The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-04-17
DIR. CRAVEN ON THE CONSTI-
TUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

EDITORS PROGRESSIVE FARMER =
Some time since I was interviewed
by a reporter for the Charlotte News
and to him l said that l expected to
support the amendment, etc. His
report was practically correct. L
now propose to give you the same,
with a little more of the same sort,
as I take it.
While 1 realize that your paper is
not partisan, let me say this l do
not feel that this matter is a POpu-
list affair, and our concern with it is
to make the most out of it we can
for the best interest of the people of
North Carolina as a whole. 1t ought
not to make any material differ
ence with POpulists, what political
party it helps or hurts. am will
ing to sink any political party with
it, if by so doing l could do a great
good for the people of North Caro-
lima.
The negrO-of curse there 7 a
few individual exceptions-is and has
always been an incompetent voter.
At the close of the war he was in his
best estate, as a citizen. Under the
compulsory training and discipline of
slavery for five OF six generations,
he had become something of a citi-
zen-frOm habit, not from his nature
or race instinct. During this servi-
tude he had the best possible advan-
tages for proper training as to good
citizenship, etc. He had the best eX-
ampIes of morality, honesty, thrift,
economy, etc, and was compelled to
make proper use of these advantages,
thereby becoming, to an extent, i'm
bued with proper notions and ideas
of manhood, patriotism, religion,
morality, etc.
Since his freedom all these helps
have to a great degree receded be-
yOnd his reach, as he is left out from
the direct influences flowing directly
from the personal interest of the for
mer master.
The natural bent, the racial ten
dency, of the negro is backward-to
savagery, c~annibalism, etc, and with
out closest restraints, as slavery nee
essarily threw around him, he easily
and surely glides back into the old
racial nature, a state that the eau
casian cannot tolerate.
I believe the establishment of this
amendment will do all parties good
I mean all parties that are wanting
good. Heretofore, and as long as the
negro Is in the way with his deadly
club (balloD, it has been the main
work Of the white people to fight him
and keep down the depreciation which
would obtain in the land if he We're
not restrained. Now, if he is dis
armed, we can turn attention to
something real and profitable. In
his ignorance and r~eckleSSneSs, the
negro cannot be trusted at any time
with a means to harm any interest.
He is always ready, for a trifin@
bride, to throw his force or power
wherever the bride or premium would
dictate, consequently we will always
find him on the side of the destroyer
of the country's prosperity-on the
side of those who are living and fat
tening by vicious Iegislation-rob-
bing and defrauding the common
masses of what is honestly theirs.
We can afford to give the force OF
one friend Gf need be by yielding the
granddaddy clause) for the scaIps of
five to ten enemies. If I could &C
cOmpliSh so much for my country
would cheerfully yield the privilege
of my ballot, and l think any other
sane man ought.
The franchise of the negro has
" been of profit to him. He
ought to know this himself he can
not show wherein it has ever helped
or added to his racial prosperity one
mite. 1t has been to him a delusion
and Il snare.
Contracting the franchise of a
country would at any time be dan
gerOus if this contraction were indis-
criminate. But this is not the prop
OsitiOn: On the very face of this
amendment it only proposes to elm
mate the dangerous, vicious, poIiti-
cally worthless element. To illus,
trate: If you have a barrel of pota,
toes, a part of which are rotten, nc