The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-12-06

tn. peopls's Party Convsntioa
Isssm BLEED In Raleigh, April Ie.-
reAffirms the principles sci forth *
the Peoples Party Ma ionai pi-'
'orm adopted 81 1T. Louis In -
snd tnstructs the Delegates 70 49,
y ationAi Convention al Sioux fs"-
May 9Th to vote for the nonination
Of William J. Bryan for Presiksn'
We commend the presen, BlAtc
for lis high osi
sonAi and official integrity, b"n
a comparison OF I've rec
ord with any and all Of Its psede
cessors.
Ne coudrmn ths democratic Lskts
Iaturc Of 1898 for Its extravaxss ex- |
p-nd.tares oi public moaey Amounting |
IL 81 So. 1870 in 1893, ~ opposed 20 |
Il as, 81 Ii, expended BY th. proceed
lnx Legislature, an excess ol S3iO,
"a 65, not including the -un Of 500.
80 foz public education nur The s,16t
tor purchase OF state farms.
Ne further condemn said Legisi&-
tsr1 for the careless bluudrring ana
careless legislation, iuclIdina more
gross biuuderr an6 unconstikssionAt
ave than ever before enacted by sny
GeHerai Assembly ia North Carolina.
We further denounoe the machine
leaders OF the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the esoss sf the
Democratic Lexi stature and forcing
THEM into enacting and submitting
iisfrs hc hising constitutional amend
menl IN violation vi the solemn
pledges OF che party, made not oni,
officially 10 their campaign handoook
out oy members OF the General A sseM
oily and other Democratic candidate
Tor office Iii their Canvass before the
peopie We deHounce them not only
Tor doing this IN violation OF their
pledges, but also fof submitting mea-
sure most odi0us in form End danger
jus in effect. That General Assembly
beng composed OF some Of the br-t
awyers OF the party, must have
| xnown, or ut least had q reasonable
| doubt, not only IS To the uncoDstitu-
| LIonaiity OF the m0nstrOus provision of
| section 8, known as the "grandfat her
| clause" in said amendment, but also
| Jf the great danger of that uncOnstitu.
| Cional sectional section falling, leAv-
ing the RENAL nder of the amendment
10 stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucationai qualification fifty or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, VINO in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the. Legislature, and
whose ignorance Is no fault OF their
1wn but is chargeabie to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
20 disfranchise them and make theiI
ignorance q crime al6nRside that OF
The felOn.
But even il the proposed amendment
we're not UNCONSTITUTIONAL Gas it clear
y is), still it is especially objection
able IN the following particulars:
(a) In that it d gnIties with the right
Il suffrage the most vicious, trouble
,ome anu obnoxious class Of the Negro
population, and completely disfran
, ;nIses the most fat kindly and or
ieriy element Of that race.
co. In that, w lie ciamOring for whit
supremacy and declaring that no whit
| nan shall be oisfranChised under TIL
: amendment, they have SO written thei
amendment that every white boy be
coming of aye after 1908 stands on th'
ame footing with the negro, and ca
lot vote unless he is able to read an,
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
hey have made il possible for the ed
icated negro after 1908 10 cast his bal
] OF while the unfortunate son Of tb
white men VINO have been the syrengtl
# true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They sisus ute
he Suffrage of the son whose fsIhe
hey dare not openly attack.
. co. In that this suffrage amend
uent does not remove the negro from
Joiitics or settle the negro question II
Mort Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has no
] .,aid his poll tax As much IS nv
: months before the State election al
4 .,ght months before the national cleo
ION, shall be DISTINGUISHED as much a
I ne we're convicted of felony Or wer
| % ignorant negro. The purpose q
mis- provision is not only TO disfraD
!, :hlse every good honest citizen VIII
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b
he.tirst of March preceding the cleo
: ION, but further TO try to bride the We
[ | er to surrender his suffrage At the ex
pense of the public school fund of tn
state, which is derived from poll taxes
there turks behind this proposition
: ,tljl greater danger to the publ
= ,choois Of the State, for with the adop
ri lUn Of the amendment the opponent
f free schools IN North Carolina WI
II once raise the cry that every dolix
raised for publ instruction means tn
? Increase vi the number of negro w
:, ers, and thus the poor white man
,Ou Will be chained in bondage Of Il
torrance and disirsncbisrd 10 proven
: he education Of the negro voter
There is no white supremacy III this.
= The constitutional question pre-
sented BY the proposed amendment
:, me that must be determined by tn
Judgment and conscience Of eac q ind
siduai voter. Therefore, we do nc
MAKE it party question. We state tn
e evils and dangers and leave the voter
l. # ali parties TO pass their verdict j
II he light Of these facts. The questio
s ts above party, and no one should b
!. more active and anxious in our juds
nent to defeat it than the rank an
die Of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has AWAY
oeen more distinctly than any Othe
l. .,arty in North Carolina a white nan
q party, and Ia more ANXIOUS than an
,ther party to solve the race problem
and to fOroe all parties to \ discussio
l. # the great ecOuomlc issues SO VITAL
o ttfecting the welfare of all wealth Or,
n iucers Of the State and nation and d.
oency in politics.
:, Therefore, we propose in lieu of th
dangerous Amendment, the best soil
JIOH Of the race question that is poss
ls ole as long as the 10Th amendment
% che Constitution Of the United Stat,
8 stands solution which deprives 4
white man in North Carolina now
= 'rreafter Of his right Of suffrage, t.
wit
Amend Section 6, Art. s, of the Col
stilutlon Of North Carolina By inser
y ing among the disQuslid caIlOns {,
office, enumerated therein, the ,fOlioy
]. ing, VIE: All negroes and all person
Of negro descent to the third .Gener,
h ton Inclusive.
II the Democratic Legislature whit
II meets IN June will offer tins safe, Col
n