The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-01-31
ptaPsT1 saGry sIArrUao


.s~SssS UsAaa2s.Gay aaso.ss~ss.
ASsa issA. seoA
The Peoples Party Convsatacn
assembled In Raleigh, April ls.s.
rs&firms the principles sst sorta *
the Peoples Party National plat
form adopted at st. Louis in l~,
and inssruess the delegates - sss
National Convention at Sioux ySiis
May 9th TO vote for the nomination
of William J. Bryan for President.
We commend the present State
Administration for its high pca- 4
sonAl and official integrity, and
challenge . comparison OF 10 roc-
ord with any and all Of it, pfeds-
cessors.
We condemn she Democratic LsGss-
lxtuPe Of 1893 for it eXfray&gAAt AZ
penditures Of public money Amounting |
70 81 ,sSl,7 eS.76 in 1899, - opposed @ |
Il ,3s3, s711l, expeaded BY the pesosd- |
| ing LEGISLATURE, IN excese Of e5f0c
7S4.65, not including the Gum Of tl0O,- |
600 for public education nor tAs 90, 80
for purchase Of State farms.
We further condemn said LsGfsla-
tnre for the careless laundering and
careiess legislation, including NOR:
| gross blundeYs and unconstito0onAl
laws than ever before enacted By any
General Assembly In North Carolina.
We further denounce the moehine
leaders Of the Democratic party for
laying the whip on the backs Il the
Democratic Legislature and foscin9
them into enacting and submitting q
disfrshchising constitutional amend
ment in violation Of the solemn
pledges of the party, made not only
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 denounoe them not only
for doing this in violation Of their
, pledges, but also for submitting mes-
sure most odisus in form and danger
GUS in effect. That General Assembly
lawyers Of the party, must have
known, or at least had . reasonable
, doubt, not only Is to the unconstitu-
4 tionality Of the monstrous provision Of
: Section 5, known as the "grandfst her
' clause" in said amendment, but also
of the great danger of that unconstitu.
tional sectional section falling, leav-
y ing the remainder Of the amendment
to stand, thus DISTINGUISHING by an 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
It own but is chargeable to the neglect oil
the Democratic party, which now seeks
n to disfranohise them and make theil
~ DoyA Ia hal n
the felon.
q But even if the proposed amendment
n were not unconstitutional Gas it clear
ly is), still it is especially objection
able in the following particulars:
y (a) In that it dignif1es with the righ
4, Of suffrage the most vicious, trouble
some and obnoxious class of the negr,
q population, and completely disfran
chises the most faithful, kindly and or
y derby element of that race.
Is (b) n that, while clamOring for W hit
supremacy and declaring that no whit
man shall be disfranchised under thi
amendment, they have 80 written thei
amendment that every white boy be
coming of age after 1908 stands on tn
same footing with the negro, ana CA
not vote unless he ia able to read an
write.
] (c) In that by the latter prov siou
n. they have made it possible for the ed
lot while the unfortunate son of tn
white men who have been the strength
er of true democracy stands without
vote at the ballot box. They slaushte
the suffrage of the son whose fathe
they dare not openly attack.
(d) In that this suffrage amend
oil ment does not remove the negro tr0I
lv politics or settle the negro quest,u G il
North Carolina.
(e) In that every voter who Las nc
paid his poll tax as much Is dv
be months before the State election an
Ii. eight months before the national cleo
at ton, shall be disfranchised as much a
- if he were convicted of felony or wer
o. this provision is not only to disfran
n chise every good honest citizen VIII
'ir unfortunately cannot pay his taxes b
ne the first of March preceding the cleo
to tion, but further to try to bride the vo
ter to surrender his suffrage at the ez
pense of the public school fund of tn
State, which is derived from poll taxe
e. There Turks behind this proposition
re still greater danger to the publ
az schools of the State, for with the edOp
L. ton of the amendment the opponent
90 of free schools in North CarOlina wi
10 at once raise the cry that every dolla
raised for public instruction mean. th
increase Of the number of negro ve
'fs ters, and thus the poor white man
on son will be chained in bondage of II
ds norance and disfranchised to preveI
les the education Of the negro vote
he There is no white supremacy In tbis.
The constitutional question PIT
sented by the proposed amendment
one that must be determined by til
al judgment and conscience Of each ind
vidual voter. Therefore, we do NJ
u make it party question. We state tt
81 evils and dangers and leave the votel
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 judi
III ment to defeat it than the rank an
ess file of the Democratic party.
ok The Peoples Party is and has alwa,
ad been more distinctly than any 9TH
party in North Carolina q white man
party, and is more anxious than AZ
20 other party to solve the race problel
,0o and to force all parties TO 4 discusslG
,OO of the great economic issues 50 vital
wv affecting the welfare Of all wealth pr
On. ducers Of the State and nation and
to cency in politics.
8 Therefore, we propose in lieu of til
: IL n oonOna amondnonk ha koot s~I