Red Shirts

a political organization formed in North Carolina in June, 1900, to promote, principally by intimidation, the succe of a proposed constitutional amendment disfranchising negroes, which was submitted to a vote of the people of the State August 2d. Great bitterne characterized the campaign, resulting in riots in which several persons were killed. The Red Shirts were particularly active in their hostility to opponents of the amendments, and so threatened the public peace at Smith field that Governor Ru ell, on the night of August rst, ordered the Raleigh Light Infantry to that place to suppre the Red Shirts. At the election of August 2d, a full State ticket was chosen and a Legislature to elect a Senator, but the greatest interest was shown in the disfranchisement amendment, the principal feature of which was the following: ' “Section 4—Every person presenting himself for registration shall be able to read and write any section of the Constitution in the English language, and before he shall be entitled to vote he shall have paid on or before the first day of May of the year in which he proposes to vote his poll-tax for the previous year, as prescribed by Article V, Section 1, of the Constitution. But no male person who was, on January 1, 1867, or at any time prior thereto, entitled to vote under the laws of any State in the United States wherein he then resided and no lineal descendant of any such person shall be denied the right to register and vote at any election in this State by reason of his failure to po e the educational qualifications herein prescribed, provided he shall have registered in accordance with the terms of this section prior to December 1, 1908.”; The amendment was adopted by a large majority, but does not go into effect until July 1, 1902.