The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-01-03
peoptE3 PARTY piArFsao


Asrfi lsth. ,ses-
The Peoples Party Convention
Assem- bied In Raleigh, April Is:a-
reaf'rms tie principles set forth II
the Peoples Party National plat.
form adopted At ST. Louis In ls-~.
and instruets the delegates - ase
National Convention st Sioux Yss's
May 9th TO vote for the nomination /,
OF William ]. Bryan for President.
We commend the present STATE
Administrator for its high Pei
sonal and official integrity, and
challenge q comparison Of its rec
ord with any and all OF iss p rede-
cessorg.
We condemn sne Democratic LsKis-
ia.ure Of 1899 for Its extravaGAas ex-
penditures of pu bile money amounting
TO 1885, 7e5.76 IN 1899, ss opposed 10
IL ,7ss ,s71ll, expended by the proceed
ing Legislature, AZ excess Of $780,
7s4 IS, not including the sum Of $780,
600 for public education nor the ss3, $50
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn said LeKisla-
tuFe for the careless laundering ana
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconstitasiona
laws than ever before enacted By any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
| leaders OF the Democratic party for
| lay ing the whip on the backs II the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
| them into enacting and submitting a
| DISTINGUISHING constitutional amend
ment i'm violation OF the solemn
pledges Of the party, made not only
officially in their campaign handbook.
but by members Of the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for office in their CANVASS before the
| people. We denounoe them noJ only
+. for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submitting mea-
sure most Odious in form and danger
Gus in effect. That General A Assembly
being composed of. some of the best
lawyers of the party, must have
known, or at least had q reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu
} tionality of TIE monstrOus provision Of
Section 5, H. ywn as the "grandfathel
, clause" in aid amendment, but alss
OF the great danger of that unconstitu
tional sectional section falling, leav
ing the remainder of che amendmen
to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed
ucational qualification fifty or sixI.
thousand white voters of North Caro-
3 lima, who in 1898 gave the Democrats
party power In the Legislature, an
whose ignorance is no fault of tbei
own but is chargeable TO the neglect o
the Democratic party, which now seek
to disfranchise them and make thei
ignorance a crime alongside that Q
the feiOn.
But even il the proposed amendmen
t were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
o able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dIgnifies with the RICH
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
a some and obnoxious class of the negr
population, and completely disfran
chises the most faithful, kindly and Oh
" derby element of that race.
Oh In that,while ciamoring for whit
s supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be DISTINGUISHED under thi
amendment, they have 80 written thel
amendment that every white boy bs
coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
& same footing with the negro, and ca
7. not vote unless he ia able to read an
write.
(c) In that by the latter provision
they have made it possible for she cd
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his ba
lot while the unfortunate son Of tt
r. white men who have been the strengt
r of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaught'
u the suffrage of the son whose fatb'
y they dare not openly attack.
lel {d) In that this suffrage ament
go ment does not remove the negro fro
- IL h.
IL North Carolina.
Is (e) In that every voter who has n
eS paid his poll tax as much as Il
n months before the State election al
:, eight months before the national ele
u, ton, shall be DISTINGUISHED as much
OF If he were convicted of felony or We
s. an ignorant negro. The purpose
~ this provision is not only to disfra
y chise every good honest citizen wi
: unfortunately cannot pay his taxes
the first of March preceding the ele
~ ton, but further to try to bride the v
40 ter to surrender his suffrage at the e.
- pense of the public school fund of Il
VI State, which is derived from poll taxs
D. There turks behind this proposition
a. still greater danger to the publ
s. schools of the State, for with the ado
of tion of the amendment the OppOnen
G. of free schools In North Carolina W
"a at once raise the cry that every doll
- raised for public instruction means Il
= increase Of the number of negro v
u ters, and thus the poor white mar
Ie' son will be chained in bondage of i
norance and disfranchised to prove
the education of the negro vot,
There is no white supremacy In this
NC The constitutional question pr
q sented by the proposed amendment
one that must be determined by t.
70 judgment and conscience of each inc
vidual voter. Therefore, we do n
make it party question. We state
evils and dangers and leave the vote
!. ,, Of all parties to pass their verdict
the light of these facts. The questi
st is above party, and no one should
M more active and anxious in our jud
at ment to defeat it than the rank q
Ia file of the Democratic party.
20. The Peoples Party is and has alwa
been more distinctly than any ott
~ party in North Carolina q white ma
o' party, and is more anxious than q
ny other party to solve the race profile
and to force all parties TO 4 discussl
ID: of the great economic issues so vita
nd affecting the welfare Of all wealth pl
ne ducers of the State and nation and
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu of Il
dangerous amendment, the best so
ton Of the race question that is pos
ny bic as long as the 18th amendment
IN the Constitution of the United Sta
K. stands solution which deprives
white man in North Carolina now
- hereafter Of his right OfasuffraSe,