The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-04-12
SENATOR STEWART ON THE AMEND
MENT.

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SENATOR STEWART ON THE AMEND
MENT.
On the first page OF this issue Of
The CAUCASIAN will be found a
very able and learned legal opin-
ion by Senator William M. Stew
art on the proposed constitutional
amendment. 1t will be noticed
that Senator Stewart unhesItatlng-
ly and emphatically takes the same
position on this monstrous absur-
dity that Senator Allen, ex-senator
Edmunds, Senator Pettigrew and
others have already taken. He de-
clares that section is plainly and
distinctly In contravention of the
fifteenth amendment to the Consti-
tuition Of the United States. He
further declares that in as much as
the object Of section A Ia one thing
and the object OF section 5 Is . dis
tinctly separate and different thing
and that section will be complete
and uniform and operative with
section left out, that therefore the
Supreme Court of the United States
will knock out section 5 and leave
the remainder of the amendment
to stand.
II this Is what will happen II the
amendment were adopted, then
how can single honest man In the
State support 1t? Let 1t be remem-
pered In this connection that Sena-
tor Stewart was a member of the
United States Senate when the 18th
amendment to the United States
Constitution was adopted that he
took a leading part In the discuss
lon OF that amendment, and he is
the only man now in the Senate
who was then In the Senate. There
fore. his opinion on this question is
OF great weight. Besides, let 1t be
remembered that Senator Stewart
Is and has always been a strong
friend OF the South. He was instru-
mental in having left out Of that
fifteenth amendment the provision
guaranteeing that negroes should
hold office. He took the position
that the states ought to be left free
to determine whether or not the
negro should hold office and that
Congress should 60 no further than
guarantee that there should be no
discrimination against him on &C
count Of race, color or previous con-
dition Of servitude.
In this connection, let it also be
remembered that to the efforts of
Senator Stewart probably more
than to any other man Is due
the defeat of the Force
Bill. He was at that time a mem
Der Of the Republican party, but he
rose on thai occasion, as he had Of
ten done before. above party and
declared that no party lash or eau
Gus could bind him to support such
a measure. Let 1t also be remem
bered that Senator Stewart is to-
day an ardent supporter of William
j. Bryan for President. Therere-
fore, his views on this question are
not biased by party or sectional
prejudice. They are the views Of a
brave, bold, and true man who has
the courage to express his convic-
tions and stand by them. Besides,
they are the views of one of the
greatest constitutional lawyers in
America
Is 1t not time for the average
Democratic lawyer in North Caro-
lima who is 80 glibly and so Justify
declaring that the amendment II
constitutional, to stop and think
Is 1t not time for him to look in up
on his own conscience and motives
and to realize that he Is a partisan
in this business and that his judg-
ment Is liable to be warped and BIZ
ased by his party prejudice and h is
political desires? Is 1t not time for
these lawyers to be honest with
themselves and with the voters of
the State and to at least give to the
poor, illiterate white voters of the
State the benefit Of the doubt? For
surely there is not a lawyer in
North Carolina, however much he
may believe that the amendment is
constitutional, but who must admit
that there Is at least a doubt about
1t. Let these lawyers remember
that IL Senator Stewart is right, If
ex-senator Edmunds (whom the
Democrats admit to be the greatest
constitutional lawyer in America
Is right, IL Senator Allen is right,
IL Senator Petigrew is right, if Sem
ator Gallery is right, and II a ma
jority of the leading lawyers Of the
Senate on both sidos of the Senate
are right that then the court will
not only declare section 5 uncon.
stitutional but will knock it out
leaving the remainder of the
amendment to stand. Let these
lawyers rememb Der that II this hap.
pens, as II Is more than probable IL
will Tin fact, In the opinion of the
Caucasian, as 1t surely willy then
that there will be fifty or sixty
thousand white men In North Car.
olina who will be disfranchised,
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