The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-21

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| white PEOPLE want, isn't it,"
Business Man: That is certainly whaG
all white men who respect their race
and families, and love and honor their
State. ought to want 1T viii be good
thing for the negro vote because he ha.
always used the ballet recklesSly and
against the best interest of his race as
well as to the best interest of the State.
l have considered this question thorough
ly. and | am satisfied that this Amend
ment is the only permanent remedy and
that it is Il complete remedy against the
possible recurrence of negro rule III
| North Carolina such as we had here i'll
1868 and i'll 1891
Farmer: Well well. well; just to
think what lies these Republicans and
the revenue officers have been telling the
people. Had you heard before that they
were telling that the Amendment would
diSfranchlse the uneducated whites?"
Business Man: "Oh, yes, they have
| been trying to deceive the people by
] telling that as we'll as many other false
hoods. The mean white leaders of the
negroes see the offices that the negroes
! have given them about to be taken from
] them and they are desperate These
| fellows are opposed To the Amendment
not because they think it will disfran-
! chise the ignorant negro without dis
| franchising meducated whites Their
| anxiety is on account of the negro vote
not the white vote
| Farmer: by the way. | want TO ask
! YOU right here is there amy property DUAL
! ifcation in the amendment: One of
those Revenue felows-I believe he said
he was deputy marshal-any how
he talked and walked mighty pompously-
WAS down my way lately telling it
around that the amendment provided
that TO one could vote unless he was
i worth $4,000. and one man present
said lie had seen that statement in a
Republican paper How about this:''
Business man: Yes. | understand
! the opponents of the Amendment have
been circulating that falsehood broad
! cast. Of course they know il the people
should read the literature the Demo
Gratis will send QUE, or go to hear Denl-
ocratlc speakers they will learn that all
such runors are false The idea of
the interruptions fellows who are cir
| culating these bold falsehoods is TO try
and get the poor and uneducated white
people so prejudiced and biased against
the Amendment that they will not read
! thus Democrat literature or go to hear
Democrat speakers. Now let me read
the whole Amendment to you. There
Is not. as You see. ole word in it that
requires Il property qualification. and a
Pennies white man has the same right
to vote under it that the richest man i'll
| the state has
one of their lies. 1t was whoppcr,
too, wasn't it:''
| Business man: Yes that WAS pret-
| " reckless attempt TO deceive the poo
| pie. But | am very much interested
| in what you have told me about the
| misrepresentation these Revenue Of
fccrs are making to the people DO
| you remember anything else they are
| telling Your people. for they all say
about the same thingT'
Farmer: You are right: thew do
ali say about the same thing. and
it looks like they were talking under or
ders. Since | come TO think of s.. /
wonder what that deputy marshal was
doing out our way any how He didn't
arrest anybody or serve any papers. Won
der If he wasn't sent out to talk dowGi the
Amendment? Well. yes. he did say some
thing else besides what | have told YOU.
and | have heard ether Republicans say
the same thing. He said that what he
called the Grandfather section of the
Amendment wasn't any account any how.
and that the State Republican Supreme
Court would knock it out of the Amend
ment. aud even if the Supreme Court of
the Omitted States put it back and su:-
tanned the whole thing. the uneducatpG
Writes could only vote under the Amend
memt until 1908. and if they do not learn
to read and write by that time they
would have to stop voting
Business Man: Stop right there m:n
ute. if YOU please, fer it will only take
u minute to dispose Of that little Republi-
can yarn. | have heard of this bold and
bald-faced Misrepresentation before Now
let me read You the section of the
Amendment on this subject again That
is all that is necessary TO clinch it. You
see from the reading that every voter
Iyho Shall register under tbiS section any
time before November. 1908, shall fer
ever thereafter be entitled to vote lat all
elections. unless he becomes thereafter
disqualified by crime
Farmer: why that's as plain as the
nose en- your face. Some Of us told him
We had heard that what he was saring
applied only to boys who become of age
after 1908. And we were right. too.
weren't we:
Business Man: You certainly were
right, as the mere reading of the Amend
nent shows. The Amendment protects
the suffrage Of every white man who reg
listers in any election before November
1908 If he don't register it is his own
fault. 1t gives the boy who will become
Of age after then mines year I'M which to
learn to read; and TO enable these twelve
year old boys to learn to read the Demo-
cratic party pledges itself to give them
from now on better advantages than ever
before. With these increasing advantages
and this great incentive to the boys to
learn illiteracy ought to disappear among
cur boys of the next generation. If the
fathers of our poor boys will think abou
TINS matter they will see in this provision
greater advantage than disadvantage to
their boys. Their girls, TOO. will get the
benefit of the increased educational facili-
ties il is proposed TO give from now on.
Farmer: There is another thing the
re- Iicals, especially the Federal office
nd ~ doing, that IAwant to in