Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-08-31
NORTH CAROLINA'S
NEW ELECTION LAW.

amendment OF the state constitution
which was adopted In North Carolina
by hnlldozing methods. was borrowed
from Louisiana. and Is to this effect:
Section 5-NO male person. who
WIS, on January l, 1867. or ut any
time prior thereto. entitled to vote. I'M
der the laws OF any state In the United
States wherein he then resided. nnd no
lincal descendant oil any such person.
shall be denied the right to register and
vote ut any election In this state by
reason OF his failure TO possess the cd
ucaiionai qualifications prescribed In
section / OF this article"
| Of course. the purpose OF this IL OBJ
vIous. 1t Is TO disfranchIse every hit
crate negro citizen without distrnh-
chising II single white illiteratc. or. as
Senator Butler expressed II In speech
on the subject In the Senate last win
ter. the section Is IAN arbitrary attempt
To create Il special privileged ancestral
class Consequently 1t plainly does
violence to the fifteenth nmcndmcnt To
the UnItc,i States constitution. to this
effect:
THE right OF citizens OF the United
Siu,.s to vote shall not bc denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any state on account OF racc. color. or
previous condition OF servitude.
That such is the view Of even the
ubl,.st Democrats Of tile Senate In
shown by this dispatch sent by Scna'
| tor McEncry OF Louisiana To u New
Orleans paper when this grandfather
| CLAUSE was under discussion In that
| state:
"W'ashinsion. u. C. March IL. iss's.
ITO the Timc~-Dcinocrnt:
In answer. I say that section tine
grandfather ciaus-J Is .rossiy unc"n'
| st!,utionai. ! have submitted the same
To some OF the ablc>' Democrats Of the
Scna,c. who arr able constitutional
lawyers. They NIL concur In my opin'
lon. thni u adopted. ,h. effect will tr
to los. our representation In Congress
and In the electoral vote Of the state.
~. d. M'ENERY."
This grossly unconstitutional s''s''
ton. however. wa. adopted In Louis
lana. and Senator Mci:ncry made
speech In th.. Senate In defense OF Its
, con.i!,uiionn!iiy. When asked by Sch
a,or Butler " i,- did not write the lei
ter quoted. lie responded thus:
"Ycs, sir. When the Constitutional
convention wa. la session wns tri'
-srnphs.i to know what was my opln'
ION of this .-ction =. ! rcplicl TO that
telegram ,l,a, In my opinion u was un'
constitutional. I then received another
telegram. after IL. adoption. To know
II. when IL wa. attacked. ! would de-
f-nd 4, in the Senate of the United
States. To that telegram replied that
I would
4, IL th.. grossly unconstitutional
section. In the opinion OF ''somr Of the
nh,-s, Democrats In the Senate. who
nrr nbi. constitutional lawyers" thnt
North Carolina adopted yesterday I'M
i-r the pressure Of ,h" "lsc'i shirts.
Tho rrasnn why the grandfather
clause OF Louisiana is adopted Is plain.
SECTION I Of the amendment requires
TIM, "cv~ty person presenting himself
for registration shall h. able to Rad
nni wri,c any section Of the consti'u-
ton In the English language. Now.
tho ,-r,-uiarr OF iliit-rncy In North
Carolina il remarkably Trra,. not only
among ucrTuc.. bu, also among whites.
In is,s the state con,nincsi the rrcn'
nuni,cr OF 4u9.1Ui illi,rrn,cs Of ten
years Of agc and over. or these. s'.-
Gii were native white males and los
.sp negro males. Except for the
"crandtnihcr clause therefore.
rr,,ai ipo,Iy OF whit" illii"rntcs would Il"
disfIanchisC'i along with tho coiorc'l
That such n discrimination against
tho negroes In favor Of the whites IL
grossly Unconstitutional was ns nppar-
cut to the all" Democrats in the Sen
nt" ns u must he to every reasoning
man The adoption Of the amendment
! casts nm even innrr serious reflection
nu ,h" civilization of North Carolina
than ,locs the great percentage of Hit
ctncy.
when abraham tin--,n Wa. an "i,np-r,-
aii.t.'
Under the al-nv" till" the Chicago
/