The age-herald., 1901-10-08
NOT A WHITE MAN
 WILL BE DISFRANCHISED
pr. Cunningham Speaks at Florence. No Such Thing as Universal
 Suffrage.

Florence October 7.-(Specia1.) )--Dr. R. M. Cunningham spoke tonight at the courthouse and was introduced to a large and enthusiastic crowd by Hon. Emmet ONeal in a speech in which he declared that future generations would rise and call those men blessed who had so wisely framed the new constitution.
 Dr. Cunningham reviewed the national and historical differences between the races showing that the white man was entitled to govern both from the stand point of nature and achievement, and that the negro won the privilege by dem onstrating his fitness for suffrage. He discussed the difference between natural rights, citizens rights and the voting privilege. He said that there was no such thing as universal suffrage, nor even of manhood suffrage, that suffrage was en- acted by sex, age, character and other qualifications. Therefore the only ques- tion' was the extent or degree of limita- tions. The opponent of the new constitu- tion preferred the limitations of the old which put the white man and the negro upon exact equality, politically, rather than the new constitution, which un- doubtedly limited the suffrage nearly and almost wholly to the white man, and that too without disfranchising a single white man except for crime.
 He explained the suffrage provisions declaring that under the temporary plan all white men could and would register and not more than 5 or 10 per cent of the negroes. He told why the soldiers and descendant clauses were adopted as suf- frage regulations, because these new qualifications almost universally favored the white man, and were possessed only to limit ed extent by clauses, but if there was a doubt, and the question was whether he should swallow the negro and throw up the doubt, or swallow the doubt and throw up the negro; then shall swallow the doubt and not the ne- gro.
 He said that we were confronted with one or two conditions, to-wit: First, fair elections and honest count, which meant negro domination in at least twenty counties in the State and negro balance of power in the rast of the counties, or, second the maintainance of white su- premacy by perpetual fraud and it's con sequences. He said that wl-.e one genera tion righteously stole from necessity, the next and succeeding generation would depravedly steal from choice. In proof of this he discussed the effects of change of sentiment brought about by conditions arising from the evolution of sentiment l concerning slaveory, etc., of the negrorace. He also quoted from the letter of Gen. eral Wheeler, published in Sundays Age Herald, showing the terrible state of de- pravity into which we have fallen by methods first used from necessity. He quoted General Wheeler, saying that he did not know that these things would finally come to pass He made an elo- quent plead for the negro to be fully and fairly treated, but said that the govern ment must be maintained by the white people of the state. He said that the prophecy that the registrars would use their office to disfranchise white men who did not agree with them in politics or for certain political interest were but the vaporings of false prophets or the echoing of the personal sentiments of their authors who would thus do if their own political interests were at stake