The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-11-12
Constitutional Convention.
THE SUFFRAGE CLAUSE FINISHED.
THE CRIMINAL CI,AssEs ARE
BARRED OUT

THE CRIMINAL GLASSES Arr
BARRED OUT.
The Legislature Lett To ArPang
Election Details Woman's Suffrag
Meets Another Defeat.
When the constitutional convention
reassembled, the suffrage article wa
once more taken up. The proviso re
quiring the appointment Of election
managers from both political psrtie
was stricken out, and another figh
over. womans suffrage proved unsuo
cessful.
Section 5 was taken up, and aitel
several unimpOrtant amendments was
adopted US follows: Any person de
MED registration shall have the rig h
pleas, or any Judge thereof, ant
thence to the Supreme Court to deter
mine his right to vote under the limi
tations imposed In this article, and or
such appeal the hearing shall be- dc
nOvO, and the General Assembly shall
provide bylaw for such appeal and foI
the correction of illegal and fraudu.
lent registration, voting ard all other
crimes against The election laws"
Section 9 6related to the disqualifica
tion OF voters, and after the addition
OF several crimes TO those enumerated
In the original section, 1t was passed
in this form: "The following persons
are disqualified from being registered d
or voting:
"First, persons convicted OF burg
larry, arson, obtaining goods or money
under false pretenses, perjury. for
gerry, robbery, bribery, adultery, big
amy, wife beating, housebreaking, re-
coiying ptolen goods, breach OF trust
with fraudulent intent assault with
iutent to ravish, miscegenatton and
!arcency or crimes against tho election
laws: Provided, that the pardon OF
the Governor shall remove such dis
qualification.
"Second, persons who are idiots, in.
sane, paupers supported at the public
expense, and persons confined In any
public prison."
Section was adopted without any
trouble at all as follows: For the
purpose of voting no person shall be
deemed to have gained or lost resi-
dence by reason of his presence
while or absence employed i'm the
service Of the United States, nor
while engaged In the navigation
of the waters of this State, or of
the United States, or of the high seas,
nor while student of any institution
of learning.
Section relating to the registration
of the voters and the manner of hold
ing elections caused an interesting de-
bate.
Mr.. Sheppard offered the following
addition For the first registration
to be provided for under this constitu-
tiOu, the registration books shall be
kept open for at least six consecutive
weeks and thereafter from time to
time, at least one week in each month
mp to the thirty days next preceding
the first election to be- held under this
constitution"
Mr.. Sheppard said 1t would require
q great deal of time to register and
this amendmentspr provided for six con-
secutive Weekss and thereafter one
week In eaeiS month until the month
next preo ing the general election.
He thouA time was needed and
was hpiysshtficient. The amend
ment was agreed to.
Mr.. Gage moved to strike out the
words provided, further, that this
section shall apply to all municipal
elections" He said thut 1t was i'm
practicable to apply the section to
municipal elections.
OF the committee that under conditions
that will be- brought about this provi-
sion was necessary. He thought it
we'll to keep it IN. If there are not
two political parties, then the princi-
pie does not apply.
Senator Tillman said the best thing
to do was to put In a separate section
applying to municipalities. Mr..
Cages amendment was then adopted.
Mr.. w. ID. Evans moved to strike
out the entire first prOviso OF section 8,
which allowed the two political parties
representation on the boards of mana
gers and canyassers.
Mr.. Evans thought that it was best
to leave the whole matter of details to
the General Assembly.
Mr.. George JOhnstUne said that II
the convention did not bring about
pure and honest elections it we're bot
ter that 1T had not been held, and
that IL the convention did not do away
with the incompetent and vicious vote
1t had better never have been held !;
aud that honest elections were not
possible IL this amendment was passed.
Mr.. Evans said that 1T was not his
intention to leave any room for fraud.
Mr.. JOhnstore said that he only
knew that the gentleman from Mari
bOro sought to strike out the only pro-
vision that compelled them TO be
honest and fair.
Mr.. Evans said that 80 far as he was
concerned some OF the most unfair
elections he had ever seen had been
concocted with representation on the
board OF managers from both parties,
and that he had no intention of doing
anything TO help fraud.
Mr.. Bryan said that the committee
had carefully considered the section.
There Is no principle In the bill more
patent. IL we want honest elections
nothing would insure them better
than this provision. The idea Is to
place the principle where 1t can not
be disregarded. Unless you fix this
you put the whole matter within the
possibility of political debauchery.
On call of the roll the prOviso was
stricken out by vote OF 81 to 80 as
follows:
Yeas--John Gary Evans, President
Alexander, Ashe, Atkinson, Austin
Barry, Barton, Breazeale, Buist, Car
yer, cunningham, DELAY, Dennis, Doug
: lass, Efrd, w. D. Evans, Field, Fitch
Floyd, Gary, Gooding, Gunter, Hamel
Harrison, Hay, Hemphill, VIM. Hen
derson, Houser, johnson, Ira Jones
Willie Jones, Keitt, Kennedy, McCalla
McCaslan. McMakin, McWhite, Mat
thews, Moore, Morrison, Parier, Ros
borough, Rowend, Russell, Shuler
Sligh, A. j. Smith, Talbert, Taylor
Waters, Wharton, Stanyarne Wilson
w. b. Wilson.
Nays--Anderson, Bellingar, Berry
Bowen, j. s. Brice, T. w. Brice
n IN