The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-11-15

The Peoples Party Convsntioa ,
bled in Raleigh, April ls:A.
reafnrms the principles set forth -
the Peoples Party National pla.
form adopted at ST. Louis in it--~.
and instruets the delegates - ~"
n ational Convention at Sioux Ys'.~
May 9Th to vote for the nomination.
Of William j. Bryan for President
We commend the present State
for its high pea
sonal and official integrity, Arh
challenge q comparison of its re
ord with any and all OF its pfede-
cessors.
We condemn she Democratic Lsgis-
iature Of 1899 for its extrasagass ex-
pend,tures of public money Amounting
TO Sl,59,,765.7e in 1889, rs opposed TO
u ,7S3, S7l.I1, expended by the preced-
ing Legislature, An excess OF $50,
794.65, not including the sum of tlOO, |
100 for public education nor she SIS $50 |
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn sAid Legisia- |
tnFe for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more |
gross blundeFs and unconstitssional |
laws than ever before enacted BY sny
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denouuce the machine
leaders Of ths Democratic party for
laying the whip on the banks # the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
chem into enacting and submitting
disfrahchising constitutional amend
ment in violation Of the solemI
pledges of the party, made not only
off cia n m ns o. N
but by members OF the General Assem-
oily and other Democratic candidate
for Office in their canvass before Oh.
people. We denOunce them not only
for doing this q violation OF then
! pledges, but also for submitt,B g mea
| sure most odious in form Gnd danger
Gus in effect. That General Assembly
being composed Of some Of the best
lawyers OF the party, must have
known, or ut least had REASONABLE.
doubt, not only rs to the unconstitu-
uionality of the mOnstrous provision OF
section 8, known as the "grandfa,h her
clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger Of that uncOnstltu
tlonal sectional section falling, leav-
lBg the remainder of the Amendment
70 stand, thus disfranc hising by an ed
ucationaI qualification afty 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 q crime alongside that OF
the felOn.
But even If the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas 1t clear
~ is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it d. gnIties with the right
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
J some and obnoxious class of the negro
population, and completely disfraD
chises the most faithful kindly and Or
, DERBY element of that race.
tb) In that, while clamOring for white
supremacy and declaring that no white
) man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have SO written their
! amendment that every white boy be
D coming Of age after 1905 stands on the
same footing with the negro, and car
:, not vote unless he is able to read anC
:. write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
. they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
y lot while the unfortunate son Of tn.
! white men who have been the strength
Of true democracy stands without A..
: vote at the ballot box. They slaughter
!, the suffrage of the son whose father
l., they dare not openly attack.
!, (d) In that this suffrage amend
meut does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question il
North Carolina.
q (e) In that every voter who has no
q paid his poll tax as much as fiv
: months before the State election an,
= eight months before the national cleo
ton, shall be DISTINGUISHED as much q
If he we're convicted of felony or wer
an ignorant negro. The purpose 0
: this provision is not only to dlsfran
- chise every good honest citizen VIII
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b.
the first of March preceding the cleo
tIon, but further to try TO bride the vo
ter to surrender his suffrage at the e1
pense Of the public school fund of to-
" .. ate, which 10 derived from poll taxes
rhel turks behind this proposition
. still greater danger to the publi
schools Of the State, for with the adup
> zion of the amendment the opponent
+ Of free schools In North Carolina VIII
Al once raise the cry that every doiIx
|
r increase OF the number of negro w
? tiers, and thus the poor white man
!. son will be chained in bondage of *
y uorance aud disIranchis-d to proven
he education Of che negro voter
= There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question pre-
senLed BY the proposed amendment
I Jne that must be determined by tn
+ Judgment aud conscience of eac Indi
4 vlduxl voter. Therefore, we do no
make it party question:. We state tn
, evils and dangers and leave the voter
), If all parties TO pass their verdict ii
!, he light of these iac5s. The question
. ,s above party, and no one should b
= more active and ANXIOUS in our judR
: ment to defeat it than the rank an
die of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has Away
oeeH more distinctly than any othe
!. party in North Carolina a white man
= party, and is more anxious than an
" ntner party to solve the race problem
= and to force all parties to \ discussiu
= Uf the great economic issues 80 vital
affecting the welfare of all wealth pre-
q ducers Of the State and nation and dc
cency in politics.
3 Therefore, We propose in lieu of thi
dangerous Amendment, the best soiu
ton Of the race question that is posi-
bic as long as the 10Th amendment t
= the Constitution of the United State
stands solution which deprlves n
white man in North Carolina now O
hereafter Of his right o.. suffrage, to
wit.
Amend Section 6, Art. 6, of the Con
stltution Of North Carolina by insert
ing among the disquali0cations IL
office, enumerated therein, the follow
ing, viz: All negroes and all. person
Of negro descent to the thirdlgenera
n ton Inclusive.
T. Ii the Democratic Legislature whic
10 meets in June will offer this safe, con
, stituti0nal and wholesome amendmen