The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-03-21

ASH issA. issA
The Peoples Party Conventton q
Hssem bled In Raleigh, April 18th. q
the principles set forth Ia i.
the Peoples Party National plat .
form adopted At st. Louis In ls~.
and instructs the delegates - i"o
National Convention It Sioux PA.
May 9th to vote for the nomination
of William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State 1
for its high pei :.
sonal and ofhcial integrity. and I
challenge q comparison Of it, rec
ord with any and al Of its pfede-
cessors.
We condemn the Democratic LsEis-
Istnre Of 1899 for its extfassknss ex-
pendituFes Of public money Amounting
TO 81 St,765-76 in 1899, a. opposed 20
II ,3s3 ,s71.l1, expended BY the proceed
ing Legislature, an excess OF $780,
794.85, not including the SUM Of $780,
GOO for public education nor the SS3 80
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said LeSisia-
tnre for the careless laundering and |
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconstitutional |
laws than ever before enacted by any
General Assembly in North Carolina.
| We further denounce the machine
leaders Of this Democratic partI for
laying the whip on the backs sf the
| al az and fnRcin
them into enActinG and submitting .
disfrxhchising constitutional amend
ment in violation of the solemn
pledges OF the party, made not only
officially in their campaign handbook.
but by members oil. 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
pied ges, 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 3, known as the grandfather
clause" in said amendment, but also
ltionai sectional section falling, leav-
ing the remainder of the amendmen
to stand, thus disfranchising by so ed
Vocational 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 theiI
own but is chargeable to the neglect OF
the Democratic party, which now seeks
TO disirauchise them and make theiI
Ignorance q crime alcngside that o.
Ii the felon.
q But even if che proposed amendment
l. were not unconstitutional (ss it clear.
IA ~ is, still it is especially objection
d able in the following particulars:
(a) In that it dlgni6es with the righ
- OF suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr'
ohises the most faithful kindly and or
- Derby element OF that race.
CD In that, while ciam0ring for whit
% supremacy and declaring that 10 whit
w. man shall be disfranchised under thi
- amendment, they have so written thei
amendment that every white boy be
coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
same footing with the negro, and Ca
not vote unless he Ia able to read an
~ write.
uS, (c) In tnat by the lattsr provision
y. they have made 1t possible for the ed
1G ucated negro after 1908 to cast his bal
=. lot while the unfortunate son Ut tn
white men who have been the streDgt
6, of true democracy stands without
'a vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
d. the suffrage of the son whose fsthe
o. they dare not openly attack.
To- Sl~eS
ment does not remove the negro irol
70. politics or settle the negro question
re- North Carolina.
20 (e) In that every voter VINO has n,
~ paid his poll tax as much as ~
Il months before the State election ar
eight months before the national ele.
- ton, shall be disfranchised as much
if he were convicted Of felony or wei
- an ignorant negro. The purpose
III this provision is not only to 6isfral
chise every good honest citizen VT
unfortunately cannot pay bis taxes
the first Of Maroh preceding the eie
tion, but further to try to bride the "
ter to surrender his suffrage at the e:
pense of the public school fund Of Il
is State, which is derived from poll take
,oF There turks behind this propos,,,o
on still greater danger to the puol
6CQuUlS VI tuS 0U6tG, LUZ Will lux aOV
Ter ton of the amendment the Opponen
of free schools IN North Carolina vi
las at once raise the cry that every doll
enf raised for public instruction means Il
ION increase of the number of negro Y
orn ters, and thus the poor white mar
Id son will be chained in bondage Of i
In n0ranoe and disfranohised to preve
the the education Of the negro sots
lilo There ie no white supremacy IN this
to The constitutional question pr
nth sented by the proposed amendment
OF one that must be determined by C.
lrst judgment and conscience of each ind
OF vidual voter. Therefore, We do o
ant make it q party question. We stale t
tho evils and dangers and leave the vote
as of all parties to pass their verdict
the light Of these facts. The questi
Ms Is above party, and no one should
bic. more active and anxious in our jud
ny. ment to defeat it than the rank q
OF file of the Democratic party.
'oio The Peoples Party is and has alwa
been more distinctly than any 9th
. party in North Carolina a white MAJ
party, and is more anxious than 8
= other party to solve the race profile
oct and to force all parties TO discussl
the of the great economic issues 50 vita
wed affecting the welfare of all wealth pl
me! ducers of the State and nation and {
ana cency in politics.
Therefore, We propose in lieu of ii
. dangerous amendment, the best sol
ton Of the race question that is pos