The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-11-08

Aasstsaa UnAsime s.iy isfCss.ssti,
April 18th. lvoe.

.ssemb led In Raleigh, April lc-A.
"af.irms the principles set forth -
no Peoples Party National pl~t-
'orm adopted at St. Louis in ls1~h, J
nd instrucss the delegates TO tea
National Convention At Sioux Fsits
May 9Th TO vote for the nomination
II William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State /
for It's high pei
sonal and official integrity, AnG |
challenge comparison OF ia rec
ord with any and all OF its ptede- |
cessors.
We condemn the Dem ocratic LsKis-
allure Of 1899 for It's extrayagszt eI-
pendItures OF public money Amounting
TO 81 ,5St, 1875 in 1899, So opposed 10
81 AS, 97lll, expended By the preced-
ing Legislature, an excess OF $780,
1874 SO, not including the sum Of $780,
90 for public education nor the te3 ,25U
for purchase OF State farms.
We further condemn .aid Iegisis-
nre for the careless b!underinx and
;sreless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconstitsSional
avs than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounoe the machine
ieaders OF the Democratic party for
aging the whip on the bacsA Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
Them into epscting and submitting
Nsfrahchising constitutional amend
tnent in violation Of the solemn
pledges Of the party, made not only
officially in their campaign handbook
but by members Of the General Assem-
oily and other Democratic candidates
.or 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
Gus 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 as to the unconstitu-
tionality Of the monstrous provision of
Section s, known as the "grandfat her
clause" in said amendment, but also
OF the great danger of that unconstitu.
tiO1al sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder OF the amendment
TO stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucatiOnal qualification Fifty 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 chargeable TO the neglect Of
the Democratic party, which he Sseeks
TO diSfranchise them and make their
ignorance crime alongside that of
the felon.
But even if the proposed amendment
| we're not unconstitutional Gas it clear
| ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dlgnlties with the right
| Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
| some ana obnoxious class of the negro
population, and completely disfran-
| chises the most faithful kindly and or
| derby element OF that race.
CO. In Awhile clamorinx for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be DISTINGUISHED 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 can
| not vote unless he is able to read and
write.
] (c) In that by the latter provision,
they have made it possible for the ed
| ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
| lot while the unfortunate son OF the
CC AuC liz AoSC OCCH thC
of true democracy stands without q
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
| the suffrage of the son whose father
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
ment does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question in
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has not
paid his poll tax as much as five
months before the State election and
eight months before the national cleo
ton, shall be disfranchiseG "a much as
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
ticn, but further to try to bride the vo-
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex-
pense of the public school fund of the
State, which is derived from poll taxes.
There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the public
schools of the State, for with the sdop-
ton Of the amendment the opponents
Of free schools In North Carolina Will
at once raise the cry that every dCllsr
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 ie-
norance and disfranchisad to prevent
the education Of the negro voter.
There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question pre-
sented by the proposed amendment is
one that must be determined by the
Judgment and conscience OF each indi-
vidual voter. Therefore, we do not
make it party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voters
OF all parties to pass their verdict in
the ilRht OF these facts. The question
ls above party, and no one should be
more active and anxious ia our iudg-
ment to defeat it than the rank and
die Of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has ALWAYS
been more distinctly than any other
party in North Carolina white mans
party, and is more anxious than anv
other party to solve the race problem.
and to force all parties to a discussion
OF the great economic issues 80 vital,
affecting the welfare of all wealth uro
ducers of the State and nation and de-
cency in politics.
therefore, We propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment, the best solu-
ton of the race question that is posi-
bic as long as the 10Th amendment to
the Constitution Of the United States
Stands solution which depriyes no
white man in North Carolina now or
hereafter Of his right Of. suffrage, TO-
wit
Amend Section s, Art. s, of the Con
stitution of North Carolina by insert
ing among the disquali dcations for
once, 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
in.lieu of the present scheme it will
have our hearty support. If they will
not, we appeal to the people to rally to |
our assistance to elect a Legislature
pledged to support suchCan amend. |
ment.
We cOn1fatulate the nsonlssofNo..,