The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-17
North Carolina Republicans and tho
Grandfather Clause.

The delegates to the North Carolina
Republican convention, after listening to
Secretary TAFT's remarks about negro
domination and suffrage discrimination
as practiced under the grandfather
clause" adopted in their convention
q resolution to submit to the people
the question Of continuing the operation
az the grandfather clause until 1920.
This Democratic shift to admit illiterate
white men to the suffrage and exclude
initerate and non-property holding ne
groes was to expire by limitation with
1908. The grandfather clause" qualities
40 voters male adults whose fathers or
grandfathers we're entitled to vote on
January 1, 1857. They may be illiterate
or own not a stick Of property.
The Republican vote in North Caro-
lima Is heaviest In the mountain dis
tricts among illiterate whites. The
party would lose few negro votes by
efSeoting the extension Of the grand
father clause for twelve years, and
IL would stand to win the votes Of many
white Democrats. It would keep its
iliterate vote. The North Carolina Re-
publicans have stolen a march upon the
Democrats; for the Democrats may in
dorse but cannot claim the initiative in
regard to a proposal which Is bound to
be popular among the white people Of
the State.
Whether the Republicans have, acted
in the spirit Of Secretary TAFr's views
upon suffrage legislation in the South,
or have disregarded them, is a nice
question. At Greensboro he disap-
proved Of the grandfather clause" but
concluded that it might work out 'satis-
factorily. This is what he said:
"A policy In the South which excludessfrom tho
ballot imparially both the black and the white,
when Ignorant and irresponsible, cannot be crti-
cised. Concedlng that the laws now in force IN
this State and other parts OF the South were IN
tended, either by their terms or their mode OF exc
oution, to exclude the ignorant coored voter from
the franchise with rigor, and to allow the ignorant
white voter. though equally united for the fran
chise. to exercise II, I do not think that this makes
a hopeless situation for the colored man or the
political power that he may in future exercise.
II he continues to Increase in Intelligence, as under
the public educational institutions he is likely to
do, and II industriaily he becomes a power. as his
progress thus far ~justlnes us In believing that he
win, tho men of the race who are ellgibie't TO vote in
accordance with law will Increase and their com
mon sense ard judg menoand position In the COM
munlty will add weight to the vote they cast, and
will secure more real influence for the benent Of
their race than when the right of suffrage OF the
negroes was wholly I'm UNRESTRICTED"
On the other hand, Secretary TAFT
declared that the negro domination
scare had no foundation in reason and
was kept up to solidify the Democratic
vote. His opinion regarding the con-
s~titutionality of the grandfather clause"
may be read between the following
lines:
1t Is impossible to frame a law establishing an
educational qualification for suffrage which will
stand the test Of the Fifteenth Amendment, and
which will not ultimately operate. no matter what
the qualification or present effect, to exclude I'm
partially the negroes and whites from the ballot
who lack educational requirement
To criticism of their resolution the
Republicans Of North Carolina may reply
that. while Secretary TAFT inclines to
think that the grandfather clause is
an evasion of the Constitution, he has
concluded that it does not and cannot
shut the door of hope to the negro. On
their part the Democrats may in
woke the Secretary's approval Of the
limitation of the grandfather clause"
to 1908 and Of a suffrage law which
thereafter will be based upon educa-
tional and property qualifications for
whites as well as for blacks.
The conclusion Of the whole business
must be that the Republicans are now
approving Of a discrimination which
formerly they condemned. 1t may be
supposed that the action they have
taken was decided on before Secretary
TAFT's visit to Greensboro, and it is to be
feared they are playing politics for the
sake of the offices, a habit which he
pointedly warned them against in his
keynote speech. The impression, no
doubt, among the Democrats is that as a
reunited party the Republicans are exc
cutting a thanking movement which may
end in the rout Of the party now in con-
troll Of the State Government of North
Carolina unless it is met by a strategic
counter movement.
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