The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-19
DO NOT FORGET 1908.

bury Sun calls attention to the act
that the year above named will soon
be upon us. and says:
Do You know what it means to many
white ceople IN this country? IL tn.
law is faithfully and Justly executed it
viii mean that a man h cannot
read his ballot cannot vote.
Is not The u too sweeping in It's
assertion that after hat yea "a man
who cannot read his ballot canno
vote ii it is meant to apply the state
mean to all white men in this state?
The constitution provides that any man
not able to read his ballot who had the
right Of suffrage on January 1, 1867. or
whose ancestor enjoyed such privilege,
would still have the right to vote after
the year 1908, provided he had regis
tered before that date. Illiterate white
under the grandfather clause" and ell
such as come of age prior to Decembr
81, 1908, who register prior to that date
will not have the right of suffrage ak
en- from them. But all male citizens
coming of age after that date must be
able to read their ballots in order 20
vote, whether they be descendants of
former qualified voters or not. The
loss will apply alike to all who come
of age after that date, and puts them
in the same class as the illiterates of
the present time who cannot qualify
under the grandfather clause"
This, though, should not lessen gen.
ton, especially of the present genera
ton of youths. The percentage Of
illiterates among them should be de-
creased. 1t should be attended to that
as large a number as possible of the
young white men of the state coming
of g in the next few years should
receive a common school education.
The disfranchisement of the negro un-
der this amendment to the constitu-
ton is only temporary. Each year a
larger number of the males of this race
are qualifying themselves as voters.
The percentage of illiterate negroes
coming of age is decreasing each year.
Each generation of negroes is taking
greater interest IN education. By 1903
there will be a much larger number OF
negroes qualified to vote than there are
now. The danger is that the increase
among the white youths qualifying
themselves will not be as great in pro-
portion to the population.
This view of the matter should be
continually and seriously impressed
upon our white population. After 1908
education among the white people will
be of vastly greater Importance poit-
ically than it is now. Unless moro in
terest is taken in it than at present
by the white people especially in the
rural districts we are afraid there will
be a good many young men who on
coming of age will find themselves dis
franchised. OF course such persons can
qualify themselves by learning to read,
but very few men do this. A man Who
reaches his majority without having
a r~udimentary education is not apt to
to acquire it later. From now the ef-
fort should be made to have every
white boy in the state taught to read
and write. Enough money is being
spent by the state, the counties and
towns to do this. Those who fail to
acquire this small amount of education
have no one to blame but themselves
or their parents. Those young white
men who after 1908 find themselves
debarred the right to vote cannot blame
the laws and the constitution of this
state. The fault will be their own. They
have had plenty of notice as to what
the consequences would be and have
been given sufficient opportunity to
qualify themselves.