The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1880-02-07
CONSTITUTIONAL coNvEN-
TIoN.
Remarks Of Hon. T. A. Montgomery,
OF Bolivar County, in the House
Of Representatives, Explaining
Why He Voted Against the No
ton to Lay the Billto Call State
Convention, on the Table.

Mr.. SPEAKER-As several members have
explained their votes on the motion to lay I
on sbe table the bill to call a Constitutional
Convention aud the amendments 70 II, 4
also desire 10 explain my vote DO not
know how | am TO do this except to say /
am in favor ola Constitutional Convention. (
Unlike some Of the gentlemen who nave
explained their votes by saying they are
opposed ~ a Convention, but gave no rea-
son for their opposition except-that some
Of them, TO whom the thanks OF the adyo-
Gates Of the bill are due-haye said that
their reason was that they did not wish to
cut Of debate on the bill, ! desire briefly
aud frankly u give my reasons why Ia
yOr the call Of a Constitutional Convention:
am in favor of it because | believe a
majority of the good people of
the State, the intelligent people Of
the State, demand it. | am in
favor Of it because the present Constitution
is not Constitution made By the people Of
the State II was framed by men, who with
a few honorable exceptions, were not even
citizens Of the State, elected or rather APP
pointed, for their election was a mere farce,
by military commander, who then held
at his disposal the lives, liberty and proper
ty Of the good people Of this State, who were
almost all DISTINGUISHED, and who had no
voice in the selection Of the delegates or
even in the adoption of the Constitution,
which though once defeated because of some
specially oppressive provisions, was after
wards forced upon the people as choice
of evils. These delegates cannot be
said even 10 have been the choice Of the
colored people, by whose votes it was pre-
tended they were elected. for the colored
people, then but newly enfranchised, were
taught by these aliens to our State, that the
white people Of the State we're their worst
enemies aud without any of that knowl-
| edge, which they in great measure
have since acquired-by which they
could intelligently exercise that dearest
! privilege of lreemen--the elective fran
chse-were led to the polls to register the
votes already prepared for them. These
then were the men who made the Constitu-
ton under which we live; these men, who
like the delegates from the county ! now
represent-were not then citizens of our
! State-and like him, have for the most
part, sunk into the obscurity from which
they emerged only to frame this Constitu-
ton, which, in the opinion of some, is so
good, so acceptable to the people Of this
State; that debate must be cut off in this
! House upon bill to call Convention OF
! the people to take into consideration and
| frame and adopt a new one. Lest any gen
tlemen may think my charges too strong as
to the men who, in the main, composed the
so-called Constitutional Convention which
framed our present Constitution, | desire
to read minority report made by the late
! VIM. NJ. Compton, who was one of com
mittee to determine the compensation of the
members and officers. He was one of the
ablest of the number that composed that
Convention, and who helped to frame the
present Constitution, Hear him:
WHEREAS, The Military bill passed by the
Congress Of the United States on the I'd day
Of March, 1867, together with the supplements
thereto Known !y r. ne rsgonsiruo,ion measures
sive to the people of Mississippi; aud
WHEREAS In pursuance thereto, an officer
of the United States Army has ordered the as
sembling Oft Convention for the purpose Of
making revolutionary changes in the Consti-
tuition Of the State and
WHEREAS Although the Constitution of The
United States and laws made in pursuance
thereof, arc the supreme law Of the land, yet
the powers not delegated to the United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States respect =
lively or to the people; and among the rights
thus reserved to the States is the right to pre-
scribe the qualifications for the elective fran
chise therein with which right Congress has
no power to interfere; and
WHEREAS, In prescribing the qualification
Of voters in the election of delegates to the
said Convention a large ind influential class
Of citizens of this State, who have heretofore
exercised the right Of suffrage under the Con-
stitution of the United States and of the State
OF Mississippi, have been DISTINGUISHED; and
on the other hand, still larger class of per-
sons, who are not and never have been recOg-
nized as citizens of this State, or of the United
States, have been permitted to vote; and be-
lieying that a Majority of the persons on this
floor are either not citizens of this State, or
that they have been elected by Illegal votes
therefore be it
Resolred, That this assembly is unconstitu-
tionally convened, and is not competent to
make amendments to the Constitution of the
State of Mississippi in any respect whatever
and therefore the officers aud members Of this
body are not entitled to compensation for any
services which they may see proper to per-
form in such capacity, to the people of the
State OF Mississippi, or to the people of the
United States.
But, Mr.. Speaker, my chief reason for IA
voring Constitutional Convention is that
those provisions of the present Constitution
in relation to the elective franchise or the
qualification of voters may be so changed
or amended that the intelligent people OF
the State may continue for all time to come
if possible, to control as they now do the
destines, and the government of the people
and State Other gentlemen who favor a
Convention may be- and some of them |
know are, influenced by other and very diff.
ferent motives, but will not hesitate to
avow openly and boldly the chief motive
which influences me, and will add that /
have never, either here or at home, in pri-
vate or public, concealed for moment the
reason-the great necessity as | conceive
why a Convention should be called and
what should be its course on that all impor-
tant questionable elective franchise.
1t is said, Mr.. Speaker, by gentlemen who
oppose a Convention, that where it is defec-
tive it can be amended. This, | think, was
disposed of in the report of the committee
in favor of the Convention; but, even if
possible or practicable in other respects it
cannot be now in this all-important matter,
for the Constitution itself provides that no
amendment shall be adopted in any manner
affecting the 18th section of the bill Of
rights before the year 1885. We have,
then, five years more in which ignorance