The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-10-04
rtoptE3 raarr PtArFesn


ASxfi isxA. tSse.
The Peoples Party Convsntioa
sem oied In Raleigh, April N:a-
.afiirms the principles set forth =
ne Peoples Party National pIss~
'orm adopted 1t st. Louis In ls>~
and instructs the delegates - sns
y ationaI Convention at Sioux Hsis~ /
May 9th 10 vote for the nomination
Of William j. Bryan for PresiAens
We commend the present Stat |
Admin stration for Its high pel
sonai and official integrity. sne
challenge . comparison Of ito rec
ord with any and All of Its pseds-
cossors.
Ne condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
Azure OF 1859 for its extrAvagIas ex-
: sditures Of public money ,amoansinx
TO 81 50, 1876 In 1893, ~ opposed 10
! ,zs5,3n.11, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, An excess OF $780,
73i.e5, not Including the sum Of $780,
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said Legfsia-
ture for the careless laundering an6
baf oACo6 tC8 AuS0etoat h1tAoAshh kA4oAO
gross blunders and itasionAi
avs than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounce the mschine
leaders of the Democratic party for
aging the whip on the backs sf the
democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting q
Iisfrshchising constitutional amend
a.snt in violation of the solemn
Lodges Of the party, made not only
,nicialiy in their campaign handbook.
Dus by members OF the General Assem-
.iy and other Democratic candidates
II Office in their CANVASS before the
people. We denOunce them not only
VI doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
,lrs most odious in form and danger
,us in effect. That General Assembly
1eing composed of, some of the best
iawyers OF the party, must have
Known, or ct least had q reasonable
ioubt, not only IS to the unconstitu-
5ionality of the monstrous provision of
section 8, known as the grandfather
clause" ia said amendment, but also
Of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
TO stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification ffty 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
Jwn but 10 chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
TO disfranchise them and make their
ignorance . crime alongside that OF
the felon.
But even if the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
| iy is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
| (a) In that it dignifies with the right
Ut suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negro
population, and completely disfran.
chises the most faithful, kindly and Or
Derby element of that race.
(b) In that, while clamOring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have SO written theil
amendment that every white boy be.
coming Of age after 1908 stands on the
same footing with the negro, and car
not vote unless he is able to read and
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
shey have made it possible for the ed
lcatsd negro after 1908 to cast his bal
.ot while the unfortunate son Of tn.
white men who have been the strength
If true democracy stands without .
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
5he suffrage of the son whose fathel
they dare not openly attack.
90 In that this suffrage amend
ment does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question il
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has no
paid his poll tax as much as fiv
months before the State election an,
eight months before the national elec
zion, shall be disfranchised as much q
# he were convicted Of felony or wer
: an ignorant negro. The purpose o
this provision is not only to disfran
chise every good honest citizen VIII
The first of March preceding the cleo
Jion, but further to try to bribe the vo
, ter 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
still greater danger to the publ
, schools of the State, for with the adop
zion of the amendment the opponent
of free schools In North Carolina vii
at once raise the cry that every dolla
/ raised for public instruction means tn
increase of the number of negro yO
Cers, and thus the poor white man
son will be chained in bondage of ig
nOrance and disfranchised to proven
the education Of the negro votel
There ia no white supremacy In this.
/ The constitutional question ORE
E senIed by the proposed amendment
one that must be determined by tn
judgment and conscience of each ind
vidual voter. Therefore, we do nc
: make it party question. We state til
t evils and dangers and leave the voter
. Of all parties to pass their verdict i
the light Of these facts. The questio
l is above party, and no one should b
e more active and anxious in our juds
p ment to defeat it than the rank an
fils Of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has alway
oeen more distinctly than any othe
v party in North Carolina q white man
n party, and is more anxious than an
other party to solve the race problem
and to force oil parties to 4 disousslo
}, of the great economic issues 50 vital
e affecting the welfare of all wealth Or,
ducers Of the State and nation and d,
cency in politics.
Il Therefore, we propose in lieu of tn
dangerous amendment, the best soil
ton of the race question that is poss
= BILE as long as the 18th amendment
= the Constitution of the United Stat,
stands solution which deprives 7
white man in North Carolina now