The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-10-18

Adopted Casaim sas,y 1asOeavestsS

The Peoples Party Convention
assembled in Raleigh, April ic.a, [
reaffirms the principles set forth x 4
the Peoples Party National plat :
form adopted At st. Louis in ltssn. J
and instructs the delegates - Ina
National Convention at Sioux Rtiis
May 9th TO vote for the nomination
Of William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State
Administration for It's high pei
sonal and official integrity, AND
challenge a comparison OF It's rec
ord With any and all of Its pseds-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis-
lsture Of 1899 for Its extfaya4ass ex-
pendltures OF public money Amou ntinE
to 81 ,5s.,7 1876 in 1893, as opposed TO
Il rs, 97l II, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, an excess OF $780,
| 794. 30, not including the sum OF $780, |
| go for public education nor the f63 400 |
! for purchase Of State farms.
| We further condemn said Legisia- |
tnre for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more |
| iaws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denounce the ne
leaders Of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enaoting and submitting .
DISTINGUISHING constitutional amend
ment in violation OF the solemn
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 MOI only
for doing this in violation OF their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
sure most odious in form and danger
GUS In effect. That General Assembly
being composed OF, some OF the best
LAWYERS OF the party, must have
known, or at least had a reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu-
tionality of the monstrous provision Of
Section 5, known as the grandfather
clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger Of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendmen
= to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucationaI qualification Atty or sixty
thousand white voters OF North Caro-
# lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
a party power In the Legislature, and
~ whose ignorance is no fault of theil
to own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
N the Democratic party, which now seeks
,r to disfranchise them and make theil
ignorance a crime alongside that o
the felOE.
e But even if the proposed amendment
L were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
III ly is), still it is especially objection
x able in the following PARTICULARS:
ut (a) In that it dlgnlfies with the RICH
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
lr some ana obnoxious class of the negr
he population, and completely disfran
a chises the most faithful, kindly and or
" DERBY element Of that race.
er CO. In that, while clamoring for whit
We supremacy and declaring that no whit
In man shall be DISTINGUISHED under thi
er amendment, they have so written 5hei
Vo amendment that every white boy be
C. coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
ut same footing with the negro, and Cal
tie not vote unless he is able to read an
write.
of Co In that by the latter provision
wv they have made it possible for the ed
re ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
at lot while the unfortunate son of tn
RS white men who have been the strengt
of true democracy stands without
n vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
'se the suffrage of the son whose fathe
he they dare not openly attack.
mt (d) In that this suffrage amend
ment does not remove the negro frol
m politics or settle the negro question j
IN North Carolina.
RI (e) In that every voter who has NJ
paid his poll tax as much as fiv
months before the State election an
he hot a1n
ton, shall be DISTINGUISHED as much .
if he were convicted of felony or wei
an ignorant negro. The purpose {
sh this provision is not only to disfrar
we chise every good honest citizen VIII
ers unfortunately cannot pay his taxe9 b
cK the first of March preceding the 1le'
10y tion, but further to try to bride the VI
Do ter to surrender his suffrage at the e.
,ut pense Of the public school fund of tt
m. State, which is derived from poll take
ou There TURKS behind this proposition
II still greater danger to the publ
IN schools of the State, for with the ado]
20 tion of the amendment the opponen,
5he of free schools IN North Carolina wi
at once raise the cry that every doll,
raised for public instruction means ii
increase of the number of negro "
ters, and thus the poor white man
10 son will be chained in bondage of i,
at norance and disfranchised to prevel
h the education of the negro vote
no There is no white supremacy IN this.
es' The constitutional question pr
To- senred by the proposed amendment
Bile one that must be determined by I'll
go, judgment and conscience of each ind
oit vidual voter. Therefore, we do n
to make it party question. We state ii
tlv evils and dangers and leave the vote
of all parties to pass their verdict
q the light of these facts. The questis
H. is above party, and no one should
more active and anxious in our jud
ment to defeat it than the rank al
are tiie of the Democratic party.
Ina The Peoples Party is and has alwa
ich oeen more distinctly than any 9th
ght party in North Carolina a white NAL
my party, and is more anxious than al
wv Jther party to solve the race prOblel
I'M and to force all parties to discussi,
axe Of the great economic issues so vital
affecting the welfare of all wealth or
. ducers Of the State and nation and d
cency in politics.
~ Therefore, we propose in lieu of til
dangerous amendment, the best sol
, ton of the race question that is poss
bic as long rs the 18th amendment
the Constitution of the United Stat
stands-a solution which deprives
white man in North Carolina now
-. hereafter Of his right of suffrage, t
ais wit
Don Amend Section 6, Art. +, of the Co
i'd stitution Of North Carolina by insel
der ing among the disqualitications
ofhce, enumerated therein, the folio
has ing, viz: All negroes and ALL perso
lent of negro descent to the 'thirdlgener
non ton inclusive.
orn Ii the Democratic Legislature viii
kid mee1s IN Juhe VIII ouer This SAFE, CO
rim ssituCionai anu ~holesome amenome
the lh,heu OF the present scneme 1t W
hid nave our nearly support. Ii they "
} to not, We appeal " 1ne people 70 fally
With our assistance 20 eject q Leglsiatu