The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-03-07

4
The Peoples Party Convention
lssem bled In Raleigh, April lssA-
reafirms the principles set forth IL
the Peoples Party National pisI
form adopted At st. Louis In 4s~.
and inst-ac,s the delegates TO -"
National C,nver ton 1t Sioux lri.-
May 9Th TO vote for the nomination
OF William J. Bryan Tor President.
We COIN mend the present State
for It's high pei
sonal and official integrity, And
challenge . comparison OF lis rec
ord with any and oil OF its prede-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic LBKis-
latuFe of 1899 for It's extfsv1xans ex-
penditures OF public money Amounting |
to 81 1874 1875 in 1899, "a opposed TO |
81 as, 97l IL ,.expended by the rreced- |
ing legislature, Al excess OF t5io,-
s4e5, NOT including the sum OF $780, |
600 for public education nor the SIS, $50
for purchase of State farms.
We further condemn said Legisia-
tnre for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconsti tsEion
laws than ever before enacted BY any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
We further denounce the machine
leaders Of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs Of the
Democratic Legislature and forcing
them into enacting and submitting .
disfrahchisingc constitutional amend
ment In violation of the solemn
oA If ho ut
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 had reasonable
doubt, not only as to the uncOnstitu-
tionality Of the monstrOus provision Of
Section 5, known as the "grandfath her
clause" in said amendment. but also
Of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendment
to stand, thus disfranchising by an ed
ucational qualification fifty or sixty
Thousand white voters of North Caro-
lima, who in 1893 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 disfranchise them and make their
ignorance q crime alongside that OF
the felon.
But even if the proposed amendme nj
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
, ly is), still it is especially objection.
able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dignif1es with the right
> of suffrage the most vicious, trouble.
! some and obnoxious class of the negro
r population, and completely disfran
chises the most faithful, kindly and or.
derby element Of that race.
(b) In thai, while clamOring for white
= supremacy and declaring that no white
: man shall be disfranchised under this
amendment, they have so written theil
| amendment that every white boy be-
coming Of. age after 1908 stands on thu
same footing with the negro, and ca
not vote unless he is able to read an
write.
.! co. III chat by the latter provision
they have made it possible for the ed
;. ucated negro after 1908 to cast bis bal
lot while che unfortunate SOD Of tn.
!. white men who have been the strength
= of true democracy stands without :
= vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
3 che suffrage of the son whose fsthe
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
! meDt does not remove the negro fror.
e politics OK settle the negro question i.
J. North Carolina.
g (e) In that every voter who has 4 .
, paid his poll tax as much as fv
!. months before the State election AZ,
eight months before the national cleo
ton, shall be disfranchised as much 6
= 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 bride the We
). ter to surrender his suffrage at the ex
pense of the public school fund of TIL
: State, which is derived from poll take.
= There Turks behind this proposition
= still greater danger to the publ
; schools Of the State, for with the adcI.
!. tiOn of the amendment the opponent
of free schools IN North Carolina vii
at once raise the cry that every dolla
: raised for public instruction means tn
: increase of the number of negro 70
3 ters, and thus the poor white man
!, son will be chained in bondage of ig
4 norance and disfranchised to proven
I the education Of the negro voter
: There is no white supremacy In this.
. The constitutional question pre-
!. sented by the proposed amendment
hat dnfo = -
judgment and conscience Of each indi
!. vid1al voter. Therefore, we do no
/ make it party question. We state tn
4 evils and dan gers and leave the voter
4 of all parties to pass their verdict il
= the light of these facts. The question
> Is above party, and no one should b
y more active and anxious in our judo
;. ment to defeat it than the rank an
!, file of the Democratic party.
a The Peoples Party is and has AWAY
+ been more distinctly than any othe
o party in North Carolina q white man
!. party, and is more anxious than an
g other party to solve the race problem
and to force all parties TO discussio
= of the great economic issues SO vital
q affecting the welfare of all wealth pre-
ducers of the State and nation and dc
oency in politics.
therefore, We propose In lieu OF thi
dangerous amendment, the best soiU
= ton of the race question that is posi-
BILE as long as the 18th amendment t
the Constitution Of the United State
r. stands solution which deprives II
Y white man in North Carolina now O
J hereafter of his right Of suffrage, to
wit
Amend Section 8, Art. s, of the Cor
stitution of North Carolina by insert
ing among the disqualidcations 10
l. Office, enumerated therein, the follow
ID ing, viz: ALL negroes and all..person
If Of negro descent to the thirdIgenera
RI ton inclusive.
,ol If the Democratic Legislature whic
meets in June will offer this safe, COZ