The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-27
NORTH CAROLINA'S 81
AMENDMENT.
SUFFRAGE

| Considerable feeling IS being shown be-
/ tween Democrats on one side and Repub-
/ licans and Populists on the other over the
state election which occurs next Thursday
in North Carolina The chief thing at is
| sue is the proposed constitutional amend
ment for limiting the suffrage. The
real purpose of the amendment is 10 close
the ballot box to negroes. The amendment
is practically the constitutional amend
ment that has been adopted in Louisiana.
II prevents any one from voting who can
not read and write any section of the
constitution IN the English language, and
who has not paid his pol tax for the year
preceding the one in which he offers to
register but it permits any person who
had the right 10 vote in any state In the
Union on Jan. !. 1867, and any lineal de-
scendant of such person. to register and
vote provided he has paid his poll tax.
The latter clause is called the grand
father clause" and is intended 10 open the
way for ilnterate whites TO vote while
shutting out illiterate blacks
A letter was addressed TO the President
the other day by leading Democrats oharg-
ing that the United States officials were
showing pernicious activity in the cam
paign, and were doing all sorts of I'M
scrupulous work From all accounts these
officials have made themselves liable TO
dismissal 1t is doubtful. however If the
President win take any steps looking TO
the ousting them from office.
1t is a matter worth noticing that the
leaders of the National Republican party
do not seem 10 be very much interested
in the outcome of the election. 1t may be
that they think the Republican party of
North Carolina will fare better without
the negro vote than with it. They are
well aware that under existing conditions
the negro vote is of no benefit 10 their
party. The Republican party IN the South
does not furnish any representatives in
Congress nor does it elect any of the
presidential electors 1t may be that
the Republican leaders are disposed
to see whether the Republican party in
the South would be any better off with
the negro voter eliminated. They have
been told that the South will remain SOL
idly Democratic just long as the negro
has the ballot in the Southern states. but
that if he should be eliminated from poll
tics the chances a re that there would soon
be strong Southern Republican party
In the present contest in North Carolina
the Popuhsts and the Republicans are al
lies. The Democrats are opposed TO them
but there are a good many white Repub-
licans who are going to vote the Demo-
cratic ticket next Thursday. They are
business and professional men who are
convinced that the state would be far
more prosperous if the negro were shut
out of politics
1t seems to be the very general opinion
in North Carolina that the amendment
will be adopted. In the event that il is
it is probable that the question of the
legality of the amendment will be ques-
toned soon in the courts. The weak part
of it is the grandfather clause" 1t looks
as if that clause were such a clear dis
elimination against the negroes that the
United States Supreme Court would hold
the amendment invalid. However it will
be time enough to meet that question
when il arises.
feature of the campaign that is at
tracing very general attention is the in
difference of the negroes to the result of
the election. They do not seem to care
whether the ballot is taken from them or
not. They have made such bad use of it
that it is probable that they have come
TO the conclusion that the loss of it would
be a good thing for them, until they are
better prepared for it,