The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-18

L
| would count M visit to Louisiana
to have been one Of the pleasantest
of my life even if | had not gathered
facts that throw Il food of light upon
the method employed by these people
to achieve three great results. earn
estly desired by every white man in
the South:
I. Eliminating the negro.
.. Guaranteeing the right to vote
to every white man. whether educa-
ted or not.
3. Purifying politics.
In the gathering of the facts TO
show that these three things have
been accomplished here. it has been
nv good fortune to make the ac-
uuaintance of some of the finest men
that walk the earth. OF the Older
and more widely known men. TO
whom | owe Il debt of gratitude for
courtesies. | have already written.
One of the first young men in Loulsl-
ana. is Mr.. Jared y. Sanders. OF st.
Mary's parish, who will in a few days
be unanimously elected Speaker of
the House. He is one of the best
posted men in the State. Though on
Nv thirtv-one wears old. he has been
a member of the Legislature ten
wears, was n member of the Constitu-
tional Convention that framed the
amendment, and the distinguished
late Judge Semmes paid him the com
plment of saying that his speech IN
the convention advocating section five
was 1.-The most mastery presentation
of the right of the white man to
vote" that he had ever heard. When
the convention was trying TO arrive
at the best suffrage amendment. Mr..
Sanders was one of the leaders VINO
insisted on the provision known as
the "orandfather clause. Speaking
to me last night about the convention
he said: For one ! could never have
voted for any amendment that would
denv the right of suffrage TO the'
white men of my State who had noti
enjoyed the advantages OF an educa-'
ton They and their ancestors gave
freely of their blood in the service OF
the Confederacy. in 1876 they should
cred their guns to end negro and
carpet-bag rule. and since then they
have stood firmly. consistently and
brayely when necessary for White
Supremacy. Section five protects
these white men forever in the eX-
ercise of suffrage. We worked thirty
or forty DAYS in the Constitutional
Convention to devise legal method
to protect these white men, and we
finally perfected it in section five.
How does it work? ! know hum
dreds of white men who cannot read
and write who vote and vote intelli-
gently. They vote now just as we'll
as they did before the constitutional
amendment. and now they are not in
danger of an unworthy negroes voting
to kill their vote. They vote and
their vote counts. | live i'm ST. Mary's
parish. the home of the three big
party leaders, Governor Foster. Demo-
cratic leader: Mr.. Pharr. who was
the Populist candidate for Governor
in 1896, and their .eader; and Senator
Caffery. leader of the Gold Demo-
Gratis. That parish has IA large negro
population. but i'm the recent April
election only three negroes register
ed. and only one of them voted. and
he claims to be an Indian. We cast as
|. big a white vote as ever. There was
no discrimination, educated and UNI
educated white men voted, and it
was hot fight between white men.
In 1896 there were about 5000 ne
groes who voted in this jarish. There
was absolutely no intimidation and
the election was perfectly fair. With
such leaders as Senator Caffery and
Captain Pharr against us, we had
hard fight to win, but we elected our
entire ticket Before the election
some of our opponents talked about
fraud etc. but they were given rep
oil M C
and they cannot say a word now eN-
cept that upon an appeal to the white
electorate of the parish they were de-
feated.
1.-The negroes took no interest in
the election as is shown from the
fact that only three registered. The
FusiOnists did not try to help the ne
gro to vote. They knew that if many
negroes voted their ticket. it would
unite the whites in opposition. There
was no complaint about the vote and
the better element of the negroes are
glad that the amendment was adopt
ed. and do not hesitate to say so.
In former times. so | gathered from
several sources, the elections in st.
Mary's parish were not as quiet as the
one this year. In fact. when 5000 ne
grOeS were entitled to vote. there was
always the fear of trouble. and the
white people found /, necessary IN
order to have white rule to suppress
the negro vote. 1t was done as it has
been done in all negro sections of
the entire South. until the best peO
pie determined TO end the troubles by
a legal elimination of the negro. Now
the contest is between white men on
ly. and it is as honest. fair and peace
able as any election anywhere. so
Governor Foster and Mr.. Sanders both
tell me, and as is the universal testi
mony.
Speaking of conditions in other
parishes. Mr.. Sanders instanced the
parish of Calcasieu. that borders on
the State of Texas. which is largely
populated by Western white men.
some of whom are unable 10 read and