Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-03-29
FRIENDS AND FOES.
Those Who Favor and Those Who 0p
pose the Amendment.
THESE PEOPLE ARE CONTRASTED.
1t is Found That All tn Best CitiZe MS
Favor tn. Measure, While Dema-
gogues Oppose.

There is no eloquence like the elo-
quence of truth; there is no logic like
the logic of facts. That saying should
be remem bered in times OF fierce ex-
citement when the political sky is rent
with a tumult OF confused voices. the
thunder Of the captains and the shout
ing. The people Of North Carolina
stand face to face with the gravest
problem which this generation has
been called upon to settle. The fusion
proposition is that the negro shall
share with the white man the privi-
lege Of suffrage and become joint
partner in ruling this State.
The Democratic party announces as
a cardina, principle OF its platform that
the white race must forever govern
and control the great commonwealth
which was founded BY their wisdom,
their courage and the shedding OF their
| blood Can any white man doubt
where he ought to stand? Among the
white masses, irrespective OF party
lines and regardless Of station IN life,
exists a profound and ab; ding convic-
tiOn that political equality between.
the two races is a curse TO both. But
the fusion leaders, bonefciaries Of
the negro vote, resist the passage OF
the amendment because it Will take
awayStheir profit and consfgn them to
richly deserved political extinction. 1t
is a foregone conclusion that they VIII
attempt to delude their followers by
every artifce which their ingenuity
| can devise, in order to prevent them
/ from understanding the merits Of the
case The disfranchisement OF the
negro will in some measure redress
the fragrant wrong committed by the
Republican RecOnstructiOnlsts when
/ they placed the ballot in his incom-
/ petent hands and will prove an un-
mixed blessing to the State. Since
anti-amendment politicians often
quote unctuously the utterances of
those Republicans who inaugurated
war upon the South, / will give them
| an authority from their own camp
and no less g parsonage than iAbGs<
! ham Lincoln, who for all that he diff
fered with us. was a statesman OF
broad views and tender sympathies,
with malice toward none, with chart
" for ALL Mr.. Lincoln pronounced
himself unalterably opposed to negro
suffrage. (See Tarbell's life Of Lin
coln) Indeed he was rapidly driftine g
away from the radical element Of his
party when Booths bullet struck him
down The ultra Republicans recog-
nized that by his death the greatest
obstacle in the way Of their plans for
reconstructing the South had been re-
moved. This sentiment found vO &C
when one Of the leaders Of that wing
began his eulogy upon Lincoln in the
Senate with the words: There are &c
accidents in the Providence Of God
Whom will the white Republicans oi
North Carolina follow? Will they ac-
cept the teaching OF Lincoln upon the
question Of negro suffrage, Or viii
they be disciples Of the men who
thought that Robert Z. Lee ought tc
be hanged on the gallows as d
traitor? The amendment is Offered
to the people OF North Carolina as d
remedy for the evils OF negro suffrage
Will it accomplish the purpose fol
which it was designed? Will it take
away the
NEGROS POLITICAL POWER?
It's opponents themselves admit tina
il will disfranchise seventy thousand
negroes by the operation OF the edu
cational section alone, leaving fifty
thousand who if they pay poll ia,
and comply with the other require
ments Of the act, can vote. Other:
place the number which will be de
barred at eighty thousand. l Nigh
very we'll c,,ncetIe the poin, as ! dix
in former article and their ON!
statement shows that the negro
!. power will be hopelessly broken anf
shattered. Those fifty thousand regrt
voters would be scattered far am
wide over the State without abilit.
anywhere 20 obtain recognition 70
their race. constituting an iDsignifi
cant minority The white vote wou.t
exceed the negro vote by hundre'
and seventy thousand. In reality tn
anti-amendmcnt writers and speaker
put their figures too high. Every da..
experience and measurably accurat
knowledge OF the condition Of the ne
gro race in this State will show tha
not five out OF every twelve neg
voters can read and write. An esti
mate o. one out OF four would D
nearer the mark Proceeding upol
that basis il appears that the amend
ment VIII disfranchise ninety thousa1
negro electors. while the remainin!
thirty thousand must take the.
chances with the poll tax and resi-
Gence clauses. 4 careful investigate,
leads 20 the conclusion that tn
amendment is not
TEMPORARY EXPEDIENT,
as nigh, at first seem the fact, but
permanent cure for the mischief whic'
it was intended 10 remedy. It's pas
sage will be public notification {
the negro that he must go ou- OF POI.
tics. I. Will place him a. disadvanr
age from which he can never recover
The negros power lies N numbers an
the fact that the negro vote IS cas-
solid1y upo. race lines No pol.tic1
party Will affiliate with him when II
strength which his vote carries
more than over-oa ianced oy the hos
.. white supper. He can no NOR