Birmingham state herald., 1895-10-30
WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE LOST Knocked Out by an OverwheIm-
 ing Majority THE REAL WAR HAS BEGUN It Will Be Waged Over the Suffrage Plan
 Itself. MR, PATTON HAS STARTED THE BALL And Senator Tillman and Others Will Keep It Rolling-Mr. Patton Roundly Scored the Negro Members of
 the Convention.
hR. PATTON HAS STARTED THE BALL

Columbia, s. C., Oct. 29.-After a fight lasting all of last evening and through tcday's session, the constitutional con vention at 2:15 o'clock took an aye and nay vote on the proposition to allow woman suffrage with property and edu- cational qualifications. The cause of woman was decided by vote of 121 to 26. Uncle George Tillman made mag nificent argument of about an hour or more favoring woman's suffrage. The debate was intensely interesting all through. MT. Sleight introduced an amendment to leave the woman suffrage matter to the general assembly, This will no doubt be voted down promptly.
 When the convention Teassembled at 7;30 D. m. MT. Sleight offered an amend ment to section 8 of the suffrage article, designed to accomplish what had been voted down in a milder form. It was to allow the general assembly at any time 1t saw fit to pass a womans suffrage act. He made a strong speech, but it was of no avail. The convention voted 1t down by heavy vote only forty-two votes be- ing cast in favor of it. Thus died all pos sible chance for the cause of woman's suffrage ever prevailing in this state un- til another constitution has been formed. Then the all important section contain ing the suffrage plan itself was called up and the war began.
 MT. Patton offered a substitute plan, the leading provisions of which were:
 1, Every male citizen of the state of South Carolina of the age of 21 years, not laboring under disabilities named in this constitution, who shall have resided in the state two years and In the county in which he offers to vote one year next preceding any election, and who shall have paid all poll or other tax due by him to the state for the fiscal year preceding that in which he shall offer to vote and who fin addition thereto:
 (a) Shall be able to read the constitu- tiop in English print and sign his name; oFg6 -----s-------------------------- i'(b.) Shall have been engaged in the ac- tive military or naval service of the late Confederate states of America during the late war between the states, or
 (c.) Shall be the lawful lineal descend ant of a person who was engaged in such service and shall be alive at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall be qualified elector of this state. and when duly registered shall be entitled to vote for all officers that are now or may hereafter be elected by the people and i upon all questions submitted to electors at any election.
 ME- GdllOn Sdlu ne COllu see very ntI1e in the speeches made by the negroes be- fore the convention. He granted good deal. of what the negroes had said, par i ticularly in the conduct of the negroes !, to their eXmasters families It was a complete vndication of the treatment l given to the negroes by their masters. : He reserved the right to doubt some of ! the things said about the negroes as sol : diers and sailors. There was never a race which, coming from real cannibal- ism, has ever reached the state of civil iZation that the negro has gained in this state. But when the negroes proclaim that South Carolinians were not brave and courageous in the revolutionary war justice demands that this statement shall not go unchallenged. He must not at tack history with untrue statements The statement that South Carolina fur nished not more than 6000 men in the whole revolutionary war was absolutely false
 Miller asked MT. Patton if he had any thing to give in the way of evidence, in Gods name to please present 1t. MT. Patton then recounted the glorious his tory of the South Carolina flag; the battle in which it figured. He went on to detail the particularly brilliant and daring acts of South Carolnians in the beginning of the war. He quoted from MT. Greeley's .American Conflict" If South Carolina had no troops in the war, tear these pie lures of Sumter and Marion; they were humbugs.
 Gen Henry Knox of Massachusetts was quoted, and other high authorities to prove that South Carolina furnished 31 .000 men and more.
 Mr.. Patton was particularly severe on the negroes. He then made a powerful speech against the subterfuge section in the committees article.
 After speeches from the negro members in reply and several other members. Sen atpr Tillman gave notice that tomorrow during the day he would call the previ- ous question on section 6, and. asked all who had amendments or substitutes to send them tonight so as to have them printed. Four went on, providing for the Australian ballot system. Senator Till man. speaks tomorrow morning.
 MT. Patton, in the course of his re- marks tonight. said:
 Now these delegates admit that their race, was unfit for the ballot If these walls could tell tales, they could tell of wild. scenes of debauchery and negro misrple.
 I say they were mainly responsible for this. They had it in their power to put stop to these scenes and acts They refused to go to the white neople of this state The white people of this stale were hounded from their homes and driv- en.to the courts and tried without jury. They had to fight for their lives. with tayonets over them. They were seduccd indeed by the worst of white men, but was not that the fatal defect in their argument. admitting that they were such
 MT Patton said: What better proof do we need yet to show that the negro is unfit to cast the ballot than this action in the last election? l regret to have to re- fers to- 1t, MT. President. but who have they chosen as their representative the type of their manhood. the flower of their civilization. I regret to mention 1t, I repeat. but since the matter has been forced upon us. as we have been sub iected to stringent criticism and reHec- tion I say deliberately that when the negro race this summer elected as their Representatives a s the types, of their civ ilization a man whom the public rneor'is of Richland show to have been convicted