The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-10-27
NEGROES COMMENTED
IN NORTH CAROLINA
WHERE REPUBLICANS AND DEM
oCRATS ALIKE APPROVE THE
GRANDFATHER CLAUSE.

/ Oklahoma City. Oct. 26.-"There /
!. scarcely a decent citizen in the stat,
d of North Carolina that today oppos e
{ the operation cs me suffrage restric
b tion law that eliminates ignorant ne
s groes,' said Col F. B. Arendell, ol
! Raleigh, y. c., who was in Oklahoma
, City yesterday the guest OF w. II. l.
3 Campbell, clerk of the supreme court
= Republicans as well as democrats a.
p prove OF 1t and We have completely
rid the state of the negro issue in
politics and clean politicians
The North Carolina law was adopted
as an amendment to the cons itutior
nine years ago. The Oklahoma gran {:
father clause amendment to the con
stitution, which was adopted by a ma.
Iority of more than 25,o00, August .
was copied after tn North Carolina
law. The latter law, however, en-
bodied some of the best features Of
: the Oklahoma election law but pro-
vided that within eight years the edu-
caional test as regards negroes
should become effective. The law at
the outset dlsfranchised all negroes,
however, it made it possible for ne
] how nf thirtaan h. {iDnA 10 N
adoption of the amendment to become
/ eligible by the time he reached his
majority. This provision was inserted
as an announcement to the negroes
to educate their children.
1--WE have had no trouble whatever
In enforcing the law" said Col. Aren-
dell. The negroes approve of It and
1t has gone long way toward making
comparatively decent citizens of some
of them. Ten years ago the state was
flooded with negro politicians and
hangers-on around the republican
strongholds. Nearly every negro
preacher was politician. Now these
negroes are at work and we have no
more black politicians. We disfran
chised 10000 illiterate negroes and
placed the state on a white mans
basis. Perhaps 20 per cent of the
| counties of North Carolina were
threatened with negro domination,
percentage that / am informed OBJ
tains in Oklahoma"
The North Carolina law never has
| been taken into the federal court,
nor is 1t likely to be, for 1t meets al
most universal approval. The people
of North Carolina are satisfied and
the most dangerous policy that a re-
publican could pursue would be advo-
cacy of the repeal of the law.
Virginia has a similar law. Suit
was brought in a state court to test
1t and the litigants threatened to take
IL into the federal court. A federal
officeholder objected, however, saying
that it was a matter for a state to
decide as to the qualifications of its
citizens for suffrage, and the law was
upheld by the state supreme court. |
From no southern state, where an
educational qualification has been
placed upon the negro, has a case
been taken into federal court, and Ok
lahoma has taken the lead in this mat.
ter.
Sentiment Is so strong for white
mans government in the southern
states that there is a general impress
sion that the United States court has
no desire to render an opinion giving
OF the Fifteenth amend
ment to the federal constitution that
would obliterate from the statutes OF
the southern states one of their most
cherished laws.
"One of our greatest troubles was
that of fusion among the negroes, re-
publicans and socialists" said Col.
Arendell. "A fusion ticket was elect
ed in North Carolina time ago and
for four years We had the negro exalt-
ed. A negro was placed on every
school board of the states and one
was made member of the board of
regents OF the state institute for the
blind, one of our oldest and most
sacred institutions. When the four !
Years were near an end We went on l
he stump with the negro for an Is l
sue and won. The next legislature S
rad been in session but few days !
when it ordered that the name OF the q
legro member of the board Of regents I
,e stricken from the cornerstone of =
he new institute for the blind that +
lad been erected during his incumb- |
'ncy. 1t was a day of jubliation in [
Raleigh when a sculptor, in the pres G
nee of several thousand persons,
hisled the name of the negro from