The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-07-12

The Peoples Party COnvsntaoa Il
ssem blsd in Raleigh, April ia q
eaflrm the principles st forth Z.
he Peoples Party National pos&> :
orm adopted at St. Louis In H..
nd instruets the delegates = >Hs
<ational Convention 1t Sioax 80. ,
n AZ 9th to vote for ths nc:ninAti0n
u william J. Bryan tor President
We commend the present 0tats
for its high pea
sonal and ofneisl integrity, Ina |
challenge q comparison Of ito no
ord with any and III ef Ito pssds-
cessore.
We sosdemn the Democratic Lsgis-
latafe Of 1899 for IT. exIravagant ex-
pendftures 81 public money amounting |
to N.E9' ,565.76 in 1899, ~ opposed to |!
Il .3S3 81 IL, expended by the proceed |
ing Legislature, an sxeess OF S2l0,-
~ 65. not including the sum OF tiOO.
90 for public education nor the 81, $50
for purchase OF State farms.
We further condemn said Legisla-
tnse FOR the careless blund eripe and
careless legislation, inc3safnk more
gross biunder. ana unoonstitssional
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denouucs this machine
leaders of the Democratic rarty for
laying the whip on the backs II the
Democratic Legislature ard tnecfnk
them into eRactinE ana submitting
| disfrahchising constitutional amend
ment In violation Of the solemn
pledges OF the party, made mt only
| but by megah efs OF the General Assem-
| bly, shd other Democratic candidates
| for efiice in their Canvass before the
| people. We denounoe them not only
| for doing this in violation nf their
| pledges, but also for Submitting mea-
! sure most odicus in form and danger
Gus In effect. That General Assanbly
being composed OF: ectne of the best
lawyers Of the party, must have
known. Or ut least had . reasonable
doubt, not only as to the enoonstitu-
tionality of the Itrnstrous provision of
Section 5, kn6Wn ~ the "9randfat her
clause" in said amendment, but elsC
OF the great danger of that nticonstitu.
tionsl sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
tc stand, thus disfranehising by an ed
ucational qualification City or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power ia the Legislature, and
whose ignorance ia no faalt OF theit
own but 10 chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seek,
to disfranchise them and make theil
ignorance = crime alongside that o.
the felon.
But even II the proposed amendmeD
we're not unconstitutional (as It oieaf;
iy is), still it 10 especially objection
able in the following particulars:
at that it d,gnifies with the RICH
OF suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr
population, and completely disfran
ehises the most fat hful kindly and Or
1 DERBY element Of that race.
(b) In that. while clamorin9 for whit
supremacy and declaring that NO whit
man shall be disfranchised under thi
amendment. they have SO written thei
amendment that every white boy be
coming Of age after 1908 stands on tn
same footing with the negro, and ca
. not vote unless he il able u read an
write.
(c) In that % the latter provision
:, they have made it possible for the cd
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his ba
! lot while the unfortunate SOD OF th
T. white men who have been tho sSfehXt
Of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballo box. They slaaghte
Is the Suffrage OF the son whose faths
"a they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage anent
meat does not remove the negro ffol
d politics or settle the negro question
h North Carolina,
:. (e) In that svery voter who has q,
:. paid his poll tax a. much rs a,
- months before the State election ar
eight months before the national ele,
ton, shall be disfranchised as much !
? if he were convicted Of felony or wei
le An ignorant negro. TIE purpose
q this provision is not only to disfral
"a chise every good honest citizen VT
~ unfortunately cannot pay his taxes /
" The first of March preceding the eie
y ton, but further to try to bribe the v,
II ter to surrender his suffrage at the e,
p. peuse of the public school fund OF ii
}, state, which Is derived from poll take
l. There Turks behind this proposition
le still greater danger to the publ
., schools of the State, for with the adol
ton Of the amendment the opponent
of freq schools In North Carolina wi
y at once ralse the cry that every doll,
70 raised for public instruction means Il
le increase of the number of negro VI
se ters, and thus the poor white man
1t son will be chained in bondage of i,
D. norance and disffanchisad to prevel
he education of the negro vote
There is no white supremacy 10 this
d The constitutional question pr
is sented by the proposed smendmea:
n one that must be determined by I'll
judgment and conscience of eac o ind
In make it party question. We state Il
~ Of all parties to pass their verdict
le the light Of these facts. The questiO
!, ie above party, and no one should
, more active and anxious in our iud,
1s ment to defeat it than the rank al
" dle of the Democratic party.
ID The Peoples Party is and has aIwa
~ been more distinctly than any 9TH
is party in North Carolina a white mar
party, and is more anxious than ar
other party to solve the race prnbleI
and to force al parties to \ diseusslt
In OF the great economic issues 80 vital
IN affecting the welfare of all wealth Or
r dacers OF the State and nation and d
- oency in politics.
u Therefore, We propose in lieu of th
dangerous amendment, the best sol
= ton of the race question that il poss
H. ole IS long as the 10th amendment
nc the Constitution of the United Stat
~ stands-a solution which deprives
white man in North Carolina new
hereafter of his right Of outrage, {
wit
Amend Section 6, Art. 6. Of the 90
st'eati"n OF North Carolina by inse1
Office, enumerated therein. the folio