The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-13

fri csty = home and school for those
TO whom they owe a duty. The state
and charity and philanthropy am
Christianity all stand ready TO aid our
boast Of superiority.
The man who seeks In the face OF
these provisions TO encourage Hitter
acy IS q public enemy and deserves
the contempt OF all mankind. / have
heard republican speakers grow eio-
quent on the impossibility OF the poor
white children learning to read ana
write in eight years The man who
makes such a speech has no such
opinion OF the incapacity OF his own
children as 10 suppose that they can
not learn TO read and write IN eight
years / would that I could reach the
heart of every iiliterate poor man tn
North Carolina and give him assur-
ance that his children are as bright
and capable as those OF the demagogue
who seeks to encourage him not to ed
ucate his children. / would assure
him that these demagogues have their
own children in school while seeking
to keep those OF the poor and illiterate
out. their purpose being to gain a
start in life for their children ahead Of
those whom they seek TO mislead-
Gentlemen Of the convention. this
clause of our amendment does not
weaken but strengthen IL. In your
speeches TO the people. in your talks
with them on the streets and farms,
and by the fireside, do not hesitate To
discuss this section. I tell you that
the prosperity and the glory OF our
grand old state are TO be more ad-
vanced by this clause than by any
other one thing. Speak the truth,
tell il in Gath. publish IL in the
streets of Askelon" that universal ed
ucation of the white children Of North
Carolina will send US forward with 81
bound in the race with the world. Life
| is mighty combat and the people
who go into il best equipped will be
sure TO win. Massachusetts has grown
rich while We have remained poor and
complained of her riches. She educat-
ed while we remained ignorant. IL she
has grown rich out OF us IL Is because
she knew how to do so and we did not
know how to prevent IL. With the
adoption OF our amendment after 1908
there will be no state in the union
with a larger percentage Of boys and
girls who can read and write and no
| state will rush forward with more
lcelerity or certainty than conservative
old North Carolina. The day OF the
miserable demagogue who seeks to
perpetuate illiteracy in the state viii
then have happily passed forever.
There is one other provision OF the
amendment to which / must advert
and that is the payment OF the poll tax
by March 1st of election years as n
condition to voting. The largest part
under the constitution If our boys
are to be educated as condition preo-
edent TO voting after 1908, then no man
who will not contribute to that end
ought TO vote. Nearly all white persons
liable TO poll tax pay il now. If the ne
gro wants to vote IL is no hardship on
him that he should be required To pay
his tax to the support of those schools
!. in which his race gets more than it
pays Of the public fund. The various
~t.-sl
! gether for good TO all men. We are
going to carry them through to sue
cess. The fight is on. We unfurl anew
the old banner OF democracy. We in
scribe thereon white supremacy and
its perpetuation. Under tina; banner
we shall win and when we shall have
won we will have peace in the land.
, There will be rest from political bit
terness and race antagonism. Industry
? will have a great outburst. Freed from
! the necessity Of voting according to
; our color we shall have intellectual
. ! freedom. Error will come face To face
: With truth and shall suffer that final
. crushing which the poet denies 10
truth. With freedom of thought viii
| come independence OF action and pub
. lie questions viii stand or fall in tf1n
! | court of reason and not of passion.
To these great ends I beg your un-
I | ceasing activity during the present
campaign Let your work be with zeal
|, and earnestness. Remember that the
!, | peace Of the state is at stake. Do not
forget that the safety Of our women
I is dependent upon IL. Ladies refugeed
q from Wilmington in 1898 as they did
r before the advance of Sherman In 1866
D The county in which We are assembled
: is named in honor OF woman. Esther
v Wake. The city in which we are is
t named for that gallant gentleman
= whose most famous act among his
{ many great and illustrious deeds Il
5 that he spread his cloak upon the
\ | ground in order that his queen might
0 walk dryshod. In North Carolina n
Y every home there is q queen, wife. sis
: name / demand your allegiance and
i service. 1t is by no accident that
Y the first child born OF English par
: entage in America was born on North
. Carolina soil and was a girl-the event
), was both prophecy and an inspira-
: tion-a prophecy I'm foretelling that
( modesty which. characterizing NORTH
: Carolinians, has found its chief pleas
t | ure In doing things rather than IN pro-
e claiming them whens done-an inspi-
r ration to all North Carolina white rler
:. to forever regard the protection Of ne
womanhood of the state as the 4 81
[ duty which God in the birth of Eir-
v ginia Dare laid upon us for all time.
e In the performance Of this delightful
9 duty, the North Carolina democracy
n Claims no monopoly, but Is willing and
[ anxious TO share with our republican
4 and populist friends the glory of
: achieving IL by establishing permanent
| white supremacy-there Is work for ue
( all and in the language Of Admiral
r Schley, glory enough TO go all around
: II the democratic party has seen witt
: quicker, clearer vision the necessity
8 for this amendment than either Of tn
e other parties, the fact has grown on,
!. of environment and gives us no rfgfi
L | to boast over those Of our race belong,
t ing to other parties who seeing it now
:. shall join with US In perfecting th,
n | good work Let the adoption OF tn
:. amendment furnish us the occasior
: for a better understanding one viii
d another, and while restoring to Whit,
: men the rishtful superiority which Co
t gave them. let IN In the assurauce q
: better government learn not tolera,
e ton only. but respect as veil To- III.
/ | views Of fhoae onroninsx N. II -.