The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-07-24
AS TO THE

suffrage amendment to our
State Constitution, yet not O
than is usually aroused by questions
of such Importance and not so much
as we feared would result,
This is the last issue of The Pro
gressive Farmer that will reach all
our readers before the election to
settle this, the most momentous
problem our State has faced since
the Civil War. 1t is no light re-
sponsibility that rests upon the in
dividual voter in passing upon this
proposed change in our Constitution.
1t is a matter of such far-reaching
importance that the man who votes
upon ii before carefully and con
s~cientiousIy considering whether it
would make for the veal or the woe
of our State and her citizens, COM
mits a crime against his fellow-men
and against unborn generations. His
responsibility, we say, is such that
c-arelessness in itself is a crime and
the voter has not done his duty until
he has asked the "God of things as
they are" to enable him to e the
matter in its true light, without
prejudice or partisan bias.
We write this not to influence any
mans opinion one way or the other,
but to impress upon all that this is
no trivial matter. We have given
our opinion regarding several phases
of the amendment: it is not wholly
good it is not wholly bad. Our
purpose has been to encourage indie
pendent thinking and acting regard
ing it, for in matters of such i'm
pOrtance no man worthy of the fran
chise can allow another to do his
thinking or keep his conscience for
him. No man is worthy of the
franchise who will allow love of
popularity or fear of unpOpularity to
cause him to vote for the amend
ment, if he believes it would injure
our State, or against it, if he believes
it would improve present conditions
and usher in IN era of peace, indie
pendence and order.
In the discussion of this question,
as in all others, there are extremists,
and sober thinking is needed. 1t is
a fact worthy of general ac-
ceptatiOn that the adoption of the
amendment would not result in half
the good some expect nor in half the
harm others predict. Whatever the
result, our State is not going to the
dOgs-nOr will it ever, so long as it's
people are of the mould of its pres
ent inhabitants.
There are extremists, we say.
Leading amendment speakers have
declared hat the opposition is com
posed exclusively of negro lovers"
''black and tan sympathizers,' etc,
ETC., who deserve social Ostracism
and about all the other punishments
now in vogue. Prominent anti
amendment orators have asserted
that the amendment supporters are
engaged in Il deliberate and daStardly
assault upon the liberties of the peO-
pie, ready to substitute aristOcracy
for democracy and to put the people
into u condition worse than slavery.
in order to secure perpetual possess
ion Of the offices of trust and profit.
We would not underrate the seri-
BUSINESS of the problem, nor the
amendments power for veal or woe,
but we have been through a number
of campaigns and in each and every
one have been sOlemnly assured by
leaders Of the several parties that
the success of any party except the
one to which the leader happened to
belong, meant the cOuntry's ruin.
Yet the country still survives and
with us the cry of "WOlf! Wolf - is
not SO potent as in days of yore. Rest
assured that our State will also sur
vive this crisis, but that the respon-
upon you in deciding whether
or not the amendment would benefit
US is none the less great.
But we need to consider this coolly
and without prejudice. On one hand,
the charge that the amendment
means the substitution of aristOcracy
for democracy, the death kneIl of
political freedom, and the control of
the State by n political party for
an indefinite period regardless of it's
acts, is wildly absurd.