The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-09-13
pssp.1s pAs1y plATFsas



The Peoples Party Convention
assembled In Raleigh, April lea.
reafiir rms the principles set forth =
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted at ST. Louis In LIS
and instructs the delegates - sss
Convention 1t Sioux YSsss
May 9Th to vote for the nomination
Of William J. Bryan for President
We commend the present State
Administration for its high pea,
sonal and official integrity. snn
challenge . comparison Of Ito rec
ord with any and all OF its prede-
cessors-
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis- |
lature Of 1893 for sts extFavaGant e1-
penditures OF public money Amounting |
to 81 .s9s ,765.76 In 1899, - opposed TO |
Il asa, 97l11, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, IN excess Of $780,
7s4 e5. not including the sum Of 500,
600 for public education nor the 163, 760
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn ssid Lexfsla-
ture for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unoonstitationai
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denouuce the machine
leaders of tbs Democratic party for
laying the whip on the banka IL the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting q
| dfsfrahchising 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 denounce them not only
! for doing this in violation Of their
/ pled9 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 reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu-
tionality Of the mOnstrOus provision OF
Section 5, Known as the grandfather
clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
TO stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification atty or sixty
|
lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
whose ignorance ia 10 fault of their
own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
to disfranchise them and make their
ignorance q crime alongside that OF
the felon.
But even II the proposed Amendment
> were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
: ~ is), still it is especially objection
, able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dignifies with the righ'
Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
/ some and obnoxious class of the negr.
population, and completely disfraD
J chises the most faithful, kindly and or
e Derby element Of that race.
b. (b) In that, while clamoring for whit
supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be disfranchised under thi
8 amendment, they have SO written thei
l. amendment that every white boy be
coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
b same footing with the negro, and ca
Y not vote unless he is able to read an
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
l. they have made it possible for the ed
p ucated negro after 1905 to cast his bal
white men who have been the strengt
N of true democracy stands without
~ vote at the ballot box. They sIaughte
y the suffrage of the son whose fathe
t. they dare not openly attack.
!. (d) In that this suffrage amend
H. ment does not remove the negro frOl
Is North Carolina.
81 10Y TT thot ovorv votor uhc hSs n.
: paid his poll tax as much as q,
= months before the State election an
a eight months before the national ele,
r. ton, shall be disfranchised as much ,
if he were convicted of felony or wei
o IN ignorant negro. The purpose
is this provision is not only to disfral
i. chise every good honest citizen wi
:, unfortunately cannot pay his taxes /
I'd the first of March preceding the ele
IN ton, but further to try to bribe the v
ter to surrender his suffrage at the e.
pense of the public school fund of ii
State, which is derived from poll taxe
L.. There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publ
schools of the State, for with the ado
he 5ion of the amendment the opponen
elk Of free schools in North Carolina W
y, at once raise the cry that every doll
raised for public instruction means &
m increase Of the number of negro v
is. ters, and thus the poor white maj
,er ION will be chained in bondage of i
W. torrance and disfranchised to prove
The education Of the negro vot,
he There is no white supremacy In this
m. The constitutional question pr
VS., sented by the proposed amendment
a. | one that must be determined by {
Judgment and conscience of each in(
no vidual voter. Therefore, we do 4
te? make it party question. We state t
NJ evils and dangers and leave the vote
nd If all parties to pass their verdict
The light Of these facts. The questi
ap- is above party, and no one should
Of more active and anxious in our jud
est ment to defeat it than the rank q
ale of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has alwa
go oeen more distinctly than any ott
he party in North Carolina q white ma
pa party, and is more anxious than q
bv lther party to solve the race probe
and to force all parties to 4 discussl
10 If the great economic issues 80 vita
Affecting the welfare of all wealth p
iucers Of the State and nation and
tie ;ency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu of Il
dangerous amendment, the best go
ton of the race question that is pos
be as long rs the 18th amendment
'es the Constitution Of the United Sta
AK stands solution which deprives
lon white man in North Carolina now
WI hereafter of his right of suffrage,
md wit.
les. Amend Section 6, Art. 6, Of the C,
stitution of North Carolina by inse
no ing among the disqualidcations
4o' ,ffice, enumerated therein, the lfollc
r." ing, viz: All negroes and an..perst
Ills of negro descent to the thirdigene
'0 ton inclusive.
ON II the Democratic Legislature VIII
the meets in June-will offer this safe. G,
stitutional and wholesome amendm
in,lieu Of the present scheme it y