The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-04
SENATOR BurLsR's POSITION


On the Proposed Constitutional Amepd-
Law. \
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Jan. l, 1900.
HON. GEORGE WILCOX, Carbonton,
N. C.:-My DEAR SIR:
Yours in regard to the election
law snd the proposed Constitutional
Amendment, received. i
With reference to the proposed
amendment, permit me to say that l
have seen SO much OF the evils OF the
so-called race issue being injected
into politics that l did not hastily
take a position on it. This so-called
race issue has been used by the DEM
ocratic politicians Of the Ransom
Simmons Machine type as the most
effective barrier to the advancement
of the principles of the Peoples Par
ty, and in fact, to prevent any indie
pendent thought or action along any
line. We ali know that il the dis
honest politicians, who have trified
with the interests of the people so
long, could be prevented from rails
ing the bogus race issue, behind
which they hide themselves and their
records when necessity requires it,
that we could successfully expose
them and at the So me time unite the
people t. vote for their interests. We
also know that the men who conduc-
ted the redshirt campaign of preju-
dice, ahnse, lawlessness and violence,
and a part of whom composed the
last Legislature, do not desire to re-
move the race scarecrow from Cam
paigns. To do so would be as fool
ish from their standpoint as it would
be for a man up a tree to deliberate
Iy saw off the limo on which he sat,
and to saw it off between himself and
the tree. These Ransom machine
politicians kept themselves in power
thirty years by riding the negro
scare crow into Office, and then,
when in betrayed the interests of
those who had been deluded and
frightened by the cry Of niger"
SOLEMN CAMPAIGN PLEDGES BRO
| KEN.
These same politicians, headed by
Mr. F. M. Simmons, Zone of RansOm's
machine lieutenants and a man who
Senator Vance denounced as unfit to
hold a position of trust and whose
nomination for Internal Revenue
Collector he defeated in the Uni,ed
States Senate), promised the people
in the last campaign that if they
were put in power that they would
not attempt to disfranchlse q single
illiterate voter. MI. Simmons, act
ing as State Chairman, issued an Of
fetal address to that effect Mr..
James 81. Pou, an Ex-State Chair
man, not only made the same pledge
on the stump, but, when one Of his
audience expressed some doubt abou,
the matter, he went further and
made an affidavit to that effect. Be
sides, moi ,rity Of the Democratic
candidates for the legislature. to say
nothing of the other Democratic
speakers, made the same pledge t.
the voters Of the State.
But notwithstanding that these
politicians have, by submitting the
proposed Constitutional Amendment
broken and betrayed their solemn
campaign pledges; and while knew
they did not, in submitting tn,
amendment, intend to rob themselve!
of their only Elective campaign Is
sue by removing the negro cry from
politics, yet l decided that if tn,
proposed Amendment was Constitu
tional and would result in any way
in making it less possible for then
to use that emagogical and dishGn
est cry, and If there were no DANCE,
lurking behind it, that l would sup
port 1t, or, at least, not actively op
pose it. These reasons caused me t.
examine aud study the proposed
anne ndment with great care befor
taking any position on the question
Now, not to weary you with too Ions
u letter, will state the conclusions
have rea ched; and, brit fly. the rea
sons that force these conclusions.
SHOULD 1T BE ADOPTED EVEN Il
CONSTITUTIONAL
First, for arguments sake, let d
admit that Section 5. known as 9Th
grandfather clause is constitutions
and that it and the Amendment as
whole will stand the test of the Court
. Ii this is SO and it should be- adop
ted, what would be the RESULT Woul,
it make it mpossible for these Ran
somites to raise the old negro cry il
subse quent campaignsf What elias
of the negro population would be dis
franchIsed by the amendment l
would be the good old country dar
key who was as faithful and true q
steel to our mothers, wives, and sis
.ers during the late war, and who i
a good citizen and a good labore1
who has never been offensive in poll
tics nor in other ways.
WILL NOT KEEP THE MACHINE POLL
TiCIANs FROM RAISING THE NE
GRO CRY.
Now what class of negroes woul,
be left to votef There would b
about fifty thousand negroes VIII
! would still vote, and this numbe
would include all of that elemen
who have been active and offensive
in politics, and who, either from in
nate perversity or for Democrat
pay, have furnished the capital nee
essary to enable the Democratic ma
chime politicians to raise the negr
cry and appeal TO race prejudice. Ii
short, the only negroes who have ev
er made the race issue possible woul,
: be those who would not only be ell
igible to vote but to hold Office unde
the proposed Amendment. The tri
) fling town negro who walks tn
: streets of our to WINS with eye -glasse
? and with hat cooked on the side O
a his head, who talks loud and take
up all of the sidewalk, would be lei
with full power to vote. This elias
i would be sufficient in number to
Q the balance of power in politics an
q to furnish an object lesson at an
time to help the Democratic "nepr