The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-24


elected even if they were legislators.
a division was demanded on tho mo-
tion to strike out and it WAS adopted
by u vote Of y to ~.
Senator Tillman offered the follow
ing additional section
The General Assembly shall submit
to the qualified electors in the year
1916 and every twentieth year there
after the question of calling q constitu-
tional convention and if Il majority Of
the electors shall vote in favor thereof,
then at its next session the General
Assembly shall order an election for
delegates to said constitutional con-
ventiOD.
Senator Tillman said for seventeen
years some Of the people had been call
Ing for q constitutional conventions but
couldn't secure it because two-thirds
of the Legislature could not be secured
to call it, He didn't think that the
two-thirds OF the Legislature should
obstruct the desires Of the will OF tho
majority.
Mr.. Prince made the noint Of order
that the matter had already been dis.
posed of In the Article on Amend
ments by allowing the Legislature to
call u convention by twOthirds vote.
The chair sustained tho point.
Senator Tillman and the chair had
some discussion as to the best way Of
getting his amendment before the
House, and the chair left it to the con-
vention whether it would receive the
amendment or not. The convention
decided TO consider the amendment.
Mr.. Sheppard said that less than
two-thirds Of the Legislature should
not be able to call a convention. Unless
change there should bo none. The
two-thirds clause imparts stability to
u constitution. Specific questions
should be submitted to the people. 1t
is safer for the people that this idea Of
stability should stand. On division
the amendment was rejected by IL vote
Of IS to A..
On motion of MIR. Johnstone, Section
33 was SO amended as to allow the
State to grant pensions only for mill
tary and naval service.
Mr.. w. D. Evans introduced the
following amendment to section "a
which opened up question which
caused much discussion before the
recess, and which everybody Thought
and hoped had been definitely and
finally settled:
That the section shall not be SO con-
strued ~ to disQualfy for marriage
with white persons any person or his
or her issue who shall have had ut or
before the adoption Of tho constitution,
| the status of white persons.
Mr.. &. D. Tillman, when the subject
was first brought up. argued and
worked for the retention Of the prescn,
Law on the subject and he again spoke
very cnphatically on the question. Fl.
said he had been deeply mortified
when the member from Berkeley had
taunted the members by saying the
"coon had the dogs up the tree" and
by this taunt forced the junior Senator
(Mr. Tillman) and the gentleman from
Newberry (Mr. JOhnstone) to amend
the recommendation OF the committee
by putting in the word ANY negro
blood" Hc wanted the law to stand
as it is, which had been adopted by the
Mississippi convention.
In one place in the second congress
siOnal district he knew fs hundred fam
lilies who we're tainted with negro
blood, who had furnished brave Con-
fede, ate soldiers to the South. They
were now respectable people and were
their children to be punished rs bas-
tards Let the provision stand, else
many respectable families would be
forever disgraced.
In this connection he made the
astounding statement, which he said
he could prove by scientific facts, that
there was not q pure Caucasian in the
convention. He did not mean that
they had negro blood in them, but the
race had been crossed with the Arab,
Mongolian, Indian, and other colored
races. Hc didn't want the fact Of the
intermixture of negro blood be always
thrown up to the faces of these re-
spectacle people as would certainly be
the case when their property rights
come into issue. He moved to lay the
whole business. amendments and all,
on the table. but the motion was ruled
out of order aS the parliamentary
clincher had been put on before the
recess.
Mr.. Evans said aftor consultation
with membcrs he thought that pro.
vision would meet with the approval
Of all factions. He withdrew his
amendment in order for Judge Fraser
to offer the following:
Add at the close of section "a: Pro-
vidcd the status of no person
who has heretofore boon recognized as
legally white shall be in any way af-
fected by the provisions of this section.
Mr.. Sheppard said that he had been
Tillman had said and ho hoped that
the convention wonld give its unani-
nous consent to the roopening Of the
question so that If the convention
wished to change its action il could do
so.
Mr.. Johnstonc objected and then Mr..
Sheppard moved that tho whole sec.
tion be recommittcd to the committee.
Mr.. Johnstone. in speaking on the
subject, remarked that perhaps thorc
were 200 boys in Columbia who passed
as negroes, but who had less than one.
eighth blood iE their veins and he
wanted to know whether it was pro
posed to allow them to internarrJ
with the whites. as to those falni
lies spoken of Mr.. Evans amendment
made ample provision. He wanted itc
preserve the race. Let. the two
streams flow on separately. Let thu
negro he proud Of his race and The
white man of his, but let not man try
to minglc what the Almighty had sep
arated. !. i H"D|E
Mr.. Snalls said tout h3 hoped thai
all the amendments and the section
shall be referred to the committee und
he hoped the committee will not brins