The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-04-18

he Peoples Party National plst-
orm adopted 1t st. Louis In ltAN(
md instrucss the delegates - sas
National Convention 1t Sioux Dts,s
May 9Th to vote for the nomination
,f William J. Bryan for President
We commend the present state
for its high pea
sonAl and Official integrity, and
-hallenge . comparison Of Ito reo-
ord with any and oil Of IT, p eede-
Iature of 1899 Tor its eXtRavAg1kS ex. |
10 81 ,69S 1876 in 1893, ss opposed 70 |
i rs, Bill expended BY the preced-
inK Legislature, 40 excess Of $780,
1906 not including the sum Of $780,
OUO for public education nor ths ga, $50
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said LeGisia-
tire for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unoonstituSional
laws than ever before enacted by ANY
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders Of tbs Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backa Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submittinga
disfrahchising constitutional amend
ment in violation Of the solemn
pledges Of the party, made not only
officially In their campaign handbook.
but ty members Of the General Assem-
bly, and other Democratic candidates
for Office in their CANVASS before the
people. We denounoe them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
pledges, but also for submittn g mes-
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 1T least had . reasonable
doubt, not only as to the unconstitu-
tionality of the m0nstrous provision of
section 8, known as the "Grandfst her
clause" in said amendment, but also
Of the great danger Of that unc0nstltu.
tiooal sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
| TO stand, thus disfranchising by sn ed
ucatiOnal 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 their
own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
to oisfranchise them and make their
ignorance q crime alongside that Of
the felon.
| But ever il the proposed amendmen,
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
~ is), still it is especially objection.
able il the following particulars:
(a) In that it digni6es with the RICH,
of suffrage the most vicious, trouble.
some and obnoxious class Of the negro
population, and completely disfran
ohises the most faithful, kindly and or
derby element Of that race.
(b) In that, while clamoring for whit,
supremacy and declaring that no white
man shall be disfranchised under thi
amendment, they have 80 written theil
amendment that every white boy be
coming of age after 1908 stands on TIT
same footing with the negro, ana ca
not vote unless be is able tn read am
write.
;. (c) In that BY the latter provision
they have made it possible for the ed
ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
lot while the unfortunate son of tn
white men who have been the strength
of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaug hre
the suffrage of the son whose fsthe
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage aUeEd
ment does not remove the negro fror
politics or settle the negro question il
North Carolina.
paid his poll tax a. much as nv
l hs h0f0Po Sfofo
eight months before the national eiec
ti0n, shall be disfranchised as much q
If he were convicted of felony or wer
an ignorant negro. The purpose :;
this provision is not only to disfran
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 bribe the vO
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ez
pense of the public school fund of th
State, which is derived from poll taxe
There Turks behind this proposition
still greater danger to the publ
schools of the State, for with the adop
tiOn of the Amendments the oppouent
, Of free schools In North Carolina wi
at once raise the CRY that every daiia
raised for public instruction means sh
increase of the number of negro vC
ters, and thus the poor white man
son will be chained in bondage Of il
norance and disfranchised to prev en-
the education of the negro voter
There is no white supremacy In this
The constitutional question pre-
sented by the proposed amendment
one that must be determined by th
judgment and conscience Of each indi
vidual voter. Therefore, we do nc
make it party question. We state th
evils and dangers and leave the voter
of all parties to pass their verdict i
> the light Of these facts. The questi0
Is above party, and no one should
more active and anxious in our juds
ment to defeat it than the rank an
} file of the Democratic party.
The Peoples Party is and has aiway
been more distinctly than any othe
party in North Carolina q white man
party, and is more anxious than an
other party to solve the race problem
and to force al parties TO = discusslo
OF the great economic issues 30 vitall
affecting the welfare Of all wealth PR
ducers OF the State and nation and d.
cency in politics.
dangerous amendment, the best sofU
D ton Of the race question that is poss
BILE - long as the 18th amendment I
I the Constitution of the United State
stands solution which deprives q
white man in North Carolina now q
hereafter Of his right Of suffrage, K
wit.
Amend Section 6, Arr. y, VI ...- Coz
stituti0n of North Car0llna BY inserl
ing among the disqualiacations Il
Office, enumerated therein, the follow
ing, viz: All negroes and all--pers0r
Of negro descent to the thirdsgeners
ton inclusive.
II the Democratic Legislature who
meets in June will offer this safe, cor
stitutional and wholesome smendmeT
in,lieu Of the present scheme it wi
have our hearty support. II they wi
not, we appeal to the people to rally 1
cur assistance to elect . Le9islatur
pledged to support suohl An amend