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


met provided that every political party
in North Carolina should be represent.
ed On every election board In the Sta e.
That fair and honest election law
provided further that the parties
should select their own ofhcials TO rep
resea. them and rot have some other
party select for them. Is there any
such provision in the present election
law? II IL had such provision In II,
the Democratic leaders OF the State
would never make fight for this pro-
posed constitutional amendment, for
they would know IL would not be worth
while. Tney would know before they
began tina. Ii would be defeated by
from fifty to seyeaty-iyc thousand
votes.
Instead OF a fair and jus. provision
like the one / have referred 10. giving
every party representative or its own
selection on all election boards and
giving power TO appeal TO the courts
when necessary to secure justice, they
have adopted the machine methods OF
the Kentucky law. and with cunning
ingenuity have devised new schemes
for manipulating and miseounting
votes.
| have said this much. Mr.. President,
to give TO those interested fair iGea
OF the political situation now existing
in the State Under these conditions,
We are preparing to vote On the pro-
posed amendment In spite OF The
election law referred to, il the people
Of my State are OF the opinion that sec
tion is unconstitutional, then the
majority against ii will be so great tnat
do not think the election law Will
save them 70 overcome it. Besides,
those who do not indorse bad faith and
treachery will vote to repudiake the
leaders who have violated their solemn
pledges to the people
The Democratic leaders in my State
realize that the mere this proposition
is discussed the more the voters will
make up their minds that IL is uncon-
stitutional, and already that part OF the
press and the politicians who are sup
porting it are declaring that the
amendment should not be further dis
3! cussed, but, on the other hand. they are
doing everything in their power to
! Danish reason and to arouse prejudice
ana create state OF excitement.
| A few days ago prominent citizen
!
out an interview in which he stated
that he was satisfied that majority
| of the white voters of the State were
against the amendment and would vote
against it If it could be calmly dis
cussed upon the stump and the speech
es pro and con could be put before ev-
cry voter in the State.
To that end, and to make it impossi-
BILE for politicians who want to appeal
to race prejudice and prevent discus
sion from doing so, he suggested that
the negro should not register or vote
in the coming election, but leave the
proposed amendment to be discussed
and settled by the votes OF the white
men alone.
Would you not think that every DEM
ocratic paper and politician who has
appealed and yelled for white supre-
macy" and loudly objected to negroes
voting at all would have gladly indors-
ed that suggestion to have one election
in which the colored people would take
no part, but stand aside and let the
Write people settle it? 1t will surprise
those who think so to be told that at
once the newspapers supporting the
amendment began to denounce the sug-
gestion and redcubled their efforts to
stop discussion and to appeal to race
prejudice.
One of the leading papers in the
] State supporting the amendment, pub
lished at Raleigh, as a countermove to
this proposition for the negro not 70
take any part in the campaign, proceed
ed to interview negro and got IN
opinion from him for publication to
the effect that he did not anS Prove OF
this plan.
The editor, after stating thss.lan,
said:
AS to the success OF this plan, how
ever, there IS considerable room for
doubt
And then proceeded to publish the
following interview from negro pol
itician:
do they expect us to stand idly by
while our liberties are in DANGER
said negro reader and polite ar yes
terday. "lf they 10, they'll be badly
fooled. Well do nothing of the sort. II
we did, we'd deserve to he 6isfranch;s-
ed Just now the negro is daZed. He
doesn't know where to urn OK what &c
do; but, mark my words, you'll hear
from him later on in the campaign"
The paper proceeds to comment or
that negro politicians interview a.
, follows:
Whether their leaders wish it or not
the negro is going to be very much In
the coming campaign.
The above is from the Raleigh News
and Observer OF Wednesday, January
81, 1900.
Mr. President, | submit to the Senate
:, and to a candid public that the editor
OF newspaper, claiming to be in ia
vor of removing the negro from poll
: tics, yet who goes out to hunt up Negro
politicians and secures and publishe:
, interviews from them to the effect tina
!, they are not in favor of such a plan Il
leave the white people alone to settl,
, this suffrage question, is not a fit mar
/, to advise the people how to vote OF
such question or on any other ques
ton.
) submit that it mas the earnlarks o
desiring the negro question to stay il
t the campaigns in order to hide the rea
/ issues and to enable politicians to ap
peal to race prejudice instead Of to ar
gument. This is the first step to try :,
t bring the negro into the campaign, AM
this from source that is supporting
t this amendment This same editor il
J, the last campaign in my State advises
: negroes to become candidates for var
j ious Offices in order that he might hav
text from which to appeal to. rae
: prejudice l will leave every Senate
: to form his own opinion Of such meth
q DDS and the cause that needs to be sup
e ported by such methods.
r DISCUSSION WILL KILL THU
DANGEROUS AND PERFIDEOUS
:, SCHEME.
e Mr.. President, this proposed amend
G ment will be discussed in North Caro-
{? lima on every stump, and before tn
: discussion is over the people will sc
r the finishes and the absurdity of tn
n proposition of Judge Brown to instruc
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