The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
NORTH CIROrINN'S CANVASS.
situation as Regards the Proposed Disfran-
rhisement of Negroes,

CIIAul OTTE, y. G. Feb 3 North Carolina
is at the beginning Of wha, will he a very batter
political battle. The last General Assembly
adopted an amendment to the Stat" CONSTITUTION,
which must be ratified or rejected nj The polls
in August The purpose Of the measure il 4"
d~lsftanchisc about two thirds Of the negro vote,
the illlterale element, without interfering with
the suffrage right Of the illiterate white voters.
The fifth section Of the proposed amendment
Wa draw SO as not 10 disfranchiSe a white voter
Sections land ) read as follows
Sec. I Every person presenting himself for
registration shall be- able 10 read and write any
section II the Constitution in the English Ian
guage, and, before he shall be entitled To- vote.
have paid, on or before he first day Of March
Of the year in which he proposes To vote, his Ioll
tax rs prescribed by law for the previous year.
poll taxes shall be n lien only On assessed Prop
erly, aud no process shall issue Ia enforce the
collection # the same except against assessed
| property
Sec . NJ male person who was, on Jan /
1867, ur at any time PRIOR thereto, entitled 20 vote
under he laws 81 any State IN the nitrd States
wherein he then resided, and no iinral descend
ant Of amy such person, shall I've denied the right
10 register and vnt" at any election in this State
by reason Of hIN failure 10 possess The educational
qualifications prescribed IN section I Of this arli
Gle Provided, he shall have registered in az
cordance with the terms uf this section prior To
Dec | 1902. The General Assembly shall rio
vide for n permanent record # all persons who
register under this section on or before Nov l.
1905 and all such persons shall be entitled 10 regis
ter and vote al all elections by The people in this
STATE, unless disqualified under section > Of tins
article Provided such persons shall have paid
| their poll tax AS required by law
Til" machine Of the Democratic party " the
Stat" = fighting for the amendment against
the Nuhd negro vote, he White Republican vote
aud as much u he Popnlist parry a. Senator
Butter can cunitul Then, too. the whIskey
J element Of the State j. undecided as 10 what
course 'o pursG" ia the face II the met that the
same Legislature thnt adopted the amendment
made n fight on saloons and established DIS
p]ensarieS whereve! possible. However the wis
key element has not ilargutaIed any movement
against the measure M Ia his daP.
Almost Ia a man IN the eastern counties. the
the whlle people are 'ur The amendment Il is
there hat the negro population IL, much greater
than tine uhtle At al hazards he VIII" people
there will cary the 0mendment But in tho
western counties the situation is very different
Tn" county ., mountainous and he climate
too severe fur the negro The population is very
largely white II is IN this region lhat The night
nu>l be- made The Republicans. led by Senator
pu',hard, viii appeal To the white, with all Their
might ard main. They will tell them that the
amendment is only = stepping stone 10 the total
drsirauchu-emeut Of all who cannot read. wr,e
nnd understand the Constitution Of the Stale
On the ether hand. the Democrats will declare
TINT the llIitrIate urgm alone will he deprived
II his vote,
North Carolina has n large number Of ~illiterste
white voters. In some regions they are afraid
Of the amendment Many Democrats IN the
western counties are indifferent ~ to the issue.
They have mot experienced any personal dis
comforts from negro 0ffCr holders. These voters
must BE- euthuseG or they " II not go tu the polls.
The cotton mill men, the pro>perous merchants
and the vel todO farmers Of the State, as a rule,
care very title about politics But they are
Interested deeply IN the amendment They
would like 4" 50" the ill'rraty negro vote elm
mated from politics, then they would feel free
4" Vol" ashley So unatlpr1 elections. Many
business men voted for Mckinley against Bryan
IN 1886, a. III" figures VIII show Whore gen.
Harrison received loo, 600 votes in North Csro.
Ina ~ 1882 Pro,Idor, Mck inley received 5000
IN 1896. But a long ~ On" ilI.tem'e negro 20
Ir Vu,ucs = business man feels himself hound
to cling t. the Democratic parry. ~ endapgpr
his property. There VIII b. a time. and Tint
day j. not far III. whom North Carolina Will ro
Republican as far rs the national vote is con.
cernel, aud especially 40 II men like Col. Bryan
are To- b" he Democratic candidates
II looks nov rs # the amendment would
he ,auiied. bat the dIscordant elements must
br rsrkoueI with. The indifferent Democrats
must br whipped INTO line and the illIteata wh.l,
man must b" rnaNsu5rd