The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-04-05

Amendment which Cannot BE Denied
Who Is Attempting to put the Negro
Over the White Man?-Who is Making
Poverty Crime?
EAIsoN, N. c., March Is, 1900.
The Caucasian:
The editor of the Democrat is in
clined TO question my motives in Ieav-
ing the Democratic party. Doub tless
he measures other people by his own
standard. | refer to an editorial in
his paper which was copied by the
News add Observer and other papers,
charging that [ left the Democratic
party on account of personal griev-
ances. No such motive as he alludes
to had anything TO do with my action.
No two cranks, or a thousand, could
run me out of party of right princi-
piles, the Democrat to the contrary not
withstandiug.
Things of more vital importance
have Influenced the steps | have taken
| The Democrat says / am mistaken
about whom our forafatEers fought for.
Let Us see who is mistaken, and who 1t
| is That wants to put the negro over
the white men. He sings that same
old song,"Negro !""Negro!" and would
pervert 10y meaning and maze believe
that intended to say that our fore
| fathers fought to enable the negro to
vote, another Democratic trick to fool
somebody.
Now let's talk sense little. If the
amendment is carried it j. not even
denied that after 1908 the unaducated
white boy ould be disfrahchisad while
the educated Dude negro can vote.
The man who votes for the amendment
votes for just this state of things. Ac-
cording to statistics there will be about
! ten thousand young men who will be-
come of age in 1908, by the same rule
II per cent, of cheese, or 100, will ba
unable to read and write, and two
thirds at least will be white, then in
1909 there will be another 100, and so
on. Are these not some of the people
our forefathers fought for? Will
brother Bethnne and his associate edi-
tor vote for this state of things? Yes.
| Will [ vote for it? No. Then who
votes to put the negro over the white
man? They will vote to deprive this
large class Of people many of them good
citizens. of the right to vote, while ne
gro IS who can read and write are al
lowed to vote. Then do not preach
white supremacy to me. Have you a
right to impose restrictions upon your
children and your grandchildren that
were never imposed on you simply to
crafty few unworthy Office seekers?
There are in every county in the
State many good men who are una ole
TO pay their poll tax by the first OF
| March. If the amendment is carried
then this failure, whstever may be the
cause, be it accident, sickness or ex.
treme poverty, no matter what, ii
places the man in the same row with
the criminal. There are many men in
North Carolina to-day who have bard
struggle to keep the wolf from the
door, as | and others have had. that
drove me into the whiskey business to
take care of and care for afflicted par.
ents. II he fails to pay his poll tax by
the first of March he is classed with
the common thief on the day Of cleo
ton. Who ever thought North Caro-
lima would propose law making pow
erty d crime! Yet this is just what it
| amounts to.
| These, Mr.. Editor of Sampson Dem
ocrat, are some of my reasons for leav-
ing the so-cailed Democratic party. |
am no politician, and should have not
penned another line had not | been as
sailed and my motives been grossly
misrepresented. Until the Demo
cratic party comes back 70 its moor
ings | am done with it and the trick
sters who dominate it. AS far as prayer
Is concerned, think it is the editor of
the Sampson Democrat aud his asso-
ciate and his men with unimpeachable
character who need it,
Yours respectfully,
NJ. G. GIDDENs.