The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-12


mating power in the world: the worlds
great civilizer, the worlds great chris
tianizer; a race of State builders and
State constructors; the fear of the OPP
pressors and the hope of the oppressed
throughout the earth. The white men
of North Carolina are descended from
race which, not only here but elsewhere,
not only today. but at all times in their
history, have shown their capacity Tor
the ballot and government in their un-
educated. as well as in their educated
condition. On the other hand the I'M
educated negro is nearly always an ig-
norant man. dull. heavy, without opin-
ions without convictions, with but little
| judgment and scarcely any independence.
Here some one in the audience said.
And he has no conscience. Mr.. SIM
mons stopped, and turning in the direc-
tiOn of the interrupter, said with solemn
lty and with much firmness, | cannot say
that and l will not say that--then pro-
ceeding. he said: He has comparatively
no love of family, home or country and
because he cares little for these, he is
Indifferent as to the effect of his vote
upon them. and therefore, neither seeks
to learn nor has the capacity of under
He is descended from a race. the lowest
in order of intelligence and moral per1
ception among the races of men. Some
times indeed he attains to measure of
civilization, but it is always the result of
contact with the white man, and as soon
as that contact is withdrawn he rapidly
returns to his original condition of bar
barism. He is the child-man of the
ages. Shall we longer continue this vain
effort to preserve political equality be-
tween these two peoples made by God
SO unequal, between this giant of the
centuries and this child-man of the dark
continent? For thirty three years we
have taxed ourselves in our poverty to
educate his children; we have protected
him in his life, liberty and prosperity;
we have administered to him equal hand
ed justice in the court house. 1t is not
our purpose to take from him any of
these rights or privileges During these
thirty-three years he has also been al
lowed to vote. Some of them have
measurably prepared themselves for a
reasonably intelligent exercise of the
suffrage. but the great mass and body of
them have remained as ignorant as in the
beginning, and have exercised the ballot
only for their own hurt and to the injury
OF the white man of the State. After
this long and patient experiment we now
propose to take from this persistently in
competent mass the ballot just as we
would take a pistol from the hand of
child for his own protection and the
protection of the State. We do not do
this in anger, but in mercy; we do not
do it in the spirit of an enemy, but of a
friend; we do not desire to do injustice
to the negro: we do not intend to do in
justice to the negro; we are not doing
Injustice to the negro, but if we cannot
do full justice to the white people of
North Carolina without doing incidental
injustice to the negro, then the law of the
survival of the fittest must apply. If it
be injustice-and we deny that it is--to
the ignorant negro TO take the ballot
from him. it would be greater injustice
to the white men of North Carolina not
to do it. There is no equality between
the black man and the white man. Yoc
cannot make them equal without pulling
the negro up to the level of the white
man or pulling the white man down to
the level OF the negro. You cannot pull
the negro up to the level of the white
man, and what white man wants to see
his race pulled down to the level Of the
negro?
THE Amendment is our plan for re-
moving all possible danger of future ne
gro domination: for establishing upon q
permanent basis White Supremacy and
for freeing the white man to the end
that he may vote his judgment and con-
victions upon all public questions. We
say 1t is lawful; We say it is just, and
with entire confidence, both in it's wisdom
and it's Justice and it's righteousness
righteousness to the white man without
being unjust to the negro-we submit it,
not only to the white people of the State,
irrespective of party, but to the judg-
ment and conscience of the world.
Gentlemen of the Convention it will
be the duty of this Convention to appoint
delegates to the National Convention of
the Democratic party, which will meet in
Kansas City, on July 4th. Four years
ago, when you met in this city and ap-
pointed delegates to the Chicago Con-
vention, there were doubts and misgiv-
ings as to what Democracy had come to
mean The party was in the hands of
false leaders, who had betrayed it's prin-
ciples; there was doubt as to whether
NiiO -NotiSudi NSuNcHliOu, NltH WAS 10
meet that year would adopt the Demo-
cratic principle of b-metallism or the
Republican doctrine OF gold mono-metal-
ism. There was even doubt as to whether
that Convention would have the courage
to nominate straight Democrats for the
Presidency and Vice Presidency. That
great Convention, the most representa-
tive of the masses in the history of the
party, met the issue squarely, deposed
these false leaders, brought the party
back to its first principles, and re- estah-
llshed 1t upon the ideals of Jefferson and
Jackson. There is now no doubt about
what Democracy means. The delegates
which this Convention shall appoint when
they meet with their associate delegates
in Kansas City this year will meet not to
quarrel about what Democracy means or
10 discuss whether it will be expedient
TO nominate straight Democrat for the
Presidency but to reaffirm the great
principles of the party as they live in
the hearts of the Democratic masses. and
to ratify the nomination which has al
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