The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-07-18
"A Patriotic Duty
The Grandfather Clause and Its Provisions
Why It Should Carry


I9f every voier TO actively engage IN
ms adoption. u means a higher class
hI citizenshlp. Il Will lead up TO nobs
Ter .q4'l Deytels deesls. Il wiA, dispense
JuGf'ce. and good resu'is TO, AL, II
VIII PLACE The fighl 10 vote out OF.
reach Of no Industrious man. Schools
are free to all VITA no exceptions,
hence this amendment leaves the right
to vote rs free rs the water that
flows. A reasonable regulation is a
Blessing rather than a burion. II will
withhold the ballot from those blacks
VINO are uneducated until the weeds
Of ignorance 4ndolence and idleness
haze been uprooted and safely trans
planted in their stead, the whole,
some germ of education, understand
ing and industry. BE not deceived
By Ease and scandalons reports which
have no foundation in fact. The ad-
option OF this amendment miJi he
wholesome in effect, for all the citi-
zen. OF this state
Governor w. w. Kitchin CT North
Carolina on the effect OF the grand
ather clause IN the constitution OF
that state
Our amendment nnr worren
with entire satisfaction ana has re-
suited ~ much better feeling be-
tween the aces, in this state, and,
We think, has hah tendency 10 pre-.
vent the temptation of all kinds of
frauds in eectiels We have been
Operating under u since the fail Of
1900, and there Ss now no disposition
10 reopen the question
Governor Mann.
Governor William Hodges Mann Of
Virginia writes as follows on the new
constitution Of that state which has
provision similar tc this one.
The effect of our new constitution
inli present law has been practically
to disflanchise the negro. | live in
the Black Bel and before the con-
stitutson was adopted there was 4 col
. ed majority in my county OF about
one thousand. Now there are not two
hundred colcred voters in the county
and never any contest The negroes
have lost interest In politics AMI every
thing Is wording smoothly. The
change Is best fQs the negroes. as
while they were in politics they were
subject to the dominion and leader
ship Of unprinclpled politicians who
used thcm for lheir own Announcement
and without regard to the interest OF
the negroes
The Voters Must Not Be Deceived.
Some of the very smallest of the
Republican weeSlies and some Of the
most insignilicant of the Republican
speakers are now trying TO persuade
The people that the .'granifather
amefdnent' applies to iliiterate
Whites and Indians the same as 1t
does 10 the iliterate negroes rD till
recently no such an assertion was
ever made.g The proposed amendment
wils advocated in the Legislature by
the Democratic members on the
ground that il would dislIpGchise the
negroes, and was opposed oy the RE
publican members on the ground that
1t would disfranchise no one but ne
grocs.
One OF the leading Republican pap
ers i1 the state Of Oklahoma Is the
Oklahoma City Times. In its issne
Of June 27th, It declarcs editoglally
as follows concerning tae proposed
amendment:
The grandfather clause Is TO he
voted on in August. A majority veto
on this measure means the disfran-
chiscment OF thousands of. negroes in
the state. II means, in short, that
any negro whose father or granlfath-
er was 4 former A;rge Will be deprived
OF voting. II also disfranchises the
negroes who can not read or write.
The law does not appl TO white men
or Indians, and if 1t did. the Demo
Gratis, who have the election machine
cry In their own hands would soc
that 1t was not enforced There are
thousands of negroes in the east side
OF The staIe who have never, been
given the advantage OF schools. and
are therefore unable to read or To-
write"
From the above Republican edtoriel
one can easily gather The admission
OF tue leading Republican paper Of
Oklahoma City diat no white or In
dian can possibly be diairanchised
by the proposed coustititutionaI
amendment
The Amendment Does not
Affect Whites and Indians.
The suffrage amendment. known
as the "6raudfather Clause does not
affect the rights Of white ana indian
citizens 10 vote. Nothing shows this
better thai the Following extracts
taken from the petition fled nv Judge
Burfprd and other lawyers nndeltak-
Ing t. prevent an election on this
That part Of tho, petition
Is as fellows '1,hat the sducsfiopsl /
.est therein prescribed viii NOT, lln-
Ter fbe provisions OF said amendment /
q required of any other persons or
'lecior3 III said state except persons
II African descent and that
lnder tha proposed amenument To
he coa61 hliyn OF the stale nf OH I
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