The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-07-05
pespleS PARTY PlArroas


AAssss~' Ussss.s~ssy s.tO~svssass
ASsu lssA. 49,.
The Peoples Party Convsntaoa
assembled In Raleigh, April ls.h-
resmrms the principles set forth 80
The Peoples Party National plat
form adopted at ST. Louis In ltA
md instrucss the delegates - ~.
National Convention at Sioux yssN
May 9th TO vote for the nomina4toa
Of william J. Bryan for Presilsss.
We commend the present otats
Administration for it, high pea ;
sonsl and ofncial integrity. ana
challenge = comparison Of ito reo-
ord with any and oil Of Ito peede-
ceesors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
Iature Of 1899 for tt extsayASsnt s1-
penditures Of public money Amounting
to tfySet ,7sS.76 In 1899, - opposed 70
Il 81, 81 IL. expended By tho ppecsd
ing Legislature, An excess Of ESQ.,
7Dl.66. not including the sun Of 800.
90 for public education nor the Ss3.3so
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said I.egfsis-
tnre for the careless hluBdeTiug and
careless legislstion, including more
eross blunders sud uuoonsfitosionaI
laws than ever before enscted BY anY
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounce The msehine
leaders of the Democratic raPtv for
laying the whip on the bacGs IT the
pemocsatic Legislature and sosrtna
them into enactins and submitting q
disfrs he hising constitutional amend
ment In violation OF the solemn
pledges Of the party. made not only
officially In their campaign hand boob
but by memb ers Of the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for office In their capvsss bef0se the
people. We denounoe them not only
for doing this 10 violation If their
pledges, but also for submitting wea-
sure most odfous in form and danger
Gus in effect. That General Assembly
being composed or some Of the best
lawyers OF the party, must have
known. or at least had . reasonable
doubt. not only ~ to the unconstitu
| tionslity Of the monstrous provision Of
Section 5, known ~ the "graudfathe
c,ause" in said amendment, but aiss
Of the great danger Of that unconstitu
tional sectional section falling, ieav,
ing the remainder Of the amendment
to stand, thus disfranchising by an ed
ucational qualification Atty or sixt,
thousand white voters of North Caro-.
lima, who in 1893 gave the DemOcrati.
party power IN the Legislature, ant
| whose ignorance is no fault Of Their
own but is chargeable to the neglect o.
the Democratic party, which now seek!
to disfranchise them and make theft
| 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:
"a In that it dignifes with the righ
| OF suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr,
population, and completely disfran
cbises the most faithful, kindly and or
derby element of that race.
| CO. In that, while olamoring for white
supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be diefranchised Under thi
amendments, they have 40 written thei
amendment that every white hoy be
coming Of age after 1908 stands Oh tn,
same footing with the negro. and ca,
| not vote unless he is able to read ant
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
, they have made it possible for the ed
heated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
lot while the unfortunate son of tn
white men who have been the strength
Of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slsughte
the suffrage of the son whose fathe
they dare not openly attack.
fd) In that this suffrage amend
msnt does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question il
North Carolina.
fel In that every voter who has no
paid his poll tax ~ much "a fiv
months before the State election an
eight months before the national cleo
tionf shall be disfranchised ~ much 4
if he we're convicted Of felony or wer
so ignorant negro. The purpose q
this provision Ia not only to disfran
ohise every good honest citizen wb
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b.
the fsrst Of March preceding the cleo
tiOn, but further to try to bride the vo
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex
pense Of the public school fund Of tn
state, which il derived from poll taxes
There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publ
schools of the State, for with the adop
ton Of the Amendments the opponents
of free schools In North Carolina vii
at once raise the cry that every dolls
raised for public instruction means tn
increase of the number Of negro 70
tiers, and thus the poor white man
con will be chained in bondage of IL
uorance and disfraDchissd to preveu
the education of the negro voter
There is no white supremacy 10 this.
/ The constitutional question pre-
| se nted BY the proposed amendment i
one that must be determined BY tn
judgment and conscience of eac b ind,
vidual voter. Therefore, we do no
make It party question. We state th
evils and dangers and leave the voter
st all parties to paes their verdict il
the light OF these facts. The question
il above party. and no one should b
| more active and anxious in our tuds
ment TO defeat it than the rank an,
ale OF the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has aiway
been more stinctly than any oehe
party in North Carolina q white man
party, and 10 more anxious than an
other party to solve the race problem
and to force eli parties to dliseuss,o
of the great economic issues 50 vital
affecting the welfare Of all wealth cro
dHcers Of the State aud nation and de
cency in politics.
| Therefore, we propose in lieu of thi
dangerous amendment, the best solu
ton of the race question that is posi-
BILE "a long as the 18th amendment {
the Constitution Of the Uaited State
stands solution which deprives n