The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-08
CHAIRMAN SIMMONS
ON THE AMENDMENT

CHAIRMAN SIMMONS
ON THE AMENDMENT.
Chairman Simmons speech on the
Constitutional Amendment yesterday
was Il powerful argument in favor of
the adoption of the amendment
such an argument as no fair-minded
man could listen to without being,
convinced.
Mr.. Simmons was introduced by
Mr.. r., III. Battle who won loud APP
plause by saying: "There is no man
in North Carolina more entitled 10
speak for Democracy than +. III. SIM
mons and | know YOU will hear him
gladly. He led our hosts 10 Victory
two years ago and we believe lie viii
do SO again.
Among the many good things said
by Mr.. Simmons in course of his re-
marks were the following:
'In his place the negro is a good citi-
zen But I'll just be burned if l don't
there.
My course toward the Populist party
has been one of general conciliation and
in all that I've done. I've used my best
efforts to induce the Populists not to di-
vide the white vote of the State"
I'm a Democrat in National politics:
Il. Because, I'm opposed to the gold
standard; IN favor of free silver without
asking anybodys consent to have it.
RpcaI1sp I'm onnoSad fo trIctC CON
trolling this country; I'm opposed to leg
islation fer the classes against the
masses.
.'3. Because l think William j. Bryan
truly represents the people and genius of
this nation and will not, like Mckinley,
be under the domination of trusts and
corporate greed"
SIN Democrat in State politics.
81. Because I'm in favor of good gov
ernment. The Republican party has al
ways given us bad government, and with
the material in it now it can never give
us anything else.
-. Because l prefer white government
to negro government. When the Demo
cratic party is in power we have white
government. When the Republican party
H..
because four ffths of the Republican
party is composed of negroes.
There is no use of my discussing the
question as to whether Republican gov
eminent means negro government or not
We tried that question in 1898, and the
people, as a jury brought in this ver-
dict:
4. There is negro government in
North Carolina.
''2. We don't want negro government
In North Carolina.
And if I interpret Alright the temper
of the people of North Carolina they
don't intend ever again to have negro
government in North Carolina.
Il say to Mr.. Butler and Mr.. Pritchard
If they can induce enough white men to
join the negro this year to put the negro
government joke back on us, it will take
more soldiers to keep it there than Mr..
Mckinley can spare from fighting the ne
grces in the Philippines
Before going into a discussion of the
provisions of the Amendment I wanted
to show you the necessity for lit. Now
let us make three other inquiries:
II. Is it right?
q is IL CONSTITUTIONAL!
'.3. II adopted will it take from single
native-born white man the right to vote?
If didn't believe it to be right /
wouldn't support it.
IF didn't think it constitutional L
wouldn't advocate It,
III it would deprive the white men of
the State of the right of suffrage, I'd
sooner suffer my right arm severed from
my body than see it enacted into law"
For thirty-three years the negro has
had freedom. We have given him schools.
helped him build churches and maintain
ed charitable institutions for him. But
today we find him little better than he
was when we started with him. But few
OF them have been prepared to exercise
the suffrage.
I'VE now propose to take the ballot
away from him as we would take away
pistol from child We are not going
to do this in anger, but in mercy. The
time has come when 1t must be done
done in justice to the white men of the
South"
There is no equality, either politically
or personally, between the white and the
negro man. God has created them. UNI
equal. and they can be made equal only
by pulling the white man down. You
cant pull the negro up to the level of
the white man."
The Constitutional Amendment will
disfranchise the negro, and that is what
we intend. 1t does discriminate against
the negro and we intended that it should
do so. 1t DISTINGUISHES the illiterate ne
gro. and it does not disfranchise the un
educated white man.
II stand here as white man and
Democrat to defend this discrimination.
We do not believe that the negro is fit
to vote or Is entitled to vote. go
further. / stand here to say that the un
educated white man is fit to vote, is en-
titled to vote and as long as the Demo
cratic party is in power he shall vote.
do you note the terms l use?-'the
uneducated white man and the illiterate