The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-31
THE AMENDMENT A NECESSITY

LIE wi II
The excellent Richmond Dispatch IS
interested in North Carolina affairs,
and in the progress of the campaign
over this side of the line. 1t published
a fine picture of our mastery leader,
Mr.. Aycock, with a long letter giving
much information. 1t also discussed
in a long editorial 1.-The North Carolina
Election" and favored the Messenger
by copying almost all of one of its sew
eraI editorials on the constitutionality
of the amendment. 1t also copied what
the Messenger said of the utter unfair
ness OF 3 3-5ths of the negro taX-pay-
ers controlling affairs and voting taxes
etc, on the whites who pay SO 2-oths.
1t adds his and we thank it for its
proper words:
w cannot help sympathizing with
,our brethren in the contest with which
they are now face to face. Their cause
is our cause, indeed, and the cause OF
the whole south. We trust the demo-
cratic majority next week Will De larS-
.er than the most sangulne democrat
expects it to be. We trust also that
the amendment will be found finally
liz ~ ANOAN "N@N-
way lies not only the welfare of the
democratic party in North Carolina and
of the people of that state, but the
preservation in its integrity of outhern
civilization"
Good neighbors must necessarily SYM
pathize with any people when they are
manfully striving to maintain the reign
of law and to secure the perpetulty OF
AngIo-Saxon civilization. The fight in
North Carolina is a fight to purify the
ballot rather than to be driven co the
necessities of the bullet. The failure Of
the negroes after ~thirty-five years OF
schooling and experience in voting has
been so egregious, so pronounced, that
there is nothing left to the white race
to do in peace but to curtail negro boss
ing and running by an educational test.
The Aryan stock are the rulers of the
world. They have done more than all
the remainder of the world to build up
enlightened nations and to give force,
continuance. vigor, life to constitution
al government. The supreme court or
the United States can not consistently
and wisely and justly interfere with the
states in regulating suffrage by proper
tests-property and nationality and
educational. President Madison wrote
most wisely of the true principles of
our government. He said that the
purpose of government was ito sup
port h constitution, which is the ce-
ment of the union. as we'll in its limita-
tons as in it's authorities; to respect
the rights and authorities reserved to
the states" The Dispatch says this and
is based on established facts:
THAT the danger of negro domination
with all the horrors it implies. is real,
as regards a large part of the state,
there can be no question. Events of
late years-notably, the situation that
led up to what is called the Whining
ton revolution, have made it too plain
to be doubted. The real people of the
state have neither the time nor the in
clnation for frequent recurrence to po-
Illcai agitation of the most serious
character. They prefer not to be on
slant called pom to rally for the
preservation of the very foundation
stones Of their civilization. They pro-
pose 10 remove the menace of the pur-
'chasable vote, to the utmost extent
possible, at once and for all time to
come. They have made a stirring can
vass to this end, and the Dispatch and
the democratic party of Virginia have
been with them in their efforts"
Two days later we saw an editorial
in the able Baltimore Sun on THE
Suffrage Problem in the South" Like
its editorials generally it writes intelli-
gently and clearly of the movement in
the south concerning negro suffrage
1t quotes in several places from the
Messenger. We copy a follows:
"-he amendment, if adopted, will eff
feet a radical change in existing suf-
frage laws. The purpose of the amend
ment, it is frankly admitted, is to dis
franchise illfterate negro voters with
Int depriving illiterate whites of the
yht of suffrage. The Wilmington
~=ssenger, one Of the ablest and most