The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-06-01
The Wlessenger.
CAMPAIGN NOTES.


Many northern republicans who have
settled in North Carolina within the
last few years are heartily with their
white neighbors in support of the pro-
posed suffrage amendment. They have
been upon the ground long enough to
understand the situation and learn
much of the negro as an elector and
boss. They have examined the whole
field and understand the, uppermost
negro question, and they are for the
amendment Men of sense and charac-
ter who move into the south from the
northern states are sure to become con-
WINGED of the dangers that lurk in the
ballot as now open, and are for an ed
ucational test.
Do not forget how important it is to
have a poll tax for all voters. A fel-
low who does not pay a cent to keep
up the government and protect his life
and liberty and, If he has any, his pro-
perty, is not the fellow to be allowed
to vote as TO taxing people who are the
burden-bearers. Pay your poll tax or
stand aside. The poll-tax is important
to educate the children of both races
A fellow who will not pay anything to-
wards the school fund is not fit to ex-
ercise the right of suffrage. Set him
aside without ceremony.
The formation of white Supremacy
Clubs" is steadily progressing. 1t will
be some time before they are formed
in oil Of fk nj Il
in every township. But this must be
done. Many votes in each county de-
pend upon thorough work and COM
plete organization. We read that in
Wake county out of 1O2 voters who met
for some political purpose. 100 of them
were for the amendment.
The proposed amendment will do
much good in the years to come in be-
half of popular education, in behalf of
universal schooling of both races. 1t
will be a pledge and guarantee of the
continuance of the school tax upon
whites for negro education as well as
for white education. Defeat the
amendment, let it become fixed in the
minds of the white taxpayers and sup
porters of the government, that as
heretofore, so hereafter, the negroes
are to coalesce with the same bad class
of white demagogues and vote for them
to govern towns and counties ard leg
islatures. etc. and it is certain, we be-
lieve, that the white men will rise up
and swear that no longer will they
bear tbs tax upon them to divide the
school fund between the races.
The amendment if adopted will make
the common schools better every way.
The negroes will get longer and more
capable teaching. They can all learn
to read and write if they are SO resolv-
ed and can become regular voters.
With the amendment in operation
through the years to come, and the
school fund steadily enlarged, there
will be big difference in the character
of the voters. The negroes will have
become educated enough to meet the
demands of an educational test, and
paying their poll taxes, it will be seen
that North Carolina has practically an
educated electorate at least in the three
RS. The white children will be taught
all of them, because they will all desire
to vote, and not to be outstripped by
the negroes.
The democrats are now understand
ing the situation in North Carolina.
They realize that it will take an i'm
mense amount of intelligent, we'll di-
rected work to down black radicalism.
There are white men in Wilmington
who are deceived now as to the amend
ment and believe the lies of the Pritch-
ard-Butler combine. A North Carolina
correspondent writes to the able Balti-
more Sun:
There are people so silly as to say
that no effort is needed. These little
know how much adverse sentiment the
republicans and their co-workers, the
populists, have aroused against it,