The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-07-26
PEoplEy pAaTy nATpess


ream rms the principles sst forth -
the Peoples Party National rIs'
form adopted at st. Louis In ,t.-
and instruets the delegates r. -
National Convention at Sioux ~.
May 9th to vote for the nomine sios
OF William J. Bryan for Presiaen'
We commend the present Stat
Administration for its high D.,
sonal and official integrity, wa
challenge . comparison Of lie re
ord with any and al Of Ito pssds
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic L. Kis-
Iature Of 1899 for its extravlS.xs ex-
penditures OF public money anoun sins
to 81 49, ,765 76 In 1899, ~ opposed o
1893 871 IL. expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, IN excess Of $780,
794 85. not including the SUN Of 800.
no for public education nor ths ss3 aso
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn aid I.ee:sia
tnre for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross plumbers snd unconstit.xio anal
laws than ever before enacted BY an,
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further dsnoupce the machine
leaders Of the Democratic raPty for
laying the whip on the backs NJ tire
Democratic Legislature and f0vcins
them into enacting and submitting
disfTshchis constitutional amend
ment in violation of the solemn
pledges Of the party made not only
officially in their campaign handbook
but by members OF the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for Office in their canvass before the
people. We denounce them not Only
for doing this in violation Of the.
pledges, but alsO for submitting q MIA
sure most OdiOus in form and danger
Gus In effect. That General Assembly
being composed Of come of the best
lawyers of the party, must have
known. or at least had q REASONABLE,
doubt, not only as to the uncOnstitu
tionality of the monstrOus provision 81
Section s, known "a the "grapdfat her
clause" in 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 disfranchising by an ed
ucational qualification City or sixty
thousand white voters Of North Caro-
lima, who in 1893 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
whose ignorance is no fault Of their
own but is char9eable 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
~ is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it d gnif1es with the right
Of 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. W lille clamOring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfraDchised under this
amendment, they have 80 written their
amendment that every white boy be-
coming If age after 1908 stands on the
same footing with the negro, and can
not vote unless he is able to read and
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision,
they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
lot while the unfortunate son Of the
white men who have been the strength
OF true democracy stands without a
vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
the suffrage of the son whose father
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
ment does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question in
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has not
paid his poll tax as much as FIVE
months before the State election and
eight months before the national alec-
tion. shall be disfrs nchised a. much as
it be were convicted of felony or were
an ignorant negro. The purpose If
this provision is not only to disfran-
chise every good honest citizen who
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes by
the first of March preceding the cleo
tion, but further to try to bribe the vo-
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex-
pense Of the public school fund Of the
State, which is derived from DOLL taxes,
There Turks behind this proposition a
still greater danger to the public
schools of the State, for with the adop-
tion of the Amendments the opponents
of free schools IN North Carolina will
at once raise the cry that every dollar
raised for public instruction means the
increase of the number of negro vo-
ters. and thus the poor white mans
son will be chained in bondage Of ig-
norance and disfranchis-d to prevent
the education of the negro voter.
There is no white supremacy IN this.
The constitutional question pre-
sented by the proposed Amendments is
one that must be determined by the
Judgment and conscience of each indi-
vidnal voter. Therefore. we do not
make it party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voters
OF all parties to pass their verdict in
the light of these facts. The question
is above party, and no one should be
more active and anxious in our tudg.
ment to defeat it than the rank and
6le of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has always
been more distinctly than any other
party in North Carolina a white mans
party, and ls more anxious than any
other party to selve the race problem.
and to force all parties to a discussion
of the great economic issues 80 vitality
affecting the welfare of all wealth pro-
ducers OF the State and nation and de-
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu Of this
dangerous amendments, the best soiu-
tl0n OF the race question that is posi- /
bic as long as the 10Th amendment to
the Constitution of the United States
stands-a solution which deprives no
white man in North Carolina now or /
hereafter Of his right Of suffrage, to-
wit.
Amend Section 6, Art. 8, of the Con- |
stItut1on OF North Carolina by insert
ing among the disquaIi6catiens for
office, enumerated therein, the follow |
ing. viz: ALI negroes and all persons
Of negro descent TO the third genera |
ton Inclusive.
II the Democratic Legislature which !
meets in June will offer this safe, con- !
stitutiOnal and wholesome amendment /
'n.iieu nf the present scheme it will ,
have our hearty support. If they will |
not, we appeal to the people to rally to !
cur assistance to elect q Legislature |
pledged to support such. an amend.
ment.