The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-05-10

GFNTLEM EN:-I our leUteT ABOVE
set forth Just received. You are
correct in surmising that my off,
cial duties have prevented me from
taking an active part in politics.
They are pressing and heavy. 9th
erwise, | would address the people
OF North Carolina from the noun
tains to the sea, In opposition to
the proposed amendment, and in
explanation and portrayal OF the
tyranny and injustice of the DEM
ocratic Election Law.
| have no time in which to give
you my opinion at length, as you
do me the honor to request, In an
swer to the questions asked.
/ will reply to your questions
briefly in sequence.
Question lst. Is the proposed
amendment CONSTITUTIONAL?
Answer-Many of our people have
never read the sections OF the pro-
posed amendment in question. l
deem it we'll to set them forth In
this connection:
"Sec. 4. Every person presenting
himself for registration shall be able to
read and write any section OF the Con
stitution in the English language; !;
aud, before he shall be entitled to vote,
have paid, on or before the nrsC
day of March of the year In
which he proposes TO vote, MS
pOll.tax. as prescribed by law, Tor
the previous year POll-taxes snail DS
a lien only on assessed property and no
To l.
lection of the same except against as
sessed property.
"Sec. 5. No male person, who was on
January l, 1867, or at any time prior
thereto, entitled to vote under the laws
of any state in the United States
wherein he then resided, and no linea
descendant of any such person, shall be
denied the right to register and vote al
any election in this State by reason o.
his failure to possess the educationa
qualifications prescribed in Section
of this Article Provided, He shall have
registered in accordance with th'
terms Of this section prior to Decem
ber l, 1908
On the face Of the above sections
1t seems to me that any man OF or
binary intelligence, who Is ac
uuaiuted with the Fifteenth
Amendment TO the Federal Constr
tuition who recognizes his duty u
tho flag and who despises the pre-
tepsc that this is not a discrimina
tion againSt the negro, must st
that this measure is unconstltu
tlOnal.
Those who = eed argumentto TO cor
vince them of it's unconstitutional
ty,are resp, ctfully cited 10 the oW
rrfuI AMI unanSwcrable pr' Srnla
tion OF the law U this Subjrct, ,mad
by Senators Pritchard, Butler, +. tt
grew aud Allen; and to the opinlo
Of thai constitutional lawyer, wh
is conceded even by the Democrat
TO be the greatest constitutions
authority in America-cenator E'
munds of Vermont.
These arguments, 1T seems TO m
oukht to be sufficient to satisfy an
mJn of the unconstitutiOnallty
the proposed amendment.
You will find the answer, to yo'
second question fully covered
the arguments referred to; where
it ia established that IL Section
be decla ed unconstitutional, Se
tion 4 being constitutional, wou
Il be- lefC in force. In which case II
uneducated voters of North Ear
4 lima, white and black, would III
themselves disfranchised immed
ately upon the adoption and c.
tification Of the amendment.
This proposed amendment Is
copy Of the Louisiana amendmel
and the foil wing extracts are
Ken from the argument OF Sena'
Butler made In the United STA
| SeIate, and are in point:
40 addition to t0ese expressions
members of the Louisiana Consti
tioual Convention, call ATTENTION
the following edit rial that appear
ia the New Orleans Times-OemOci
Y the Leading Democratic paper OF Il
isAna, on FRIDAY morning, March
lSgb. the next day after the adopt
oSskection by the convention:
TRIUMPH OF POLITICIANS.
t'After themselves disav0wing
fekcely der ounciDg Section 0, q
= iorbty of the members OF tbs const
u,hal convention yesterday pas
thlt offensive sec ,ion-offe ensive TO
moIcracy, to political honesty, ant
AOIaricanism. And the {
ysktion. too, has passed this offen
i secy ion in the face OF the fact that