The news & observer., 1901-01-16

| the ballot. We admit TO the elective
franchise every man capable of intelli-
gently exercising that right and so anX-
ious are we TO approach as near as may
be universal suffrage that we have made
| the test of intelligence simply ability to
read and write, an accomplishment which
can be acquired in few months.
VOTES MUST BE COUNTED.
Having thus provided for the right to
vote the further duty devolves upon you,
| Gentlemen Of the Legislature, to pass
| law by which that right may be made
effective. a law by which every voter
| qualified under our Constitution shall
| have the power to cast one vote and
| have that vote counted as cast The
safety of the State and the liberty of
| the citizens depend upon your action on
| this question The adoption Of the amend
| ment not only furnishes the occasion but
| renders Indispensable the adoption of an
| election law which shall be so fair that
| no just man can oppose it, and requires
| an administration of that law in such
| spirit that 10 man will doubt that the
| popular will has been rightly expressed
| and recorded. From the foundation of
| our State to the day when the negro
! was given the elective franchise the
| fairness of our elections was never ques-
! toned. When the ballot was given to
| the negro the first election thereafter
was known to be a farce and a fraud.
| That election was held under military
dictatorship lasted three days and the
| vote was counted in Charleston, South
| Carolina. We have denounced and ever
will denounce that election as fraudulent.
When we came to power in 1876 we
| bn of no
| and from that time down to 1894 all
| elections were held under laws passed
| by us. Our adversares charged that
| these elections were carried by force and
| fraud. When they came to power in
| 1895 they adopted a law which we de-
nounced as providing means for the reg
istration and voting of minors, dead i'm
ported and convicted negroes. They car
ried the State under that law in 1896
We beat them in 1898 despite their law
and then we passed d new election law
which they denounced as designed to
thwart the will of the people. We held
the election of 1900 under that law. BY
the result of that election we have elim-
mated the ignorant negro from those en-
titled to vote. If what has been charged
by the opposing parties be true and cleo
tions have been fraudulent and election
laws unfair ever since the negro came to
be power in the State, it certainly
ought to follow that with the disquali-
fcation of the ignorant negro the State
should return to her ancient ways when
no man questioned her integrity Hence
forth our laws and their administration
must be so fair that the civilized world
shall recognize the high purpose with
which we have wrought to see this day.
I I,f eF h.t h,r-
fought our great fight and won our nota-
bic victory with no view to perpetuate
ourselves in power hit honestly to secure
good government founded on intelligence
worked cut through a perfectly fair cleo
tion law administered as a sacred trust
to be held forever iuviolable Good men
go to war only for the sake of peace
and the patriotic citizens Of our State
have won this victory only for the sake
of good government and not for party
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
WHERE SAFETY LIES.
On every platform in the late cam
pagn l declared our purpose to be to Sc
cure good government, safety and peace,
to educate all the children, and to bring
about tha, day when even EXTREMIST par
tisanship should not be able to cry on
S.
sands of Republicans and Populists joined
with us in securing our more than sixty
thousand majority. l shall, therefore,
confidently expect you. Gentlemen of the
Legislature, without regard to party, to
frame an election law fair in every pur-
pose, clear in every detail, and to pro-
vide machinery by which every man quail
flied under our Constitution shall be able
is effective. We can have safety, security
and integrity on no other basis l now
pledge you the whole power of my ad-
ministration to secure this end. | de-
clared in my speech of acceptance that
| should enter upon the discharge of my
duties if elected with great fear lest
| should fail to interpret adequately the
true spirit underlying our change in the
Constitution; but / have never for one
moment questioned that the ultimate aim
of our people was to secure a Constitution
under which security for life, liberty and
property could be found under the forms
of law and not in violation of them.
IT MUST ENDURE.
Our opponents have denounced the
movement which we inaugurated TO amend
the Constitution, and which will be car
IlCO Out III the opi1it Juoh oh3Et0bNA'
as revolutionary. They sought to prevent
its success by threats before the cleo
tion and in the first moments of passion
ate disappointment after the election they
began prosecutions against certain ofi-
GERS of the State for alleged wrong doing
in connection with the August election.
This movement of ours was carried out
with such deliberate high purpose and
such noble earnestncss that thousands
of our political opponents joined hands
with us in effort to forever settle queS-
ton which had distressed us for thirty
| years 1t was the uprising of almost an
| entire people There was about it indeed
| in it's spontaneousnesS, in it's enthusiasm
| in its determination and sturdiness OF
purpose and its high aims. something OF
the revolutionary spirit of l1I6. Ihat
spirit still lives in the hearts OF North
| Carolinians. 1t is part, and a glorious
part of their heritage-it cannot be de-
stroyed by persecution. A whole people
| cannot be prosecuted, nor will they with
| out the utmost excrtion sec any OF theiI
agents made to suffer for the defeat OF
those who sought in vain to stem the
mighty tide of popular opinion.