The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-08-09

4ssemDie0 IN h&leiRn, April Nsa- |
reafYirms the principles set forth -
The Peoples Party National plat
form adopted ut St. Louis In liza
and instructs the delegates - no .
National Convention at Sioux 70 liza ,
May 9th TO vote for the nomination.
Of William J. Bryan for President
We commend the present State
Administration for its high pei
sonal and official integrity, and
chalienge a comparison of ito rec
ord with any and all Of it, pseds-
c.s,ors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
iature Of 1859 for It's extrava4ant sx-
penditures Of public money ,Amountinx
to 1894 1856 in 1899, ~ opposed to
81 49,, 81 II, expended by the pFeced-
'ng Legislature, an excess of $50
1914 IS, not including the sum Of $780,
go for public education nor the 81, 80
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn said I.eGisla-
ture for the careless bluDderinG and
careless legislation, including more
grOss biundars snd unconstitetional
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denouuce the machine
leaders nj the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs II the
Democratic Legislature and fovcinE
them into enactipg and submitting
DISTINGUISHING 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-
hiv and other Democratic candidates
for office in their canvass before the
people. We denounce them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
sure most odious in form and danger
ous In effect. That General Assembly
being composed Of some of the best
lawyers Of the party, must have
known. or at least had a reasonable
doubt. not only a. to the unconstitu-
ti0nality OF the monstrous provision of
Section 5. known as the "9randfat her
clause" in said amendment, but alsc
Of the great danger Of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
to stand, thus disfranchising by an ed
ucatioual qualification ffty or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima. who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power IN the Legislature, and
whose ignorance is no fault Of their
| own but is chargeab1e 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 If the proposed amendment
| were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
| ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
fa) In that it dignifies with the right
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble.
some and obnoxious class Of the negro
population, and completely disfran-
chises the most faithful,kindly and or
derly element Of that race.
(b) In that while clamoring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment. they have so written their
amendment that every white boy be-
coming of age after 1908 stands on the
| same footing with the negro. and car
| not vote unless he is able to read and
| write.
(c) In that by the latter provision,
I they have made it possible for the ed
| ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
lot while the unfortunate son of the
white men who have been the strength
| of true democracy stands without 3
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
they dare not openly attack.
{d) In that this suffrage amend
meDt does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question in
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has not
| paid bis poll tax as much as five
months before the State election and
eight months before the national cleo
tion, shall be disfra nchised as much a.
il he were convicted of felony or were
an ignorant negro. The purpose of
this provision is not only to disfran-
chise every good honest citizen who
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes by
the first of March preceding the cleo
tiOn, but further to try to bribe the vo-
ter to surrender bis suffrage at the ex-
pense of the public school fund Of the
State, which is derived from poll taxes.
There turks behind this proposition a
still greater danger to the public
schools of the State, for with the adop-
ton of the amendment the opponents
of free schools in North Carolina will
at once raise the cry that every dollar
raised for public instruction means the
increase of the number of negro vo-
ters. and thus the poor white mans
son will be chained in bondage of ig-
nOrance and disfraDchis>d to prevent
he education OF the negro voter
There is no white supremacy IN this.
The constitutional question pre-
sented By the proposed amendments is
one that must be determined bv the
Judgment and conscience of each indi-
vidual voter. Therefore, we do not
make 1t party question. We state the
evils ard dangers and leave the voters
Of all parties to pass their verdict in
the light OF these facts. The question
is above party, and no one should be
more active and anxious in our iudg-
ment Co defeat it than the rank and
file of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has always
been more distinctly than any Other
party in North Carolina a white mans
party, and is more anxious than any
other party to solve the race problem.
and to force all parties to 4 discussion
of the great economic issues 80 vitality
affecting the welfare of all wealth pro-
ducers of the State and nation and de-
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment, the best soIu-
ton of the race question that is posi-
bic as long as the 18th amendment to
the Constitution of the United States
stands-a solution which deprives no
white man in North Carolina now or
hereafter Of his right of suffrage, TO-
wit.
Amend Section 6, Art. 6, of the Con-
stitution of North Carolina by insert
ing among the disqualidcations for
office, enumerated therein, the follow
ing. viz: All negroes and all--persons
of negro descent to the third genera
ton Inclusive.
II The Democratic Legislature which
meets in June will offer this safe, con-
stitutiOnal and wholesome amendment
inslieu Of the present scheme it will