The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-29
AN ABE MIDDLETON CIRCULAR
a tStupid Lie. Which Discloses the
Desperation of the Negro Party.

(Written for The Messenger.)
The republican anage have Just
gotten out a circular in which these
words occur:
A a separate and distinct PROPOSE
ton they abolish Article VI of the
present constitution, which guarantees
TO every male citizen of the state.
over q year of age, the elective fran
ichise. After abrogating this constitu-
tional guarantee, they proceed to adopt
an entirely new article Ito the state
constitution, providing for an educa-
tional qualification containing a grand
father lause Then, by section 5 they
undertake Ito instruct the court how it
shall conStrue the several provisions
for suffrage, with directions if any part
of the entire scheme shall be declared
unconstitutional, all shall fall togeth-
er, clearly indicating that the legis-
lature seriously ap~prehended that the
grandfather clause would be declared
unconstitutional. If the courts follow
their instructions and declare, as dl-
| rected in section 5, that the whole OF
the proposed amendment regulating
suffrage shall fall together, il leaves
us without any constitutional proViS-
ions regulating the right of suffrage,
Article vi having been abrogated.
This would leave the legislature with
full power, at it's will and discretion,
to require and fix property, educational
and other qualifications with unlimit-
ed restrictions"
OF course, the republican nag
have sense and Intelligence enough to
| know if the court should hold that the
orctitrrriAr a 1 % ~ an6roan iC l1nnnnSri-
tutional, that the attempt to repeal
article vi of the present constitution
would be Intellectual, and that article
would remain in force. 1t does not re-
| Quire a lawyer to know this, for every
| White man with a thimble full of brains
knows hat if the mendme falls,
the section of it which repeats article
VI will fall as a part Of it. knowing
this, as of course they do, Why did
these tricksters issue this circular?
There is but one answer, and that an
sWer cOnvictS them of a low, petty
urpose and desire to deceive he peo-
pie and fool them into voting for the
negro. 1t would be charitable to at
tribute this circular to stupidity, were
it possible, but the republican mana
gers are not stupid
This is not the first transparent at
tempt they have made in b campaign
to fool and deceive the people during
this campaign, but it is the most bald
faced and u~nblushing display of IN
mitigated d~emagoguery and knavery
of all their efforts dn this direction.
This circular Is probably the pro-
duction Of Abe Middleton, the cunnin@
e politician who is assisting Chair
man Holton in running the republican
campaign from Greensboro. Verify it
has all the marks of negro compo-
sition; there is nothing white about 1t.
1t is black, bungling and stupid.
The purpose of the republican man
| ayers to mislead and deceive the peo-
pie is further evidenced by the tommy
rot they are INDUCING in concerning
the instructions to the court. They
know perfectly we'll that there is alb
solutely nothing in the amendment IN
the nature Of an instruction to the
court. One has only to read the pro-
visions of the first n fifth sections OF
the amendment to see that there Is no
instruction, but a clear, emphatic n
u~nmistakable declaration of the intent
of the legislature in submitting 1t INK
of the people in voting for 1t. 1t IS
a well known principle of law, that II
the intention of the appears
from the context or from the language
| of IN act or constitutional provision,
that the court must observe it. If the
| intent is not expressed, the court must
| ,ook to the context for the intent. If
| the court must follow the intent of the
| makers of a law when it appears from
the context, there is all the more rea-
son why the court must observe il
when it is expected in the law itself.
Before the amendment va changed,
the republicans claimed that the in
tent that it should stand or fall to-
gether was not clear. Now that IL is
made clear, they make the ridiculous
argument that this expression of intent
is an instruction to the court.
man Uh0 aCCartG fhQf ms clear
expression of intent is an instruction
TO the court, if he knows what he is
talking about, either stuftifies himself,
or confessess his purpose to deceive