The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-11-01

The Peoples Party Convention
.ss.n BLEED in Raleigh, April la,
eaffirTns the principles set forth -
he Peoples Party National plat
orm adopted At 81. Louis IL .,+'' }
md !n=tructs the delegates 10 IN
atioDai Convection At Sioux ~ a.
dav 9Th 10 vote FOR the nom nation !,
Il william J. Bryan for Prcstoors
Ne commend the present s.ate |
for lis high pei
sonal and Official Integrity, tnn
challenge a com parlson q! It's rec |
Jrd with any and all 0! ia pfede-
cessOrs
We condemn the Dem ocratIc Ltgis
allure Of 1899 for It's extravsgxas e1-
pc mixtures OF pubic money amounting
10 81 5st,765-7o III 1893, a. opposed o
81 ,4s3, 97llI, expended by The proceed
lag Lex islature, al excess OF 1910
1855, not Inciutinx the SUN OF 500,
40 for public education nor tbs ss5, 49,
for purchase OF State farms.
We further condemn laid LeSisla-
tnre for the careless blundering sut
careless legislation, including more
gross plumbers and unconsriisSionsi
laws thai ever before enacted by any
General Assembly IN North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enactIng and submitting
disfrahcnising constitutional amend
ment in violation OF the solemL
pledges Of the party, made not only
officially IN their campaign handbook
but by members OF the General A saeul
bly, and other Democratic candidate
for office IN their canvass before the
people. We deuounce them net only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mes
sure most cdiOus in form AND danger
Gus In effect. That General Assembly
being composed OF some Of the best
lawyers OF the party, must have
known, or at least had reasonable
doubt, not only as 70 the unc0nstltu-
tiOnality OF the monstrOus provision Of
Section 5, known as the "Xrandfat her
clause" in said amendment, but also
Of the great danger of that uncOnstitu-
tiOnal sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder OF the amendment
to stand, thus di5franChising by an ed
ucational qualification Fifty or sixty
thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1895 gave the Democratic
party power IN the Legislature, and
whose Ignorance is no fault of their
own but is chargeabie to the neglect of
the Democratic party, which now seeks
to dlsfranchise them and make their
ignorance crime alongside that Of
the felOn.
But even il the proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional (as it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dlgnities with the right
Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some ana obnoxious class of the negro
population, and completely disfran
chises the most faithful, kindly and or
derby element OF that race.
90 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-
coming of age after 1905 stands on the
same footing with the negro, and can
not vote unless he is able to reSd and
| write.
(c) In that ~ the latter provision,
they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 TO cast his bal
lot while the unfortunate son Of the
white men who have been the strength
Of true democracy stands without a
vote st the ballot box. They slaughter
che suffrage of the son whose father
| they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
meut does not remove the negro from
politics or settle the negro question In
North CarOlins.
(e) In that every voter who has not
paid his poll tax as much as five
months before the State election and
eight months before the national cleo
tlun, shall be diSfranchised as much as
# he were convicted of felony or were
an iguorant negro. The purpose IF
this provision is not only to disfran-
chlse every good honest citizen who
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes by
The first of March preceding the cleo
| 5ion, but further to try to brlDe the vo-
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex-
pense Of the public school fund of the
state, which Is derived from poll taxes.
There turks behind this proposition Il
still greater danger to the public
schools Of the State, for with the adop-
zion of the amendment the opponents
of free schools IN North Carolina will
at once raise the cry that every dollar
raised for public instruction means the
increase OF the number of negro v0-
tiers, and thus the poor white mans
son will be chained in bondage of is-
nOrance and disIranchissd TO prevent
the education of the negro voter.
There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question pre-
scented by the proposed amendment is
one that must be determined by the
judgment and conscience of eac b indi-
vidual voter. Therefore, we do not
make it party question. We state the
evils and dangers and leave the voters
Of all parties to pass their verdict in
the light OF these facts. The question
is above party, and no one should be
more active and anxious in our judg-
ment TO defeat it than the rank and
die of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has always
oeen more distinctly than any other
party In North Carolina white mans
party, and is more anxious than any
other party to solve the race problem,
and to force all parties to a discussion
of the great economic issues so vitality
affecting the welfare of sill wealth pro-
ducers Of the State and nation and de-
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu of this
dangerous amendment, the best soiu-
ton of the race question that is poss:-
bic as long as the 10Th amendment 10
the Constitution Of the United States
stands-a solution which deprives no
white man in North Carolina now or
hereafter Of bis right of. suffrage, to-
wit.
Amend Section 6, Art. 6, Of the Con
stitution of North Carolina BY insert
ing among the disqualitca5ions fer
office, enumerated therein, the follow
ing, viz: All negroes and all--persons
of negro descent to the thirdlRenera-
ton inclusive.
If the Democratic Legislature which
meets in June Will offer this safe, con-
stitutional and wholesome amendment
IN. lieu of the present scheme it will
have our hearty support. If they will
not, We appeal to the people to rally to
our assistance to elect q Legislature
pledged to support sucht an amend,
mont