The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-15
A CONSPIRACY BY
BUTLER AND HOLTON
The Arrest of the Registrars
at Winston.
NEGROES UNDER BOND
All Others Who do Likewise Will be
Instantly Arrested.
TERRIBLE PLIGHT OF SPENCER ADAMS
Loge Harris Gives Some Good Advice to the
Negroes in Regard to Registering.
he schol Tax 'mend-
ment.

ment.
Chairman Simmons returned to the
city yesterday morning from Winston, !
where he has been attending the trial
of the registrars who were recently
arrested by United States Commits
sioner, upon the affidavit of four ne
groes. Speaking of the trial, Mr..
Simmons said it was well understood
before the trial began that the regis
trars would be bound over. Everyone
in Winston seemed to believe that it
had been predetermined Notwith-
standing this, the defence insisted
upon a full investigation, in order
that the people of the .otate might see
that the proceedings were instigated,
without authority of law, for polir-
zeal purposes, and without any foun-
dation in the conduct of the regis
trars. 1t was made clear by the eta
ton of authorities and by overwhelm-
ing arguments authorities and argu
ments which the prosecution were ut
terly unable to answer-that there is
no power in the Federal court to is
sue such warrants, and it was made
equally as clear by the evidence, even
that Of the prosecution itself, that the
registrars, in all that they did, had
kept within the limits of the State
law The trial was nothing more nor
less than a United States officer. at
tempting to enforce a State law in
conformity with his own notion as to
what the law was or what he would
wish it to be. 1t was clear attempt
~ nf mi officer
to review and pass upon the discre-
tionary powers, lodged in State cleo
ton officer.
Continuing, Mr.. Simmons said:
''Winston. like a few other tobacco
towns in the State, is the home, dur
ing the tobacco season, of a large num-
Der of foreign negroes who work in
the tobacco factories. These come to
the State when these factories open
in the spring, and remain until they
close in October. But few of these
negroes are known to the white peo-
pie of the town. The great majority
of them are not even known to the
men who employ them. They are
never seen upon the streets during the
day, because they go into the factory
early in the morning and do not leave
it until late in the evening. In former
years, these foreign negroes have been
allowed to vote, although there has
been from time to time protests. There
was a great deal of trouble about their
registering in '9S, but they were al
lowed to do so under the Fusion law.
This year the people made up their
minds that there should be full reg
istration so as to exclude from the
books this class of illegal voters. The
registrars did absolutely nothing, so
far as the evidence disclosed, except
to exercise a proper clrcumspectlon
against this illegal element. 1t was
to intimidate the registrars and coerce
them into allowing this element to
register that the prosecution was in
stigated. The trial made that per-
fectly clear, Happily, for the rights of
the honestG voters of Winston, this
effort has not succeeded, and the reg
istrars will proceed to faithfully per-
form their duties under vhe State
law, registering those who are en-
titled, and excluding those who are
disqualified
Late Friday evening, said Mr.. SIM
mons, the four negroes who sWore out
these warrants were arrested and
placed under a justified bond of $500
each, which, after much difficulty,
they succeeded in giving.
''There will be no let-up in the pros
ecution of these negroes. 1t is true,
they are the tools OF bad white men,
but if negroes persist in allowing
themselves to be made tools of they
must suffer the consequences.
ut was noticed during the eNamina-
ton of these negroes that they seem
ed anxious to screen those who had
instigated them to enter into this
prosecution. Whether they had been
warned to protect the men who had
led them into this difficulty or not is,
of course, a matter of conjecture, but
il is certain they seemed to be on their
guard not to give any information
against the actual conspirators.
1T had as well be understood once
for ALL" said Mr.. Simmons, that Caro-
lnians do not propose to tamely submit
to these outrages on the part of Fed
eluI office-holders, and ,hat men who
recklesSly swear out warrants, Wheth-
err upon their own authority or upon
the instigation of Others will be pros
ecuted and, when convicted, Will be
punished" He said he would not I'M
dertake to say who was the real re-
sponsible parties for this high handed
interference WITH the registrars in the
discharge of their lawful duties, but
one thing was certain, these proceed
ings were not instituted for honest
purposes. "fThey We're not instituted
for the purpose of getting honest vot-
ers registered, but for the purpose of
getting dishonest and unqualified ne
groes registered. Fair and honest men
have been appointed registrars; they
have been selected from the best
people in the community in which
they live, and they are trying to carry
out the laws of the State faithfully
and honestly, and to register those
who ere entitled to register. and to
exclude those who are not entitled to
register. In the honest discharge of
these duties imposed upon them by
the law, they are entitled to protec
tiop, and the white people of North