The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-05-31
pfoplEs sAm HHsss

pEoPlE5 PARTY slAHeas
AAs1ssA Uso.inS1aay IN 0suvsss1sa.
Ap<n lssA. 1854
The Peoples Party Convention
In Raleigh, April 18th.
reanirms the principles set forth In
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted ut st. Louis In 1886,
and instructs the delegates /, the
National Convention ct Sioux Falls
May 9th to vote for the nomination
Of William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State
Administration for It's high per.
sonal and official integrity, and
o comparison Of It, REQ
ord with any and all Of it, pesds-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
lature Of 1899 for its extrsva8ast sx-
penditures Of public money Amounting
to 81 So ,765 76 in 1899, - opposed TO
Il ,9s3 9H.l1, expended BY the proceed
ing Legislature, an excess Of t31O,-
794 IS, not including the sum Of $780,
90 for public education nor thu 81, arc
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn laid IAgisls-
tnre for the careless blundeI ing and
careless legislation, including more
gross blUnders snd unconstitutional
laws than ever before enacted By any
General Assembly in North Carolina
We further denOunce the machine
leaders Of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the banks II the
Democratic Legislature and fovcinG
them into enacting and submitting .
DISTINGUISHING constitutional ameDd-
ment in violation Of the aolemn
pledges Of the party. made not only
officially in their campaign handbook
but by members of the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for office in their CANVASS before the
people. We denOunce them not only
for doing this in violation 1T their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
sure most Odi0us in form and danger
Gus In effect. That General Assembly
being composed of some of the best
lawyers of the party, must have
or at least had q reasonable
doubt, not only as to the nncOnstitu-
tiOnality of the mOnstrOus provision OF
Section s, known as the "grandfat her
clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger of that uncOnstitu-
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification City or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who In 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
whose ignorance is no fault of their
own but is chargeable to the neglect Of
the Democratic party, which now seeks
to disfranchise them and make their
ignorance . crime alongside that Of
the fel0n.
But even il the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
able in the following particulars:
Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negro
population, and completely disfran
derby element of that race.
CO. In that, wi lille clamoring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have 80 written their
amendment that every white boy be-
coming of age after 1908 stands on the
not vote unless he is able to reSd and
write.
(c) I'm that by the latter provision
they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
| lot hi1o no tn oS he
white men who have been the strength
vote At the ballot box. They slaughter
hey dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend,
ment does not remove the negro from
nolitics or settle the negro question in
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has no.
paid bis poll tax as much as fIve
months before the State election and
eight months before the national cleo.
ton, shall be disfranchised as much Al
II he were convicted of felony or were
An ignorant negro. The purpose OF
this provision is not only to disfran.
chise every good honest citizen who
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes By
he first of March preceding the cleo.
ton, but further to try to bribe the 70.
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex.
pense of the public school fund of the
state, which is derived from poll taxes
There Turks behind this proposition 8
still greater danger to the public
schools of the State, for with the adop.
5iOn of the amendment the opponents
Of free schools In North Carolina will
At once raise the cry that every dollar
raised for public instruction means the
increase of the number of negro vo.
tiers, and thus the poor white mans
son will be chained in bondage of i9.
norance and disfranchissd to proven,
he education of the negro voter
There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question pre.
sented by the proposed amendment il
one that must be determined by the
Judgment and conscience of each indi.
vidual voter. Therefore, we do no,
make it party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voter.
OF all parties to pass their verdict in
the light Of these facts. The question
is above party, and no one should be
more active and anxious in our iud1
ment to defeat 1t than the rank ant
dle OF the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has alway,
oeen more distinctly than any Other
party in North Carolina q white man,
party, and is more anxious than any
'ther party to solve the race problem
and to force al parties to discuss,or
Ut the great economic issues 30 vital,
affecting the welfare of all wealth pro
oucers OF the State aud nation and de-
cency in politics.
therefore, we propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment. the heat soIn
ton of the race question that is posi-.
ole "a long as the 18th amendment e
che Constitution of the United State,
stands solution winch deprives NJ
white man in North Carolina now OF
hereafter OF his right of suffrage, to
| wit: w
Amend Section 6, Art. 6, of the Con
ssitutloD of North Carolina by insert
ing among the f9isun> l;t3o. &C.. -.