Evening star., 1900-09-27
CONSENT IGNORED
Representative Linney Describes
North Carolina Disfranchisement.
NOT A RACE QUESTION, he DECLARES
Amendments, He Says, Were Not
Adopted by the Majority.
DISCUSSES THE RETURNS

Representative Linney of North Carolina
in response TO an inquiry of a Star reporter
today discussed at length the disfranchise
ment of the negro voter in his state. II
reply to the question, What do you think
of the alleged democratic doctrine OF gov
ernment by consent of the governed, the
guarantees of the Declaration of Independ
ence that all men are born free and equal
as applied to the Philippines and the dis
reimbursement of the negro voter in the
south?" ne said:
North Carolina is one of the original thir
teen states. This state has been under
a constitution suited to the government OF
freemen for more than three generations
past. The past of North Carolina has in
deed been glorious. Its constitution and
laws guarding the elective franchise were
just and uniform in their spirit and admin
istration, except when the democracy con
trolled the state. The consent of the gov
erned was the cornerstone upon whlcf
this noble political system was built Inc
last August election blasted the hopes o1
the loyal citizens of North Carolina: and
If its results are not corrected by the 1u-
dietary, it has substituted the most grind
ing despotism as the yoke to be worn BY
freemen of one of the original thirteen
states.
'Ihe Bryan party In the STATE HAS re-
Gently declared that the constitutions
amendments were adopted by majority OF
h3. 600 votes. They never were adopted a.
all by majority of the legal electors OF the
state.
Dissecting the Returns.
1.-The election returns are all in. The!
show that fifty counties containing, accord
ing to the census of 1890. 493. .226 white ane
244. .73O colored population. and embracing
hn,
majority, have been made by these returns
to record 57,14O majority for the amend
ments Forty counties containing 555,97!
white, and only 1851 colored inhabitants
gave 3,169 majority against the amend
ments. At least so per centum of the negro
vote of the state is opposed to these amend
ments, because 1t was openly avowed thai
these amendments would disfranchise nc
white man, but would disfranchise negroes
1t seems that a majority of all the white
counties. where there was less than ~ pei
cent of the population negroes, voted
against the amendments and for the entire
republican state ticket New Hanover
county, with a registered colored population
in 1896 of over 1900 colored votes, gave
Governor Russell 1900 majority over the
most brilliant and popular democrat in the
state, Cyrus B. Watson and according to
these returns, of the last August election
the republican ticket in the entire county
only received two votes. Halifax county
has something over 1900 white citizens and
something over 1900 colored citizens, ac-
ccrding TO the census of 1890. These re-
turns show that the democrats received 6,2St
votes. and the republicans only 800. ma
iority of over 5000 in this county, which
has hitherto been overwhelmingly republi-
can.
The Vote in Wilmington.
Probably the most enthusiastic admirers
of Mr.. Bryan in the United States are in
the city of Wilmington. The county of New
Hanover has a population Of over 25,OO0
Mr.. Bryan has machine there that will
grind out for him many votes as his
mad. blind followers desire. l should moi
be al all surprised that out of the 3.19t
colored laborers there besides four or five
hundred white men, all of whom are fol
the republican policy, will only be able, un
less they do better than they did in the las,
election, to have two votes recorded fol
their choice You may put it down in any
calculation you may make that President
Mckinley will not receive hundred vote:
In this great city of Wilmington and the
entire county of New Hanover under the
present election law in North Carolina, al
though the President is stronger there to
day in the hearts of the people than Gov
ernor Russell was in 1896 when he received
300 majority. Judge Adams, than whom
the state of North Carolina does not pos
sess purer man, and very few. II any
greater. was only able 10 have returned IL
his favor in the entire county only two
votes.
Slaughter of White Votes.
There is one peculiarly degrading result
Of Bryan despotism in North Carolina by
the method employed in these large negro
counties. and as a matter of personal Sc
curity, l will admit 1t is done righteously
Every negro vote that is transferred from
the republican column to the democratic
when he did not vote the democratic ticket
has the effect of slaughtering white Nc
Kinley voter anywhere in the state Bryan
Imperialism of the most despotic and bruta
character in North Carolina is the only
power that has ever slaughtered the votes
of white men there. When the new officers
elected at the August election come in we
will have white men to govern the state, as
we now have, but, as the democrats were
In the habit of putting 1t in the last cam
paign to the republicans, Who will be be-
hind them?' Not the white people Of the
state, because almost all the white counties
having less than 20 per cent of their popu.
lation negroes. voted against them: not the
negro, because the proposition was 10 dis
franchise him
Not n Race Question.
THAT was indeed, a philosophic question
put to Mr.. Bryan at Chicago-.How about
the situation in North Carolina? He re-
piled, Let the race question which has
brought about so much trouble be a warn
ing to you 1t was the best thing tha,
could have been said, still 1t was a dodge
that no great man at the head of a great
party should have made. The truth is the
race question has very little, if anything
to do with 1t in North Carolina 1t is a
wild, mad rush for Office by small minor.
ity of the people of the state that has
wrought all this wickedness. To try this by
nnnnno@-e-,