The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-03-28
rgepiE1 PATTY plATToaD


the principles set forth In
he Peoples Party National plst
orm adopted At St. Louis in ie>At
md instruets the delegates - tna
= ational Convection at Sioux Yrs.a
Nay 9Th TO vote for the nomination
}. William ]. Bryan for Prosiaans.
We commend the present State
for It's high pei
,onai and Official integrity. and
Q comparison OF Ito rec
ord with any and ell OF tte prede-
cessore
We condemn the Democratic Lsgis- |
lature Of 1899 for its extravagxas ex- |
penditures Of public money ,Amou nting |
TO 81 ,5ss, 7e5-76 in 1893, n opposed to |
81 ,7s3, sTl.11, expended by the preced- |
7e4 .65, NOT including the sum Of $780,
600 for public education nor she 463, $50
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said LegisiA-
tnre for the careless laundering and
careless legislation, including more
gross blunders and unconstitationAl
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 enscting and submitting
disfrahchising 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
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 q reasonable
doubt, not only As to the unconstitu-
| tiOnality Of the m0nstrOus provision OF
Section 8, known as the grandfather
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 DISTINGUISHING by an ed.
ucational qualification fifty or sixty
[ thousand " mite voters Of North Caro-
lima, who in 1898 gave the Democratic
party power In the Legislature, and
whose ignorance is no fault Of theil
own but is chargeable to the neglect Of
the Democratic party, which now seeks
to disfranohise them and make theii
ignorance a crime alongside that O.
the felon.
But even il che proposed amendment
were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following PARTICULARS
(a) In that it dignlfies with the RICH
OF suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr'
cs,ises the most faithful, kindly and or
derby element of that race,
y 90 In that, while clamOrinG for whit
supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be disfranohised under thi
amendment, they have so written shei
amendment that every white boy be
coming Of age after 1908 stands on til
same footing with the negro, and ca
not vote unless he is able to read an
write
(c) In that by the laruay provlsio;
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 stfengt
of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaughte
the suffrage Of the son whose fathe
they dare not openly attack.
FL (d) In that this suffrage amend
, ment does not remove the negro froI
politics or settle the negro question i
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who has nc
paid his poll tax as much rs Nv
months before the State election an
I eight months before the national cleo
). ton, shall be disfranchised as much q
E if he were convicted Of felony or wer
+ an ignorant negro. The purpose c
r this provision is Tot only to disfran
chise every good honest citizen VIII
unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b
2 the first of March preceding the eiet
tion, but further to try to bribe the vt
ter to surrender his suffrage at the e.
pense of the public school fund Of th
= 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 ad0K
ton of the amendment the opponent
of free schools in North Carolina wi
? at once raise the cry that every dolls
. raised for public instruction means til
/
, tiers, and thus the poor white man
SOD will be chained in bondage Of il
norance and disfranchised to preve1
. the education of the negro vote
: There is no white supremacy In this.
The constitutional question Or,
, sented by the proposed amendment
, one that must be determined by tt
, judgment and conscience of each ind
|. vidual voter. Therefore, We do NJ
make it party question. We state Il
evils and dangers and leave the voter
of all parties to pass their verdict
, the light Of these facts. The questio
is above party, and no one should /
:, more active and anxious in our jud,
ment to defeat it than the rank an
!. file Of the Democratic party.
:, The Peoples Party is and has alwa,
!, been more distinctly than any othl
party in North Carolina 4 white man
/: party, and is more anxious than an
, other party to solve the race probler
. and to force all parties TO 4 discusslo
of the great economic issues 80 vital
. affecting the welfare of all wealth or,
" ducers of the State and nation and d.
cency in politics.
Therefore, we propose in lieu Of tn
dangerous amendment, tho best sol,
. ton of the race question that is poss
. BILE as long as the 18th amendment
the Constitution of the United Stat,
! stands-a solution which deprives n
! white man in North Carolina now ,
hereafter Of his right of ,snffrage, t,
wit
Amend Section s, Ars. y, u the Coz
tstitution of North Carollns by inser
ing among the disquslifcations I,
Office, enumerated therein, the follow
, ing, viz: All negroes and all-perso1
Of negro descent to the thifdf2e ner.
ton inclusive.
II the Democratic Legislature whic
meets in June will offer this safe, COL
stitutional and wholesome amendmeI
inllieu of the present scheme it wi
have our hearty support. II they wi
not, we appeal to the people to rally ;
our assistance to elect . Legisiatul
pledged to support suchi an ameni
ment.
We cOn9ratulate the De0nleeofsNyor&