The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-01-10

Avvsi issh. sSsa
The Peoples Party Conysrticn
Ls~am bl.-d IN Rsiaigh, April ls.a
th. principles set forth y
n. Peoples Party Ma sonsi oiss
orm stopId ~ ~ Louis III -
anu .nstra AZ THE dais,gAt-s &c %fs~
Satloaal touxs ton at Sioux Tr s..
May srG-lo sot.- for the ooninsGion
If william J. Bryan for Prrsieens
w. commend TIA. present. bate
Adj administration for lt@ high oea- |
sonal and official Integrity ,nn /
r halienge n comparison Of iss rec-
ord with sny aud All o' i,s . s-de- |
cess ors.
We condrm sbc Democratic IrgIs-
iature Of 1899 for its extravags as ex- |
penditures OF public money Amounting
10 81 ,E9t, 1876 IN 1879, a. opposed 70
Il ,1s3, s7l.il, expended by the preced-
ing Legislature, an excess OF $500
900 for public education nor the SEA $50
for purchase OF State farms.
We further condemn said LeRisia-
careless legislation, including more
gross biunders and unconstitutional
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further deEounce the machine
leaders of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs sf the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting
at hrh iasn
ment in 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 denounce them not 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 Assembly
being composed of some of the best
lawyers Of the party, must have
known, or At least h6d d reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu-
| tionality OF the mOnstrous provision OF
section 5, known as the "grandfat her
clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the renal nder of the amendment
to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an ed.
uoational qualification fifty or sixty
| thousand white voters OF North Caro-
lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
! whose ignorance is no fault Of theiI
own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
che Democratic party, which now seeks
to disfranchise them and make theil
ignorance q crime aloIRside that o.
the felon.
But even II the proposed amendmen
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
~ is), still it is especially objection
able in the following PARTICULARS:
i (a) In that it dlgnifies with the RICH
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class Of the negr,
population, and completely disfran
ohises the most faithful, kindly and or
Derby element of that race.
(b) Inthat, while clamoring for whit
. supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall bs disfranchised under thI
. amendment, they have 50 written shei
amendment that every white boy be
coming Of age after 1908 stands on TIL
, ,ame footing with the negro, and Ca
not vote unless he is able TO read an
write.
(c) In chat by the latter provision
hey have made it possible for the ed
3 dcated negro sitter 1908 70 cast his bal
II OF while the unfortunate son OF tn
white men who have been the surengt
:, If true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They siaus hte
: the suffrage of the son whose fatbe
, they dare not opealy attack.
| IN nd
ment does not remove the negro fror
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has nc
paid his poll tax as much as fiv
8 months before the State election an
: eight months before the national cleo
!, ton, shall be DISTINGUISHED as much a
s if he were convicted Of felony or wer
an ignorant negro. The purpose d
this provision is not only to disfrau
chise every good honest citizen VIII
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b
the first of March preceding the cleo
tion, but further to try to bride the ve
r ter to surrender his suffrage at the e.
, pense of the public school fund Of tn
State, which is derived from poll take
There Turks behind this proposition
: still greater danger to the publ
3 schools of the State, for with the adoI
1 ton of the amendment the opponent
3 Of free schools IN North Carolina wi
I at once raise the cry that every colja
] raised for public instruction means til
q increase of the number of negro VI
ters, and thus the poor white man
son will be chained in bondage Of il
norance and disfranchised to preveI
the education of the negro vote
There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question prs
% senred by the proposed amendments
j. one that must be determined by tt
J. judgment and conscience Of each ind
{. vidual voter. Therefore, we do NJ
make it party question. We state tt
evils and dangers and leave the voter
of all parties to pass their verdict
the light Of these facts. The questio
q is above party, and no obs should
Is more active and anxious in our judi
< ment to defeat it than the rank al
4 file of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and hiss alwa,
been more distinctly than any 9th
party in North Carolina white man
party, and is more anxious than al
other party to solve the race problel
and to force all parties to 4 tiscussls
n of the great economic issues 80 vital
d affecting the welfare of all wealth pr
ducers of the State and nation and d
cency in politics.
T. Therefore, we propose in lieu Of th
n dangerous amendment, the best sol
q ton of the race question that is poss
g, bic as long as the 18th amendment
the Constitution of the United Stat
stands-a solution which deprives
white man in North Carolina now
= hereafter of his right Of .suffrage, t
wit