The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-09-25
A LAST APPEAL.
Judge Chrisman Makes Anoth-
er Appeal for Honest
MafhOdS


great speech in the Constitutional
Convention last Wednesday, making
one last appeal to have the fraud
clause stricken out Of the Franchise
Committees report. Referring to his
speech OH this occasion the special
correspondent of the Memphis Com
mercial says:
lie is grand man, So earnest, SO
honest in all his ways, his speech and
action, that he touches with peculiar
interest the hearts aud minds of his
hearers. At the same time he is n
fearlass man; his conscience makes
him so. His very utterance is proof
of that, and with it all he is ready
speaker, and never drops thread in
his argument.
He rose to defend Mr.. McLean's
amendment. He defended it, because
he took it that the
HONOR OF MISSISSIPPI
was involved in its adoption. He had
but little encouragement to speak, so
set and determined seemed the major
ity to ram down the Threats of the
minority and of the people the par
tisan report of the Franchise Commit
| tee. He would. however, make one
final appeal to the convention to be
honest, to be brave, and not deceive
the people, and at the same time place
n stigma upon them, from which they
could never recover. 1t was his last
hope. If the minority failed in this
appeal to the convention, then they
were outdone and might as we'll give
up the fight. With him it was n ques-
ton of honor, question of truth.
The speaker, standing in the middle
isle, was addressing his remarks SEEM
ingly direct to Senator George, who
was giving him undivided attention.
From all parts of the house members
began to crowd near the aisle, and
the gallery spectators craned their
necks over the railing. Judge Chris
man with much emphasis continued
Gentlemen, in the name of God and
man let us be honest; let us be fair;
let us spare the people from further
humiliation and shame i'm the matter
of elections. have been assailed;
have been severely criticised for
speaking out plainly my criticisms of
these methods. Ignorance and vice,
landmarks of fraud and corruption,
should not rule. l contend for direct
and manly ways"
Here Senator George rose and inter-
rupted the speaker. The confusion
was 80 great and the speaker spoke so
low that it was impossible to catch the
first part of his question. Members
called to him to speak louder, and be-
fore his interruption ceased, which
heightened almost into speech, he
went on to explain how ZealOusly the
committee had labored and why the
property qualification had been left
out He said that the man who sup
ported that part of the report was in
his opinion the greatest mind in Mis-
sissippi, a man who had passed the era
of ambition, was without aspirations,
save to serve his State in that which
would be an honor and credit. He re-
ferred to Judge Wiley p. Harris.
The report had that eminent mans
endorsement, and the report contain
ell all that was possible to be put in
l1C thCh WYNN VA W
FLEA FOR THE REPORT
and why it should he adopted.
Hon. Robert Hudson informed the
convention that he was member of
the subcommittee with Judge Harris,
and that committee in it's report had
embodied a property qualification of
$3.50, and that it had met with Judge
Harris approval. The property clause
had been stricken out by the whole
committee, and not with Judge Har-
ris' approval.
Then followed in fast succession q
multitude of questions and Interrupt
tions of Judge Chrisman, and he took
his seat until the questioning was over.
He stood his ground well, and when
he was given chance resumed his
speech, answering in detail the ques-
tiOus and meeting the arguments
against an educational qualification.
He replied to the aspersiOn upon him
in regard to DISTINGUISHING poor white
men. He was one of them, but he did
not deal in "Cheap John" politics.
He did not care who it DISTINGUISHED.
He would rest the security of the
State on durable basis. The amend
ment of Mr.. Mclean was to purge the
record of fraud, and he proposed to
strike fraud on the head wherever he
found it. He spoke in this strain for