The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-27
RESULT; CLEAN POLITICS;
CLEAN POLITICIANS
Negroes Approve Of the Law
and No Trouble Experienced
in Enforcing Il

There Is scarcely a decent citizen
in the state Of North Carolina that
today opposes the operation or the sur
frage restriction law that eliminates
ignorant negroes said Col f. b. Ar.
endell OF Raleigh, n. c., who was IN
Guthrie today, the guest of w. II. l..
Campbell, clerk of the supreme court.
Republicans as well as Democrats
approve OF II and we have completely
rid the state OF the negro issue in
poli,ics. AS a result we have clean
politics and clean politicians
The North Carolina law was adopt
ed as an amendment to the consttu-
tion nine years ago. The Oklahoma
grandfather clause amendment to the
constitution, which was adopted by a
majority Of more than 25,J00 August
2, was copied after the North Carolina
law. The latter law, however, embod.
led some of the best features of the
Oklahoma election law but provided
that within eight years the education
al test as regards negroes should be-
come effective. The law at the out
set disfranchised ali negroes; how.
ever, 1t made IL possible for a negro
boy of Is at the time of the adoption
Of the amendment to become eligible
by the time he reached his majority.
This provision was inserted as an
encouragement TO the negroes to ed
ucate their children.
Mo Trouble 10 Enforce.
We have had no trouble whatever
IN enforcing the law said Colonel
Arendell. THE negroes approve OF it
and it has gone a long way toward
making comparatively decent citizens
of some of them Tep years ago the
state was flooded with negro pollti-
clans and hangers-on around the Re
publican strongholds. Nearly every
negro preacher was politician. Now
these negroes are at work and we
have no more black politicians. We
disfranchised 10000 illiterate negroes
and placed the state on teh white
mans basis. Perhaps 20 per cent OF
the counties OF North Carolina were
threatened with negro domination.
a percentage that | am informed OBJ
tains in Oklahoma
The Carolina law never has been
taken into the federal court. nor is
1t likely to be, for Il meets almost un.
iversal approval. The people of North
Carolina are satisfied and the most
dangerous policy that Republican
could pursue would be advocacy oil
the repeal Of the law.
Kept Out of Federal Court.
Virginia has a similar law. Suit
was brought In state court 70 test
1t and the litigants threatened to take
1t into the federal court A federal
office holder objected. however, say.
ing that it was 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 case
been taken into federal court, and Ok.
fahoma has taken the lead In this mat
ter. Sentiment Is so strong for a
white mans government In the south
ern states that there is a general inn
preston that the United States court
has no desire to render an opinion
giving a strict Interpretation OF the
18th amendment 10 the federal con
stilution that would oblitera.e from
the statutes OF the southern states
one OF their most cherished laws.
The Day Of Victory.
"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 a time ago aud
for four years We had the negro ex.
alted A negro was placed on every
school board OF the state ana one waa
made a membr OF the board of re
gents of the state institute rcr the
blind. one OF our Oldest aud most
sacred institutions. When ,ne 49,.
years we're near an end we went on
the stump with the negro for an issue
and won. The next legislature had
been In session but a few days when
striken from the cornerstone OF the
new institution for the blind that had
been erected during his lncumbency
II was a day of jubilation in Raleigh
when a sculptor, In the presence ol
aeveral thousand persons. ehiseled tho
name OF the negro from the corner
stone"