The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-02-02
LIVELY JOINT DEBATE
Between MeSsrs. Small and Hardw.ck
on Question of Disfranchisemsnt
IN Georgia,

and fast, an audience of 500 people
gathered in the auditorium at Barnes
vile, Ca, Friday night to hear the
joint discussion of the disfranchise-
ment question between Congressman
T. w. Hardwick of the tenth con-
gressionaI district, and Sam w. Small
OF Georgia. The debate was opened
by Mr.. Hardwick, who is for disfran-
chisement.
There are suffrage restrictions in
many states, he said, but as to negro
suffrage, the question is whether II
is right or wrong, or, if wrong, let's
get the remedy for it. Negro suf-
frage, he declared, originated in the
hellish brain OF Thad Stevens
Mr.. Hardwick read at some length
from Savoyard against negro suf
frage and the political equality of the
races. He quoted Abraham Lincoln.
10 the effect that he had never been.
in favor Of bringing about the social
or political equality OF the races. II
to leave the negroes with the ballot
boxes don't leave him with political
equality, where does it leave him? he
asked.
The trend of sentiment at the north
is now turning against this political
equality, he said. Mr.. Hardwick con-
sumed some time in reading quota
tons and supreme court decisions in
order to lay the foundation for his
argument The inferiority and Grim
inal characteristics Of the negro race
were dwelt upon at some length by
Mr.. Hardwick.
What do we propose to do about this
thing in Georgia? Virginia, North
Carolina. South Carolina, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana have act
ed and pointed out the way. Geor-
gia remains the only state with any
considerable number of negroes which
has not taken steps to protect her
white men and women from this in
| feFiOr criminal race"
Mr.. Hardwick then read his disfran-
ehisement bill, which was defeated in
| two legislatures.
Il am not ashamed of il" he said.
Il am ready to die for it tonight"
Following are some OF the shots
fred against disfranchisement by Mr..
Small
Giving the negro the ballot was
the most monumental crime against
the nation, but before we can wipe it
out two-thirds of the states must be
brought to give their assent. Is it
wise to invite upon ourselves trouble
that Stephens, Toombs and Jenkins
and WOfford refused to invite? TOOmb6
and stephens and others got together
and put in the constitution the GU
mulative tax-paying provision. Crum-
packer had told him the author of
that provision was the wisest states
man of the age, for it was supreme
court proof, and congress could not
change it.
Enforce an educational test and you
will disfranchise more white men and
enfranchise three times as many ne
groes as are going to the polls today.
! Mr.. Small declared Mr.. Hardwick and
his associates were trying to substi"
tute the educational test for the tax
paying test all the time, and only
changed about three weeks ago when
they found it would not do.
The grandfather clause has never
been carried to the supreme court of
the United States. Every lawyer
whose opinion is worth anything will
tell you, when it is carried up there,
it will be declared invalid.
Comptroller General Wright had
said it would take over 100000 to
pay the back taxes of the negroes and
get them where they could vote. Who
is going to pay the back taxes of the
negroes and get them where they
can vote? Who is going to pay any
such price as that?
Whenever you find any durn fools
who have got three or four million
dollars to throw away, then the ne
gro vote will become a peril and not
till then. He declared the only OBJ
iect of this Acknowledgement move
ment was to make an opportunity for
men who had been tried in the bal
ance and found wanting to get back
into power.