The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-03-06
TIE CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND,
MINT.

discussed through the press. This 10
as it should be, for it is far better to
discuss it now before adopted than to
curse it after it ia adopted. lam fully
satisfied IL Il should be adopted IL will
curse and be cursed, 90 a more In
famous measure has nsv2 come be
fore the people OF North Carolina
Therefore l believe the time has come
when every lover of freedom, honesty,
truth aud good government, irrespec
tive of past party Civilizations, should
speak out in condemnation OF a meas
ure SO infamous and revolutionary, ae
the proposed amendment.
/ said infamous, and repeat it from
the fact the proposed amendment has
all the characteristics of that which
is infamous, being detestable, odious,
scandalous, disgraceful and basel Now
let US suppose, for arguments sake
that the proposed amendment is con
s%titutionaI, and that it will stand the
test of the courts. What would be the
result7 1t would still be Infamous in
that it discriminates in favor of the
most unworthy class Of negroes and
against the most worthy, honest and
Industrious colored man, in that &C
cording to the proposed amendment,
the educated, INDECENT, worthless and
Office seeking negroes could vote and
figure in politics just as freely as he
] hos o-rn H~~nl DIT ~ 49, @&Arw
hand, the amendment would disfran
chise that class of old colored men who
are faithful laOorer5, many Of whom
almost wore themselves out working
to make bread and meat for our moth
era, wives, sisters and little children,
while we we're in the war between the
States. Then l ask in all cendor, ia it
right to Cypress the worthy class OF
Such a measure cannot be justified
by the law Of God, or any just law OF
man! Inspiration says, What doth
the Lord require of thee but to deal
justly, love mercy and walk humbly
before thy GODS" There is, as We have
shown above, no Justice whatever in
the proposed Constitutional ame nd
ment. The supporters of the proposed
amendment in the last Legislature,
ignored justice altogether, although
many Of them are members Of some
church I think il might be t~ru5htulIy
said Of many Of them, God va not
in ali their thoCghtsI' If He had been,
they would not have ignored their
many campaign pledges, viz: That
If they we're elected and got control of
the legislature, that they would not
d~isfranchise anyone, white or black.
Some Of them are now disposed to
deny making any such pledges, but
they did promise not to do any such
a thing, and thousands heard them
declare time and again that they
would not diefranchise any man and
then denounced il as a lie, gotten UP
by their enemies to keep the people
from voting for them. Thousands of
good men will make affidavit that
such promises we're made and whether
they " making them or not, the PEG
pie know that they were made and
will hold them responsible for violat.
ing them.
But il the proposed amend snt
should be adopted and we're constitu
tionsl, it would also d~isfraachiss thou
sands of good honest white men in
North Carolina and put them below
the dude negro Is that right or iIst4
The grandfather clause" as it -
! called, If constitutional. will not SHE'D !
the poor and uneducated whites any !
longer than until 1908. Is it reason
able that all the po1r whites will be
educated by that time and be abe to
pay their poll tax six months in ad /
vance of registration and the eIection9
Most as'uredly not. Then they would
after 1908 be on q level with the dis
tranchi.ed negro and far below the
educated negroI
Is that what it's adv coates TALL
"white supremacy e. If 30, may he
good Lord deliver the people of Norh
Carolina from any such white suprem
acy. I have v seen the day thai II
was not in favor of the right kind of
white supremacy, neither nave I ever
been afraid of negro supremacy in
North Carolina, and when I call to
mind that there are from two to three
white men in North Carolina to Une
negro, l feel Inundated whenever l
hear any man talking about the danger
of negro supremscy,in old North Caro-
lima. White people will rule in North
Carolina without adopting any such
an amendment as the one proposed.