Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-11-06
Mistellaneolls &eaaina.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
the Suffrage Plan-Tillman
and Irby Have Bout.
TIII-RSnAY


on the suffrage question. The fight
was long and hot, but Tillman got
The best of it; if not in the argument,
at least in the vote. Irby was showed
under and the report of the committee
was adopted.
Irby attacked the report of the CON-
mittee in vigorous language. He said,
in part
II say now, Notwithstanding some
slurs cast upon me in my absence,
that l am not an migrate, and would
not accept the highest office in South
Carolina from the poor and illiterate
white men, and then trample them
beneath my feet. They have been my
friends, sir, and so help me God,
l intend to be their friend, and en-
deavor to protect them from what |
believe to he a political iniquity.
say that by way of preface. Fearing
to trust myself to speech, indisposed
as l have been, l have written what l
conceive TO be protest against the
perpetration Of this outrage. / have
to say, sir, that 1 am not governed by
what other men may do. Thank God
| think and act for myself, and l stand
here today TO tell the members of this
convention that 1 will vote with the Ne
groes when they propose TO indefinite
ly postpone this bill, if we leave the
conditions of this section as they are.
l shall vote against the whole report
if am the only white man on floor
who does so. l conceive that to be
my duty, sir, and in spite Of anything
to the contrary, l am willing TO go
before the people Of South Carolina
and their verdict I will abide by; but
l cannot be frightened, or ridiculed,
or driven from my position of honesty
and gratitude because the members OF
this convention think otherwise.
"NIr. President, l dare to say not
one-tenth of the Reformers of this con-
yenlion could have been elected if they
had had this plan and advocated it be-
fore the people on the stump. This
may be d guide to you. Ask yourselves
as honest men Gould you have been
elected if you had frankly and boldly
told the people this was your scheme
of suffrage?'
."Mr. Patton, in his argument the
other night, said it was to be honestly
or dishonesty administered. He was
right. That is the only way you can
look at it. Ifit is honestly administered
uiue-tenths of the illiterate men in this
State will fall behind the dead line and
be disfranchised, and there is no use
for any intelligent man to deny it. 1t
puts it in the power of the supervising
officer appointed by the governor OF
the State to disfranchise any man,
white or black, who is not able to inter-
pret every section of the constitution.
When the report says ANY, it only
means, sir, any that the supervisor
may see fit to PROFOUND. If the man
who presents himself belongs to the
same political faction that the super
visor does, when party lines are strictly
drawn and partisan spirit runs high,
it will matter little whether he ex-
plains or not, he will get his certificate.
The provision of being able to read
and write is intended for the protection
of that class who are educated. 1t is
constitutional beyond doubt. 1fyou
qualify the 10000 or 10000 people i'll
this State who cannot read and write
under your understanding clause, hon
estly or dishonesty, your supervisor
may be enjoined. This question may
be carried before the supreme court of
the United States, and will be, and
the supreme court may strike it out as
unconstitutional. Then where, sir, is
the promise that not single white
man should be disqualified? 1t will be
too late then, because this convention
will have adjourned. l do not think
the people of this State will ever have
another one in the next 100 years.
II am no coattail swinger, thank
God. | never hang on to any mans
coattai and sneeze every time he takes
snuff. l would rather be man than
All officeholder. The people of Lau-
rens county thought enough of me to
send me to the legislature in 1886 when
Mr.. Tillman's highest ambition was
only to be a trustee of Clemson college,
until the people of South Carolina sent
me to the United States senate. l
have always tried to be honest and
sincere. l would not swing to the
coattail of any man to be president of
the Uuited States. When the people
at home took me from the plantation
and elected me, against my will (the
newspaper men can report that if they
wish) l admitted upon the stump that
did not think that could be elected
but that I would make the fight.
There are delegates here who know
that this is the truth. l went to the
Legislature and my record was consis-
tent throughout, and | will not now,
though l am Reformer, and l believe
that my record as a Reformer will size
up with that of any other man in South
Carolina but as a Reformer and true
man who wants to represent the peo.
pie whose votes put him in office, |
prefer political death, even a natural
death, before 1 would strike the poor
man this cruel blow"
After Irby concluded his speech,
numerous amendments were offered
II <l.