Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-07-05
HURTS WHITE FOLKS MOST.

al" Convention after doing all the DAM
age it could to the Negro has decided to
adjourn. That it was failure goes
without saying. There is scarcely a
sensible man in the state who doesn't
wish that it had been drowned before it
was born. It came TO this city for the
avowed purpose of injuring the Negro,
curtailing his rights end abridging his
privileges.
When its labors were completed, the
bowls were mostly from the white men,
with limited number of protests from
the Negroes. The latter had been least
insured.
The Democratic white men in con-
vention assembled at Norfolk, Va,
agreed to the calling Of Constitutional
Convention with the understanding and
promise: LIST, that no white men would
be DISTINGUISHED. AS a matter of fact,
white men have been disfranchised
2nd, that therevised Constitution should
be submitted to the people for ratifica-
ton. 1t was not submitted to the peo-
pie for ratification. not even to the
white people.
All colored men had been put out of
Office and all white men put into office.
The unconstitutional Constitution
ALL Convention proceeded to put white
men out of Office by abolishing certain
offices. The colored men were not in
jured, because they held no office.
The unconstitutional Constitutional
Convention reduced the tax rate from
40cts to 30cts per hundred dollars.
This benefited the white man becau e
he owned property and it benefited the
colored man because he owned property
too. The unconstitutional ''Consti
tutional" Convention dealt a blow at
trusts by establishing a corporation
commission. AS only white men owned
the railroads, this affected the white
men and did not interfere with the
colorei.
The unconstitutional constitutional =
Convention decided that no officer of
the stL,e should enjoy the luxury of a
free railroad pass. AS the colored
folks held no office and did not have any
railroad passes, this was blow at the
white brother and he is crying yet,
reminding one of colicky baby yelling
for its mothers milk.
Colored employees of the railroads are
not affected by this provision and their
families ride as heretofore. free of
charge. The unconstitutional "Oonsti-
tutional" Convention decided that all
men who did not pay as much as 81. 80
in taxes should not vote, and also that
many who did should not exercise the
privilege. This caused some colored
folks Co complain and nearly all of the
poor white folks 70 howl, but in 40
much as the colored people had been
trying to vote and when they did vote,
their ballots were not counted, or if
they were counted, they went to the
credit of the other fellow for whom the
colored brother did not vote, the
thoughtful ones can not See much
difference in this game of chance.
The result is that the white man has
been dancing a Jig ever since his own
unconstitutional Constitutional" Con-
vention began its sessions and he is hop
ing and praying that somebody will
take the matter into the courts and thus
relieve him of the most unfortunate pre-
dicament in which he now finds himself
The new instrument is bad enough for
the colored folks, but from our point of
observation from the bowls now coming
from the white mans Larn-yard, it has
done most damage in that quarter.