Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-07-07
RED HOT TALK THIS
BY A TAR HEEL
DEMQCRA
EXPOSES WHAT NE SAYS rs THE
REPUBLICAN SCHEME TO CAP
TURE N. cARoLlNA.IN CON-
ING ELECTION s.


CHARLOTTE, N. c., July Ss.-United
States Senator F. M. Simmons, chairman
of the Democratic executive committee Of
North Carolina, gives out an interview
in which he expresses what he claims is
the scheme Of the Republican party for
capturing North Carolina and returning
Senator Pritchard to tbs Senate, despite
the fact that the negro vote has been to
great extent eliminated by the adoption
Of the constitutional amendment. Senator
Simmons says: 80
For some time past prominent North
Carolina Republicans in Washington
have been intimating that their party
would control the next North Carolina
legislature and that Senator Pritchard
would be returned to- the senate. Demo-
Gratis have been unable TO understand
the grounds of this hope in the face af
the fact that that party lost the state
in the August election In 1900 by about
$1,000 majority, and since that time has
lost by 1.-The educational provision Of
the amendment, between 10000 and So,
900 of its former voters. Et
1.-The persistency with which this
claim was made aroused In my mind
suspicion that It was based upon some
secret scheme and led me to an -investi-
cation with the view of ascertaining
what II all meant. eAs result Of this
shrewdly devised and well-developed con-
spiracy.
1.-The scheme, briefly stated, is to stir
up and promote dissensions and indie
pendentism and, by raising the cry that
the amendment has eliminated the ne
gro and freed the. white man, to bring
about during the early stages OF the
campaign a hopeless division among
Democrats, and then on the eve of the
election have the federal court set aside
the amendment. In this enterprise and
in organizing the opposition forces, the
conspirators are to have unlimited money
furnished them by the national Republi-
can executive committee upon the promise
of two, If not three, Republican con-
gressmen from the state and the retention
of the present Republican senator.
''In order to divide the Democrats, every
local dissatisfaction, every local quarrel,
every fancied complaint and grievance
against the party and state administra-
ton, every disappointment, growing out of
the domination or defat of candidates,
is to be assiduously nursed and famed.
The Democratic party is to be charged
with hostility to certain interests and
with nominating men to office known to
be prcjudiced against these interests, and
conservative voters are to be appealed
to to resent this alleged assault and to
cast their votes against these objection
able candidates IL is expected that the
opposition by Judge Clark's nomination.
will start the bolt and that, on account
of the unusual number of Democratic
candidates this year, defeated candidates
all over the state viii be found who will
be ready to hazard their chances by al
lowing the use of their name.
ION these lines our adversaries pro-
pose to open and for a time conduct their
campaign. When the lines of battle have
been drawn and frightened. when passion
has been stirred to white heat by the
friction of conflict, when alignments have
been made, and when II is believed that
the boilers have gone so far that pas
sion and pride viii rot permit them to
return to their old associations, as the
day of election draws near at hand the
courts will be asked to declare the
amendment unconstitutional and void.
Every detail to this end has been care
fully arranged and the conspirators are
confident there will be no hitch or failure
or delay in carrying out the program at
any point Between the LIST and 18th OF
October a white man, who has been re-
fused registra ton because he has failed
to pay his poll tax, will apply to a Re-
publican federal judge, who has already
been selected, for a mandamus to com
pei the registrar to admit him to regis
tration. This Judge will hold that ii is
the payment of poll tax a condition
precedent to the right to vote. but he will
also hold that the grandfather clause
is unconstitutional; and, as the amend
ment provides that the whole shall stand
or fall together, every part of the amend
ment is affected by this infrmity. The
attack will be made upon the poll tax
instead of the educational clause, to avoid
going into court with negro as COM
plainant.
"By reason of the .shortness of the
time, 1t will be impossible to get the
case heard on appeal before the cleo
ton, and, as the Judgment will be eff
fective until overruled on appeal. II is
the expectation of the conspirators that
the election will be held under the law
as thus declared. If registrars refuse
to recognize and act upon this decis-
ion mandamuses will be issued by the
thousands, to he followed, If necessary
to carry out the conspiracy, by federal
court bench warrants,