The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-09-20

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Aasps>a Ussainsasiy tsgUss vsssss .
Ayxfi issA. iSss.
The Peoples Party Convsntioa !,
In Raleigh, April 18th.
the principles set forth e
the Peoples Party National plat |
form adopted At st. Louis In In.
and instrucss the delegates t. shs
National Convention at Sioux Hsils
May 9Th 70 vote for the nomination
of William J. Bryan for President
We commend the present State
Administration for It's high pei
sonAl and of{iciAl integrity. and
:hallenge q comparison OF ito rec
ord with any and all Of its peeds-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
iature of 1899 for its ext5svaGaas sx-
penditures Of public money Amounting
TO 81 ,58S,765.76 in 1899, ~ opposed 10
Il 49,, 9T IL, expended BY the proceed
ing Legislature, IN excess OF $780,
794.65, not including the sum Of 500,
900 for public education nor the eS3 $50
for purchase of state farms.
We further condemn said Legisia
ture for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconstitasional
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders Of the Democratic partF for
laying the whip on the backs Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting 8
disfrahchising 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 candidate
| for office in their canvass before the
people. We denounce them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mea
sure most odious in form and danger
Gus in effect. That General Assembly
being composed of some of the best
| lawyers of the party, must have
known, or at least had . reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu
tionality Of the monstrous provision o.
Section 3, known as the "grandfathe'
clause" in said amendment, but alss
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 atty or sixt,
thousand white voters of North Caro-
| lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, ant
whose ignorance is no fault of thei
own but is chargeable to the neglect o
the Democratic party, which now seek
to disfranchise them and make thei
ignorance a crime alongside that o
the felOn.
But even if the proposed amendmen
we're not unconstitutional Gas it clear
lIy is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dignifies with the RICH
Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr
population, and completely disfran
/ chises the most faithful, kindly and OF
ierly element of that race.
(b) In that, while clamoring 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
D not vote unless he is able to read an
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
! hey have made it possible for the ed
,cated negro after 1908 to cast his ba
OF while the unfortunate son of til
white men who have been the strengt
n If true democracy stands without
e vote at the ballot box. They slaught'
l RI IF fho f~fh h.
hey dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amen,
nent does not remove the negro fro
politics or settle the negro question
+ North Carolina.
III (e) In that every voter who has n
paid his poll tax as much as a.
) months before the State election al
q light months before the national ele
81 ion, shall be disfranchised as much
he were convicted of felony or we
IN ignorant negro. The purpose
This provision is not only to disfra
n 'hise every good honest citizen wi
l. unfortunately cannot pay his taxes
The first of March preceding the ele
> zion, but further to try to bribe the v
pense of the public school fund of q
state, which is derived from poll tax,
There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publ
-chools of the State, for with the ado
ion of the amendment the opp0neu
? II free schools In North Carolina "
IS It once raise the CRY that every doll
N raised for public instruction means t
70 Increase Of the number Of negro v
rers, and thus the poor white maj
u on will be chained in bondage of i
d norance and disfranchised to prove
j. he education of the negro vot,
- There is no white supremacy IN this
- The constitutional question pr
r. .ented by the proposed amendments
y me that must be determined by t
10 Judgment and conscience of each in(
vidual voter. Therefore,, we do n
make it party question. We state t
10 wills and dangers and leave the vote
70 fall parties to pass their verdict
T. he light OF these facts. The Questi
's above party, and no one should
): more active and anxious in our jud
l. ment to defeat it than the rank q
2 tile Of the Democratic party.
Id The Peoples Party is and has alwa
=. oeen more distinctly than any ott
'e party in North Carolina q white ma
er party, and is more anxious than a
'ther party to solve the race profile
and to force oil parties to disoussl
II the great economic issues so vita
affecting the welfare of all wealth pl
ulcers Of the State and nation and I