The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-05-30

IN the front ranks OF the heroes o
the world. They suffered much
they endured all things, they lost
what they had, they pledged theil
lives, their fortunes and their sacred
honor to the cause of the Southern
Confederacy and redeemed the pledge
They offered their lives freely, they
lost all their fortune, they came ou1
of the contest with nothing save
honor.
When the soldiers who surrendered
at Appomattox returned to the State
they found desolation everywhere
There was neither food nor raiment
and those who had in the past labored
for them were free and were enjoying
their new freedom with a license
which imperilled life and property,
and their fields were gone TO waste
They were without capital and with.
out material with which to begin the
struggle of life They had neither
teams nor agricultural implements
with which to begin the work. Eigh-
teen sixty-five is known to this day a.
a wonderful year. Crops grew with
out cultivation and the harvest wa,
abundant. We struggled through
The spring and summer of that year
with scant food and less clothing, but
with fall came bountiful crop. We
prevailed everywhere. We had start
ed to plant again the waste places
and to make glad the fields which had
been barren, but soon the carpet
bagger came and with him begins
orr real sorrow. The negro, newly
cnfranchised, voted rs one man, and
the designing stranger, intent only
upon making a fortune for himself,
soon took charge of the State and
made her desolation more desolate.
From 1868 to 1870 we bad in North
Carolina All era Of corruption, Of ex-
trayagance, and Of lawlessness, which
came near to the destruction of all
that was best. Appropriations were
made for internal Improvements
amounting to more than $50, 900, 900,
to be paid by people who were abso-
lutelv without means. These internal
provements were in the main rail
roads, and Senator Vance, the best
beloved of all North Carolinians, once
said that he could drag dog down
hill by the hind legs and remove more
dirt than was moved by the $50, 900, )
600. In 1870 our people had come to
the conclusion that they must rescue
the State and we elected a Legislature
made up OF native born North Caro-
linians. From that time on to the
present we have been struggling with
difficulties. The white people Of the
State could only be united upon the
race issue, and in 1894, despite this
issue, they divided and again turned
the State over to those who did not
regard her prosperity. There has
never until now been an hour in the
history of our State since the wal
when men felt free to divide along
the lines of their convictions upon
political questions. In 1898, after
four years of Fusion rule, this State
resolved in strong passion to shake
from herself the shame Of this govern.
ment and to settle for all time hel
destiny. In 1900 We made goud the
determination OF 1898. We adopted
in that year the Constitutional amend
ment which bases suffrage upon in
telligence and renders the future o.
the State secure.
That amendment has provoked
much discussion in the North. Soutl
Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana
had preceded us in the curtailment O.
the suffrage without much comment
but when North Carolina came t(
solve the question the people Of th'
North seemed to recognize that th'
matter had become serious and a
once began to misinterpret and abuse
the North State. Why should thi
difference be made between Soutl
Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana an@
Norte Carolina? | think those wh'
have studied history may understand
tho cause of this distinction. Nortl
Carolina is a conservative State; sh
is the birthplace of liberty; she is tn
abiding home Of Democracy and whe1
she does a thing the world recognize
it as having been wrought out afte
careful thought and carrying with
deep significance. The attack upol
us is based on the assumption tha
We have done an injustice to tn
negro. Our amendment does no sue
thing. We have recognized the powe
of the influence of heredity. w
think that those who have exercise,
the privilege of suffrage and thos
descended from such people are NOR
likely 20 exercise that suffrage bsne
ficiallv than the men upon whom sui
frage has been cast as a gift. Th
amendment to the Constitution @
North Carolina provides that no ma
shall vote in that State after 1908 VIII
cannot read and write; but exempt
from this inhibitory clause those VIII
could vote on January 1, 1868, or q
any time prior thereto, and thos
descended from such voters. Thi
provision applies alike to white an
black. Until 1885 the free negroe
were entitled to vote. In 1900 thes'
were, and there now are, those VIII
once were slaves and cannot read an
write but who can vote under tn
provision OF our Constitution, becaus
they were voters in 1885, and ther
are many thousands of negroes de
scended from such voters who ca
exercise suffrage although they car
not read and write. Those who be
come of age after 1908, white an
black, must be able to read and writ
or they cannot vote. Our amene
ment is not aimed at the negro as a
Individual 1t is mass voting that "
seek to destroy. The negroes no
vote as one man and the ignorar
dominate the intelligent. The negl
is, as a rule. ignorant and cares litt
for the integrity of government, esp
cially if that government is conducte
by the party of his choice. 1t is OF
hope that with the amendment whic
we have adopted, the negro vote wi
cease to be cast as the vote of OF
man, and will represent when cast tt
conviction, intelligence and the Writ,