The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-19

| of the oil of fiattery. 1t was d sort OF
| streak-of- of-fat-streak-of-lean affair, this
speech. One moment he would tell them
what brave men they were. how they
possessed the confidence of the business
world and how victory was sure 10 be
theirs if they would only stand and fight
The next minute he would be dcnOunc-
ing those who favor the amendment ana
those who helped pass the election law.
as anarchists, red-shirts and ballot box
suffers.
Thus oiled. he led them along gently
by the nose toward the gate of Fusion.
He told them that back many years ago
they girt up their loins and decided to
cast all else aSide-forgot for the time
being all the great fundamental issues
and fight for free Lallo; and far
count.
Having entered this fight we cannot
forsake it. We must go forward. Now
more even than then are orr ,ibprtias
threatened. There is one issue and but
one, and we must fight till that is set
tied. That issue is whether or not
North Carolinians are free men
This brought forth the first applause
of the night. 1t was very faint. but it
was applause.
Let us join hands with all who will
help us and wipe ont such q conspiracy
The committee WaS@noW Buffers for he
had them well Within the Fusion gates.
The willy Senator closed and locked
the gates with the following:
Il am satisfied that those in favor of
free suffrage can, by combining their
strength in the coming campaign, redeem
q IL II,,1 N, Il
Somehow this failed as an applause
producer and Butler at once detected
the cause and added:
The negro question | know confronts
us, and it must be settled, but we can't
trust the man who has lived on the negro
for thirty years to settle it. We've got
to settle it. We are the folks who at
heart want il settled. not they. We want
it settled so they can no longer use it as
a Scarecrow. The Republicans also are
anxious for its settlement, and they'll
help to settle it in the proper way"
Having thus disposed of the negro the
Senator proceeded with his injunction:
Let us join hands and defeat forever
this little gang of anarchists and red
shirts. who try to take by violence that
which they cannot win by fair means.
But it takes something more than red
shirt to scare a Populist. In the east
ern counties III the campaign of recent
years the Populsts haven't been run
ming. They have been an more danger
there than anywhere else, but they have
stood true as steel.
I'VE have got to fight and we had as
| well make up our minds to it. / believe
there are enough votes iii favor of free
sffIage to win i'll the campaign III spite
Of their ballot-box stuffing and red shire
lawlessness. But to do it we have got
to be on our guard. The election law
of 1894 was wide open and | wouldn't
ask anything easier than to steal 10000
votes under it. The new election law IS
worse But We'll win i'll spite of it and
of Simmons and the red shirts.
THE Republicans are in this fight to
the death. Let us join hands with them
and help them whip this gang out of the
State Let lis announce to the world
that North Carolina will no longer be
ruled by anarchists, red shirts and a lit
tie gang of toadies-men who have be-
trayed everybody and everything.
The Republicans are willing for us to
take the lead. go ahead and hold a
convention and name ticket. They will
help us elect it. OF course there will
be some Republicans on it and it may
be we can find a Democrat who will
join in this anti-amendment fight. There
are some such prominent Democrats and
| think it possible that one or more of
them may offer to take va place on the
ticket
There was considerable applause when
Senator Butler finished.
1t was then that the resolution cndors
ing his anti-amendment letter was adopt
ed and the date of the convention fixed.
After that the question of issuing an
address to the people was taken up.
After considerable discussion it was de-
cided to promulgate the following adj
dress to the people of the State:
The executive committee of the Pe0-
pies Tarty of North Carolina, while
holding to the principles heretofore de-
clared in convention, feel that it would
be derelict in its duty if it should fail
10 give q note Of warning ID the peop-e
on the new issue raised by
the last Legislature. The electiOn law
enacted by that body is intensely partisan
and so open to fraud and corruption that
all honest men who love liberty may well
view it with alarm. The proposed con-
stitutiOnal amendment. even if the courts
should sustain it would degrade the poor.
uneducated white men who become of
age after 1908 below the educated negro.
1t would even degrade him below the
meducated free negro who should be
come Of age plior to 1908. But no un-
biased man who has education sufficient
to pass his examination before the elec-
sion boards for registration who will
take the trouble to read for himself can
doubt that the fifth section of the pro-
posed amendment, known as the grand
father" clause. is in direct violation of
the Fifteenth Amendment to the Con
stitution of the United States.
NO lawyer whose pride of reputation
as Il iurist has not been humbled by his
ambition for political preferment has
ever said or cam ever say, that this fifth
or grandfather clause will stand the test
i'll the courts.
We warn the white people that this
amendment will disfranchise approx
mately as many white men as it will
negroes in this State, and leave the
negro s;ill factor in politics, with as
much power as he now has.