The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-10-21

ton of the State Convention in accepting the
Constitutional Amendment and turning out the
negro delegates. But while the rank and file OF
the negroes seem to have given the matter little
attention, the negro exoffce holders have not ac-
cepted this kick with the best of grace. A few of
them assembled in Raleigh last Thursday and
issued an address c~ondemning the action of Sen
ator Pritchard and urging negroes to vote as they
please in the coming election. On the same day
a convention of dissatisfied blacks was held in
Weldon, and a negro nominated for Congress.
X X
Constituting the Amendment Unfairly.
1t appears that Senator Simmons protest
against the high-handed methods of some regis
trars was issued none too soon. AS the Char
lotte Observer we'll says:
"One registrar, for instance, declines to enroll
a legally qualified voter because he spelled 'di-
vided' 'devided;' another denies registration to
one because he wrote a compound word without
a hyphen between the two parts. All this is just
as wrong as it can be and Chairman Simmons does
we'll to protest against it. There should be some
redress somewhere for these men who are thus
illegally deprived of their votes. The Constitu-
tional Amendment and the election law cOntem-
plate no such performances on the part of cleo
ton officers and they know it perfectly well. They
know also that if such tests as these were applied
to Democrats applying for registration, more
than one-half of the membership of the Demo
cratic Party would be disfranchised."
Not only this, but three-fourths of of the regis
trars themselves could be disfranchised by such
a test; and three-fSurths of the white boys be-
coming of age after 1908 would be kept from the
ballot-box. We are glad to see that Hon. James
II. Pou has followed up the protest of Senator
Simmons with one even more explicit and force
full, in the course of which he says:
"Any negro man not convicted of felony and a
citizen of this State for two years is entitled to
register if he can read and write correctly any
section of the Constitution. We hold that this
means what such words ordinarily import-a sub
stantial compliance, not absolute Perfection, nor
technial nor exact accuracy. The misspelling of
a word, where it is plain what the word is, mis-
takes in Fluctuations, capitals, ETC., will not de-
prive a man of the right to register. Such mis-
takes are not permitted to avoid a deed, a will, or
even an act of the General Assembly. For genera
tions the doctrine of idem sonans has cured such
errors. Such trifes should not deprive a man of
his vote"
Mr.. Pou goes on to say (and very correctly
that this requirement of absolute perfection, if
generally adopted, would make the Amendment
unpopular; weaken it's position, legally and NOR
ally, if it should ever get into the courts; and
give grounds for unseating members of Congress
elected where such regulations prevail.
1t seems, too, that some registrars are demand
ing that applicants explain the Constitution. At
any rate the Sanford Express says that "a negro
who holds a second grade school certificate at
tempted to register at Carthage the other day
and because of his inability to read and explain
the Federal Constitution failed" But in this
State the registrar has no right to demand that
the voter explain" any part of the Constitution.
Such arbitrary mower makes the renistrar q Cua.