The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-04

=
ture campaigns.
Look for q moment at the other
states that have pretended to restrict
negro suffrage. Has the race issue
been solved in any of themf Have
they not had during the last few
years as many race COZ fiicts, as many
outraxes, and more than in North
Carollnaf Is not the negro the slo-
gan in their campsignsf Is not eve
~ man who attempts to raise his
voice against the existing order of
things at once shut up with the cry |
of negro dominationi
Look at Mississippi. Does not that
condition exist theref In fact
the white people Of that State have
been SO Disguised with the farce of
holding elections that q very large
part of the white voters have ceased
to pay any attention to the elections
and do not vote. In that state there
are over 200 600 citizens o voting
age. How many voted or got their
votes counted in the last Congress
ional electionf Only " 1877. Do we
want to put an autocratic machine
IN power that will reduce the number
who can vote in this state to that fg-
ur.f
Look at Louisiana, a State that
has already adopted this same
amendment. We find the Machine
there preparing to do the same
thing. In the last campaign the
howl of "nigger' was as loud and
as lusty as ever; and, besides, a
political machine has been en-
throned that has resulted in prac-
tically disfra nchising the rank and
file of the Democratic party, if
they dare oppose the Machine.
TO DIsFRANCHIsE THE POOR, HARD
WORKING IL YEAR OLD BOYS.
There Is another great objection
to this Amendment. 1t provides
that after 1908 every white man Of
voting age who is not then able to
read and write any section of the
Constitution, shall be disfran-
chised. Think of the number of
boys in North Carolina to day who
are twelve years of age and under
who may not be able to get an edu-
cation by the time they are twenty
one years of age These boys are
sure to be disfranchised and put on
plane lower than the town darkey
with his eye glasses and cooked
hat. How many fathers and mothers
are there in the state to-day, strug-
Cling to make both ends meet, Who
have managed to raise their boys
until they are now ten or twelve
years of age, an age at which these
boys are just beginning to help
them on the farm or in the factory
In how many cases is such a boy the
mainstay of a father and mother
who are dependent upon his work to
support the family until he is
twenty-one years of ageP How
many Of these boys will reach
twenty-one without getting an ed
ucation7 Yet it is this kind of a
noble boy who will be called upon
each year to pay taxes, to work the
road, and to shoulder his musket
and do tho fighting if his country
needs his services. This is the boy
who will be expected to do the
> fighting and give his life for his
country, while Mr.. Simmons, who
is trying to disfranchise him, will
no doubt, like Cleveland. hire a
; substitute.
! THE POLL-TAX RECEIPT SCHEME.
3 Another Objectionable feature i:
the provision requiring the pre-
sentation of the poll tax receipt be-
fore voting. What does this mean
: Every man in the State who is or
the delinquent tax list or who has
not paid his taxes as much as si1
: months before the election, will bt
. distinguished. How many gooC
i men are there in the State who arr
unfortunate or who from any rea
}. son cannot pay their poll tax befor,
: the election, much less pay then
l six months before the election
Yet these are the men an(
every one of their sons who are no
F more than twelve years old now
whom Mr.. Simmons is trying t,
disfranchiSe under the false ant
. specious cry of white supremacy.
. A man may have paid his taxes il
i April or May, as long as four or fiv,
" months before the election, and We
he is disfranchised at the election
:, in August or November, unless h,
has paid his poll tax as far back a!
the first day of March previous.
8 A SCHEME TO TRICK OR BRIBE VOTER!
t There is another provision in tn,
: same poll tax section that is in
8 tended to encourage a man not tt
: pay his taxes so that he may b.
s disfranchised thereby. It's purpose
;, is to try to trick or bride the vote
/. into not paying his tax before tn.
first day of March so that this Sim
mons Machine may get rid of hi
: vote. The result will be not onl,
to cut off thousands from voting
but to also rob the State and tht
public school fund of tens of thou
Q sands of dollars of taxes which tn,
o public schools will lose, or which
r other tax payers will be forced t.
t make up by increased taxation
9 The evident purpose of this Sim
: mons autocratic Machine is to tr,
c to restrict the suffrage of the peopl'
: down to as small number as posi-
BILE, so that they may the bette
o manipulate elections and FORTH,
q their Machine in power.
= These are some of the many oh
d jectiOns to this undemocratic dis
: franchising scheme, even if it wer
r constitutional. And these are t,
l. my mind sufficient reasons why i
o is not safe to adopt such scheme
s-I II there were no others.
u BUT Is 1T CONSTITUTIONAL?
Il But we now come to consider
Is still greater and more serious ques
70 ton. 1t Is: Is this proposed amend
d ment constitutional ? Every vote
y has taken an oath to support IAN
o not to violate) the Cons tuition G