The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-06

OAsAN o-A4 rA1 H1
pers to explain this phasesof the mat
ter
Now let US analyze the promise which
The Caucasian on December sth said
the democratic machine made TO the
people. The promise was thai II
they were put in power they would
eliminate the negro from politics
Now the way TO eliminate
the negro from politics Is 10 let down
the bars and invite "Pegieg" Williams
TO come and take the negroes out by
the thousands or TO disfranchise the
negro by constitutional amendment"
Both of these promises have been kept:
the first. by repeal OF the Law enact
ed in 1891 by the legislature. OF which
Butler was a leading msmbsr I'M
posing a tax OF 5000 on every negro
migrant agent. This was one OF the
first laws repealed by the democratic
legislature of 1899. The other promise
was fulfilled by the submission of the
constitutional amendment: The eau
casian said there We're two ways OF
eliminating the negroes from politics;
the democrats adopted both
During the spring and summer OF
1899 Senator Butler posed as being
friendly to the amendment: he stated
to more thar n person that AT the
proper time he would declare for the
amendment. There Were hints TO that
effect in The Caucasian; but the
months passed and no compensation
was offered by the democrats for Sena-
tor Buffers support, and the proper
time" for him TO declare for white
supremacy did not arrive. He finally
impressed the republicans win the
idea that he still possessed some poll
teal potency, and in the month OF Oc-
tober a deal was made whereby Sena-
tor Butler was 10 declare against the
amendment and support negro SUI
premacy, and the negroes and white
republicans We're to re-elect him 10
the senate. He is endeavoring now
faithfully. as il is his nature TO be
faithful 10 anything, TO carry out his
compact. And he is charging that the
democrats made in the OF
1898 promises the very opposite OF those
which The Caucasian OF December 1898
states that they did make.
ly the time has passed when senator
Butler can mislead any one. The peo-
pie know him. No yet forty years
old, he has earned the reputation OF
being the falsest of men. He has never
had a friend or a party, he was not
ready to betray. and he has never held
a principle he was not ready 10 sell. /
will make n exception; l do him the
credit 10 say that he was faithful 10
Bryan in 1896, but only because he be-
lieved Bryan would be elected and that
he would be taken care OF. This year
you will see that before November
Butler will AVE made an arrangement
with Mark Hanna and that their IA
tional committees will be working in
unison for the defeat of Bryan. HaV-
ing sold all else he will sell out Bryan
this year. Buffers consideration will
either be an Office at the hands OF Nc
Kinley, in case of his election, or il
will be the customary thirty pieces or
silver. If Mckinley is elected we will
have the unique spectacle of Marion
D,,-la~ nrin Din q az tho feet of prlfGn-
ard and Hanna claiming TO be a great
er traitor, and deserving therefore or
a better office than Norton of the Ashe-
vile Gazette.
Among the beneicent results OF the
election of next August will be the
elimination of Marion Butler along
with the negroes. After the August
election it will be out of the senate, out
Of office, out of the state, u and out
for good, for Marion Butler.
This amendment was submitted 10
the voters of North Carolina at the
demand of the best people of all par
ties: no pledge was violated in doing
it. In fact 1t would have been, TO use
the language of DR.. Thompson, pres
ent pop candidate for governor. "A
great disappointment if the negro is
not eliminated from politics and the
people will hold the democratic party
responsible for a failure to do TINS.
~ SOIIIt lew ~
candidates for the Legislature made
promises which went beyond a promise
of a fair election law which would dis
franchise no one. In a 1e" countries
democrats promised that they Wouid
vote against submission of n con-
stitutional amendment to the people.
These were personal promises MADE
by these men binding upon themselves
but not upon the people at large: In
every instance these promises nave
been faithfully kept Honorable men
like DIR. Mcneil, Of Brunswick, Mr..
Jack Reinhart, of Lincoln, Mr.. barn
hill. of Pitt, and several others made
these promises, and, like honorable
men that they are they have fulhiled
their promises to the letter, ana tnelr
course has been approved by their
constituents. At the request OF the
people the democratic Legislature SUD-
mitted this amendment as the best
solution of the negro question possible;
and that amendment is the great issue
in this campaign.
Mr.. Pou then laid dow five propo-
sitions: First, that the mendme
was a necessity; and he pictured the
condition of the east in 1898, and SAID
those conditions would come again
the white people should be-
come divided. unless this amendment
were adopted. Second, that this
amendment would stand the test OF the
courts would be upheld as a whole.
Third, that it would be ratified by the
people at the polls. Fourth, hat II
would effect its purpose and be the
beginning of a permanent settlement
of the race question. Fifth, hat IL
would benefit every class Of citizens;
that it would benefit the negro that II
was proposed not in a spirit OF nance
or hatred towards the negro but as the
kindest and most benevolent method
of settlement which would be compati-
BILE with justice to the white people.
In the adoption of this amendment the
people meant to do the negro no evil,
rather to remove him from the control
of evilly disposed white men; the re-
proach of their own race, VINO go
about at night holding secret meetings
with negroes melting them against
law and order. These men deserve lar
greater censure than the c~redulous ne
gro; and these men will lose their oc-
cupation and h power TO 90 Marin
when the ignorant negro loses his pow
er to vote. The democratic party
promises the negro nothing but pro
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