Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-08-11
GEO. BYRNE
DEFENDS
PLATFORM
CHARLESTON LEADER DEPENDS
DEMOCRATIC NEGRO
PLANkS.
THINKS IT'S GOOD
Relieves II win Add Strength I'm
the Campaign.
THINKS IT'S GOOD

Enquirer, George Byrne. the Charles
ION Democratic leader discusses the
Jim Crow and the disfranchisemen
planks adopted by the Democratic
convention at Charleston. as follows:
II cannot believe those Democrats
are correct to say the party will lose
votes by reason OF the autinegro
blanks i'm the platform. The facts of
history are against them. In Mary
land for instance, the issue has twice
been tried and twice proved win
ner Maryland has been very close
for a number of years, going Repub-
lican sometimes and Democratic
sometimes. In 1903 the Democrats
put in their platform n plank promis-
ing to submit a DISTINGUISHING amend
ment. and the consequence was that
they swept the state by so large a
majority that they secured sixty Der
cent in each house of the Legislature.
which enabled them to submit. the
proposed amendment.
Because of difference of opinion
rs to the wording of the amendment.
and still more because OF certain jcal
ousy OF and emnity to Senator Cor
man, the amendment was beaten nj
the polls in 1905. Last year the party
nut the same promise i'm the platform
and nominated for governor. Austin
l.. Crothers. who had fought for the
amendment two years before, and he
was elected along with sixty per cent
of each house of the Legislature. Now
these two elections show that the
race issue considered merely as an
issue to get 1t on. is n good one.
II believe the greatest mistake
ever made in any matter OF govern
ment by any branch of the great
white race was committed by the PEG
| pie of this country when they enfran-
chised members of an Inferior race.
| totally unprepared to exercise the
| right OF suffrage, making them equal
partners i'm the government. putting
IL into their power TO dominate
number of the states, and practically
DISTINGUISHING thousands OF white
men whose votes and influence were
| destroyed by the actions OF those
whose political affiliations were de-
! termined, not by PERSONAL views upon
important issues, but by the color of
| their skin. The negroes promptly
proved their absolute incapacity to
govern by increasing the debt of
every state controlled by them an
average of 400 per cent
Most Devastating War.
| The most devastating civil war
ever fought in modern times left the
states afterward dominated by the
negroes with an average Indebtedness
OF $7000.000. few years of negro
rule increased these debts to an in
debtedness of s35.O00,OOO for each
state. 1t became necessary for people
in these states to bring an end to ne
gro domination or else suffer ruin.
They brought to bear all the power
of force and fraud to re-establish
white supremacy. which was finally
done in all those states. But while
they justified their course by the ex-
| lgencies of the situation. the leaders
recognized the fact that Ii could not
be kept without danger to the per-
petuation of free institutions, and so
they sought for some way i'm which to
get rid Of the negro vote by legal
| means.
THE constitutional amendments
adopted by the various southern
states, embodying the grandfather
clause and other things of similar
nature proved efflcacious, and have
thus far stood the test of the supreme
| court, and fair elections and peace
and tranquility have come to these
| q iu 10 4,
pie that this should have been done
than that the old plan OF force and
fraud should have been continued
II is also better for the negro that he
should be deprived OF the ballot now
because he is not yet fitted for it's
proper and intelligent exercise. The
white race prepared itself by centur-
les of struggle for the freedom which
finally came to 1t through its own eff
forts by constant porgress toward
higher civilization.
The white Mans Struggle.
Thousands OF years ago the white
man began TO struggle upward TO.
ward the light i'm government. He
had no idea at first that there was
for him anything like the freedom
and equality which he now enjoys in
this country; but by little and little
he secured larger measure OF free
dom. until finally the full fruition OF
hitherto unexpressed hopes came
with the throwing on OF the English
yoke and the pronunciation and ad-
option OF the federal constitution. Tn
all OF the years through which he
was struggling toward this kind Of
government he was. albeit uncon-
sciously. fitting himself for it's pro-
lection and perpetuation. just as the
Individual under our present laws
FITS himself by work and study for
the practice OF the law or the exer-
else Of the elective franchise by the
time he reaches his majority And
The hereditary love OF liberty and re-
speCt for law which comes to the
Young white man from long line of
liberty-lOvlng and law-respectlng an
cestors has much more 10 do with
preparing for full and equal citizen
ship than does the n years period
NJ personal preparation Love Of
liberty and respect for the law are
born In him
with the negro II is different.