The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-09
A QUESTION OF TALK.

| this morning Mr.. Sheppard, of the
committee on rules, reported provis-
ion as to pairs. 1t was adopted.
Mr.. Patterson moved to limit
speeches to ten minutes each, except
by consent of the Convention. This
motion brought out a long discussion.
Mr.. Miller wanted to have more
time than that on the suffrage ques-
f-tion.
Mr.. Wigg moved to amend by ex-
cepting the suffrage article.
Mr.. Johnstone said they were not all
able to condense remarks as MIR. Pat
terson; they did not want to make a
Constitution by machinery.
Mr.. Patterson declared that some of
them were being ruined by staying
here, and if they did not limit speech
making they would be here a month
longer.
After much discussion, a motion to
table the motion was killed, and it was
adopted with the proviso that speak
er's time may be extended, on request,
at the pleasure of the Convention.
| AS TO MILEAGE.
The legislative report was taken up
and Mr.. Sigh offered the following in
lieu of section 20 stricken out on We'd
nesday night, relating to salaries:
Each member of the general assem-
bly, shall receive 5 cents for every mile
of travel in going and returning from
the place where the sessions of the
legislature are held, and no general
assembly shall have the power to in
crease the per diem of its own mem
bers, and members of the general as
sembly, when convened, shall receive
the same compensation as is fixed by
law for the regular session and no
other.
| SECTION THIRTY-FOUR.
The section over which there was
something of sensation on Wednes-
day night, caused by the Smalls reso-
luton, was then called up.
Mr.. Aldrich moved to strike out Sec
ton "a. Why was it necessary to
name one crime and not name all9
Was the crime mentioned more helm
GUS than murder, manslaughter, etc. 2
They had done a wrong to put that Sec
ton in there, and they could not pass
end stand before the world without
passing something else. Supposed
reference to the Smalls amendment.
Mr.. johnson, after speech in which
declared that God Almighty, declared
the speaker never Joined together the
African and the Anglo. Saxon.
He moved to lay all amendments on
the table.
Mr.. Tillman attempted to get the
floor. :.
Mr.. B. R. Tillman believed that it
an indiscreet act had been committed,
the gentleman from Barnwell (Mr.
Aldrich) was responsible forit in try
| ing to obliterate section "a. Theques-
ton was here; should we not meet it
like men2 Whether the committee
was wise in bringing in the section he
would not say. If we pass law max
ling it unlawful for intermarriage OF
the races, we cannot in common JUS
tice refuse to punish white man for
debauching a negro woman. He Of
fered this amendment and substitute,
the amendment to follow section "a:
"And the parties to such marriage,
upon conviction, shall be punished as
the general assembly may prescribe"
Section 35. Any white person who
shall live and cohabit with a negro or
mulatto, or person who shall have any
negro blood, shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor, and shall be punished as
the general assembly may prescribe.
We dare not, said Mr.. Tillman, pub
lish it broadcast that after this ques,
ton has come up we are afraid to act
upon it.
Mr. Johnstone declared that his mo-
ton was pehding, and Mr.. Tillman's
amendment was out of order.
It was so held.
Mr.. Tillman said that the question
having been presented here, it should
be acted on. Abiding to the senti.
ment at the north, he declared that
we knew nothing about it down here:
They looked upon the intermarriage OF
races as natural, and he supposed we
would be forced to shake them up
there in this matter. Public sentiment
was indicated when the last census for
New York State showed that 1,3OO
white women were wives OF negro
men. He had seen white girls walters
lin Massachusetts under orders of a
negro head waiter. He had seen-a
sad sight-a pretty girl, evidently with
gentle blood in her veins, but who had
become poor, married to negro, and
with two mulatto children. He cited
these things to show our ignorance
of northern sentiment.
MIR. Tillman then moved to lay all
pending amendments on the table.
This was carried with little opposition
by a viva voce vote, the convention
not seeming to realize that they thus
disposed of the Cooper amendment to
Smalls' amendment, which they adopt
ed the night previous after lengthy
debate by a vote of 103 to %, and
which reads as follows:
"And that any white person who
shall live and cohabit with a negro or
mulatto or person who shall have one.
eigth or more of negro blood shall be
disqualified from holding any office OF
emolument or trust in this State.
The question turned upon motion
by Mr.. G.. D. Tillman to reconsider
the vote by which the amendment to the
original section, offered by Mr.. John
stone, was adopted. That amendment
inserted ''any" instead of lone -eighths
or more" so that no intermarriage OF
white persons with one of any negro
blood is permitted.
Tr. Johnstone spoke earnestly