The Brookhaven leader., 1890-09-11
THE CONVENTION.
THE SUFFRAGE QUESTION
UNDER DISCUSSION.
Judge Chrisman Leads off with
Great Speech.
Brave, Truthful and Patriotic Words
FitIy SPOKEN.

Elective Franchise. After some pre-
hminary diminishing the second sec
ton of the report was reached, which
fixes the qualifications of voters, when
Judge Chrisman proposed an amend
mcnt providing that all qualified
electors shall own or their wives own
, in fee simple a homestead, or one or
the other of them is posscssed of prop
erty real or personal of the value of
| $4,000 listed for taxation and not then
delinquent for taxes thereon: or shall
be able to read and write the English
language; provided also that any min
! lister of the Gospel in charge of an or
ganized church shall be entitled to
vote after six months residence in the
election district, if otherwise qualified.
Judge Chrisman supported his
amendment with the greatest speech
yet made i'll the Convention.
The special correspondent of the
Memphis Appeal, whose report we
adopt, says the speech was simple,
straightforward, fcrvid and powerful.
He began by saying that he wanted
at once to test the sense of the Com
vention us to
PROPERTY QUALIFICATIONS.
Indeed, he was at heart in favor of
both an educational and property
qualification. lie believed if his
amendment We're accepted it would
cut off the votes of very few white
people, and the colored people who
would be permitted to vote would not
materially interfere with the rule of
intelligence. The calling of this con-
vcntion had been discussed for six
years, it had been rejected by two
Legislatures. The last Constitution
in the great fundamental principles,
had been recognized in the main as
good, and the people were at first re-
Mctant to allow the convention; but
thoughtful men all over the State had
come to understand that the State
There were other subjects to be con
sldered, but not one of them of suf-
tcient Importance to require this con-
vention. There was the subject of
taxing corporations or restraining
them in certain contingencies, but
that did not call for this convention.
There was an cutlery against the Gov
crnOr succeeding himself, but it was
not for that this convention was call
ed. There was respectable number
of the people who
FAVORED AN ELECTIVE JUDICIARY,
but the convention was called for
something more important than that.
1t was the elective franchise upon
which the attention of the people was
conferred the elective franchise, the
bed rock upon which the Republic is
based. They had found it so corrupt
that it was about to rot. There has
not been full vote since 1873, and
there has been perjury, ballot-boX
stutfing and intimidation. Some had
said let it alone, but he declared that
no man but a moral idiot would be
willing to perpetuate white rule by
such methods. He wanted the rule of
virtue and intelligence over vice and
ignorance. With the present condi-
ton of things he was convinced,
though he might not say when, that
disaster would come. 1t would be
somewhere along the line whic CHI would
end in Il cOnvulsion, and which would
overthrow the liberties of the people.
1.-The object of this convention" he
said, sis not to perpetuate the Demo-
cratic party or any party, but to re-
form the ballot system so that right,
virtue and intelligence shall rule this
State. There are Republicans in this
convention who are in sincere sympa-
thy with us in accomplishing this re-
form by honest methods
SUBORDINATE TO THE CONSTITUTION
of the United States" Judge Chris
man then made powerful attack on
the work of the committee. He
declared that the sole requirement of
Il poll tax of So in the way of qualif-
cation for money value was simply a
protection of white ignoramuses. He
realized that the prejudices against
property qualification was fearful.
"But we live in an age of agrarianism,
socialism and communism" | can al
most hear their footballs as they APP
proach Mississippi. But it is proper
ty against which these inimical forces
are directed, which builds and up
holds your public institutions, pro
vides education and charity for those
in distress. His amendments ex-
eluded the thriftless vagabonds. 81
tell you, sir" he continued with great
earnestness, "there is danger in this
Australian ballot and your poll tax
system. More white men will refuse
to pay the poll tax than negroes
NOrthern people will persuade the ne
grOes that to preserve their liberties
they must pay this tax and, regarding
it as a religious duty, they will do it.
Look at this committee plan. Shall
it he with the registrar whether a
man shall be entitled to a vote? Why,
if he wanted him to vote
HE MIGHT SIMPLY ASK HIM
if he understood what trial by Jury
meant. II he did not want him to
vote he would ask him something like
''what is ar ex-pOst factO law?"
Let us be frank and brave. That
clause is not fair; it is not frank. But
| do believe there is courage enough
in this convention. More than half
the Constitutions of the States in the