propose in lieu of thi
dangerous amendment, the best soiu
|e tion of the race question that is posi-
bic as long Is the 10Th amendment t
the Constitution of the United State
stands solution which deprives u
y white man in North Carolina now 0
. hereafter of his right Of suffrage, to
+ wit.
70 Amend Section 6, Art. 6, of the Con
u stitution of North Carolina by insert
q ing among the disquali6cations 70
IS office, enumerated therein, the follow
. ing, viz: All negroes and all person
q of negro descent to the thirdlgenera
70 ton Inclusive.
% II the Democratic Legislature whic
IN meets in June will offer this safe. con
. stituti0nal and wholesome amendmep