The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-11-22

Assn issA. ssss,
The Peoples Party Convsntioa
assemb led In Raleigh, April lssa,
reamrms the principles set forth e
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted 1t st. Louis in ls>eA.
and instrucss the delegates - xss
National Convention 1t Sioux YS''s
May 9Th TO vote for the nomination /
of william J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State |
| Administration for Its high pei
sonal and Official integrity, and
challenge . comparison OF 10 re
ord with any and oil Of its pfsds-
ceseors.
/ We condemn she Democratic Lsgis-
iature of 1899 for its extrsvaEsAs ex-
penditures Of public money Amounting
to 81 sea ,766.76 in 1899, Is opposed TO
u, 1s3 81 IL, expended By the proceed
ing Legislature, An excess OF $500
1896, NOT including the sum Of $780,
; 100 for public education nor ths 90, $50
for purchase Of State farms.
II We further condemn said Lsxtsla-
turs for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
, gross biunders and unconstitutional
> laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
. We further denounce the machine
leaders OF tbs Democratic party for
laying the whip ON the bxcEs 81 the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into eEacting and submitting :
disfrahchising constitutional amend
ment in violation Of the solemn
u pledges OF the party, made not only
q officially in their campaign handbook
:, but by members Of the General A ssem
4 bly, and other Democratic candidates
for office in their CANVASS before the
people. We denounce them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
I'll pledges, but also for submittIn nea-
4 sure most odio0s in form and danger
Gus in effect. That General Assembly
n being composed of. some of the best
B. lawyers OF the party, must have
>, known, or at least had . reasonable
/ doubt, not only IS to the uncOnstitu.
rionality Of the mOnstrOus provision OF
section 5, known Is the "grAndfat hel
1t clause" in said amendment, but also
a. of the great danger Of that uncOnstitu
tiOnal sectional section falling, leAv
ing the remainder of the anne ndmen
to stand, thus disfranchising by an ed
ucational qualification Fifty or sixtl
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1898 gave the Democrats
r. party power In the Legislature, AM
whose ignorance is no fault of thei
oe own but is chargeable to the neglect 0
" to disfranchise them and make thei
It. ignorance . crime aNngside that 0
to the fel0n.
n. But even II the proposed amendmen
Ia were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
- ~ is), still it is especially objection
- able in the following PARTICULARS:
H. (a) In that it dlgnifles with the RICH
10 Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
IL some and obnoxious class of the negr
Id population, and completely disfran
IN chises the most faithful, kindly and or
yi. derby element of that race.
~. co. In that, while clamoring for whit
"a, supremacy and declaring that no whit
:" man shall be disfranchised under thi
ne amendment that every white boy be
Ii, coming Of age after 1905 stands on tn
Ou same footing with the negro, and ca
Dr. not vote unless he is able to read an
I'M write.
An (c) In that BY the latter provision
=, they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his ba
'Se lot while Che unfortunate son of tn
"a white men who have been the strengt
Of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
h. che suffrage of the son whose fathe
=. they dare not openly attack.
80. (d) In that this suffrage amend
"a ment does not remove the negro froI
/ a inn :
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has NJ
paid his poll tax as much as hv
las months before the State election an
or eight months before the national elet
zion, shall be disfranchised as much 1
# he were convicted of felony or wei
an ignorant negro. The purpose (
. this provision is not only to disfraI
~ chise every good honest citizen WI
III unfortunately cannot pay his taxes
the first of March preceding the ele,
ton, but further to try to bride the "
ter to surrender his suffrage at the e,
pense of the public school fund of tt
state, which is derived from poll take
n. There Turks behind this proposition
ns- still greater danger to the publ
sos schools of the State, for with the adol
'on tion of the amendments the opponent
ID of free schools In North Carolina wi
Ger at once raise the cry that every doll.
raised for public instruction means ii
mas increase Of the number of negro v,
ens ters, and thus the poor white man
ION son will be chained in bondage of i,
orn nOrance and disfranchised to prevel
I'D the education of the negro vote
IN There is no white supremacy In this.
inc , The constitutional question pr
''!o sented by the proposed amendment
70 one that must be determined by Il
nun judgment and conscience of each ind
OF vidual voter. Therefore,, we do n
l1st make it party question. We state tt
Q! evils and dangers and leave the vote
ant ant of all parties to pass their verdict
'ne the light of these facts. The questiC
IS is above party, and no one should
more active and anxious in our jud
n us ment to defeat it than the rank 81
DC die of the Democratic party.
10y: The Peoples Party is and has alwa
o! been more distinctly than any 9th
'oo party in North Carolina q white mar
party, and ia mere anxious than al
-: other party to solve the race problel
III and to force oil parties to 4 discussi,
- Of the great economic issues SO vital
oct affecting the welfare Of ali wealth pr
ING ducers Of the State and nation and d
yea cency in politics.
mCY Thowof0vo mo ~~n~n,~ T. H. . :