The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-10-31
SOUTH CAROLINA CONVENTION.
senator Tillhnah Makes u R~ennarkabIc
SiaCeelL on tho Ss,biGct orSuiIrntrc, a

ments to its article as reported and
left the important clauses reading thus:
tC) Up to January !. 1S9S. all male
persons Of voting age who can read
a clause In his Constitution or under
stand and explain when read to them
by the registration officers. shall be en-
titled to register and become electors.
a separate record OF all persons regis
tered before January /. 1898. sworn TO
by the registration officer, shall he
filed. one copy with the clerk of court
and one In The office OF the Secretary
of State. on or before February l.. 1875,
and such persons shall remain during
life qualified electors unless disuuali-
lied by the other provisions of this arti-
Gle.
/ (D) Any person who shall apply for
registration after January 1. 1898, If
otherwise Qualified, shall be registered.
provided that he can both read and
write and section of this Constitution
or can show that he OWNS and has paid
all tax c~ollectablc. during the previous
Year on property lii this state assessed
ut $500 or more.
Congressman Wilson offered II sub
s>itutc for subdivision &C. which was
to make the general understandings
provision perpetual ana the only auaIi-,
i%ication. He spoke to this at great
length.
Tillman then arose ana the crowded
nan was instantly so quiet that ono
$500 ~. pun Hiol. 4 Y HUI III
remarkable speech. He said:
IL has been my purpose from the he
ginning of to-day to have something to
say on this article, but that time has
h"t YET arrived. am sick and nothing
nut VIII power has kept me on this
hoor since yesterday morning. shall
co'litc myself to Il very brief answer TO
me gentleman from Sapartanburg.
more Of a statement h a argument.
The trouble here, sir. seems to be i'm the
MIND OF some me- that the poor white
man must be protected at any and
every cost with s%cornful emphasis. If
| There is one man on this floor who has
tried to do more to elevate the poor
white man Of this State; To help them
TO give them II chance to educate them
selves and their sons that they might
nave equal protection OF the law i'm the
government than myself ] don't know
him.
i nave been myself charged with
d~cmasogism ecaus L have champion
Ell their rights of that class of citizens.
the gentleman from ~Spartansburg pres
cnts to us IL scheme which simply pcr-
p%etuates the existing evil We are held
up to the scorn of this nation by rca-
son or our present. registration and
eight box laws. and when this cnnven-
non was called for the purpose of re-
lleNlng us of the necessity of continuing
That SYSTEM, ] had hoped that we would
not be brought face TO face with the
champions Of the system to be perpetu-
ated. and if possible made worse.
MI. President, this convention dare
not adopt the amendment presented by
the gentleman from Spartansburg. The
committee considered the MiSsisstppi
plan, which is based upon this idea.
ana we universally agreed that TO make
IL permanent, was to jeopardiZc the en-
tire fabric, which we arc constructive
mere, ana AT the same time continue
the evils which now exist, some one has
said: Why do you bring it in tenn
porarily?'
Simply because we desire 10 have -
scheme that will take care of the poor
white man and of such negroes as were
qualihcd by reason of good citizenship
ahd hish character and intelligence,
VINO might be able to understand the
clause of the constitution when read
to them and not draw the color line.
me legal presented at
INC conference We're, | thought, disposed
OF i'm the mind of every man on this
floor.
you cannot make this understanding
clause permanent. Tho idea was pre-
scented and withdrawn in that Confer
ence, and it is brought back here to-day
II don't want to impugn ANYBODY
motives, but the gentleman from
Spartanburg county alone. He has n
,Wo-thirds white majority in Spartan
burg, whereas. the general thing in the
state Is a two-thirds negro majority.
- - w u ihtn lnto the rights of
registration and the ballot on a nues-
non OF understanding merely as we
nave heard to-day to nd nauseam aboui
chtrusting the rights OF the citizen to
me discretion to any man, that provi-
SION is nauseouS and I only swallow
enough oil II TO preserve the rights of
me poor man. After that has been nc
compilshcd. ! am willing to give il IN
Ihat we may lift ourselves out of thc
bog and mire that we have be.n wal
owing In for the last twenty wears. +
MINK no one can say thai Won viii
s,oop 10 any fraud in the operation of
this clause. "
for the good of the body polite ana
me preservation OF the rights of Tho
poor Wnlte man-and ! say that any
pouv VINO comes here and claims tina,
III. Is me better friend of the poor white
man IMAM this convention. is saving
more IMAM he can provt-lct me noini
oua me miserable situation that viii
eNlSt should we make his provision
lasting. The II idea thai %prcdomi-
mates in the mind of every untrio,
III this body is that the AnCIo-Saxun
ci'tiiHation which we have inherited
snail be preserved and that the white
man shaIl govern in this State. We
nave had a taste Of what negro dom
ihation on the domination of the white
man through the negro can
ana | say that the danger Is ever pres
ent until we have gotten such ~restrIc-
ions on the suffrage as will largely re-
duce the number of these people that
4 car rnfp and .fhn,+AIt+ t,,,t IL q