The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-26
SOUTH CAROLINA CONVENTION
coiored Delegates Speak on the
Suffrage Question.
fhomss f. Miller, CoIored Deleoste.
makes Speech That Receives Deep
Astention-Whito Supremacy, He Said,
Was Not in Daneer-DeIegate Wig.
colored, Also Opposes .he sugra.s
Plan.

COLUMBIA, 8. G Oct. 25.-After four
and one-half days of debate the South
Carolina constitutional convention dis
posed of the county government cues.
ton to-day. By vote Of 81 to 4s the
convention refused to adopt the PROPOSE.
lion OF George D. Tillman to establish
the township system of New England
In this State. The suffrage question.
for the settlement Of which the coayen.
ton was called, was taken up. Thomas
= miller, colored delegate from
beaufors county, moved to strike out
the whole report, and spoke in opposi-
ton to the suffrage plan.
he said that the first drop of blood shed
In the cause of liberty in the revolution.
airy war was that of Christopher Attuck.
who fell with his white comrades ct the
oattle OF Bunker Hill. During that war
5000 ne groes were engaged, while South
Carolina only furnished 6 600 white
soldiers. He read letter from General
Thomas, a revoluti nary soldier, prais-
ing the negroes for the courage and
bravery displayed by them. In the war
OF 1913 he said that 1t was black reai-
ment under General jackson which
turned the tide against the British at
New Orleans. He mentioned individual
instances of negro bravery and courage
In the wars in which he fought side by
side with his white brothers to show
thai the negro had the good of his coun-
Try as much at heart as any white man.
He commended that 1t was mans
heart and not his skin which made him
patriot. That 1T Was the Negroes con-.
oltion which made him now, as a rule,
Ignorant, but with the same environ.
ments and advantages he was the white
mans equal. He denominated the cry
Tor white supremacy bugaboo and a
sham and said that in five years 1t would
be impossible to fool the white people
into believing that it WAS in danger,
Inc negroes don't want to dominate the
Stste, he continued, nor did they want
social equality, but they simply pleaded
for their just rights as guaranteed them
by the constitution of their country.
Miller spoke one hour and forty min
utes, but held the close attention OF the
large audience present as we'll as the
convention. His was the finest speech
made in the convention, but it did not
change vote, as his motion was laid on
the table Immediately after he con-
cluded his speech, only the six colored
delegates voting with him.
He was followed by Delegate Wigg,
colored. who proposed q suffrage plan
based ON a property and educational
qualification, but taking 1t out of the
power OF managers of election to de.
cide these things for the voter. He
held that the negro was in every way
the equal OF the white man and that he
mad as much right to vote as he. He
said the plan proposed by Senator Till
man gave white supremacy with white
degradation, but the plan offered by
him gave suffrage of education and
property founded on right, truth, JUS
tioe and intelligence.
lie denied that the negro vote meant
supremacy OF ignorance over intelli-
gence or poverty over wealth. He said
the proposed plan would disfranchise
poor whites as we'll as negroes IL it was
honestly carried cut, but that 1t was in
tended to execute it in fraud. He said
Senator Tillmsn had never received
one-fourth OF the whole vote of the
State. but had ridden into power over
the Frustrated liberties OF the people.
The negro does not demand mercy
but justice, and IL 1t is not given to them
they would appeal to the enlightened
public sentiment OF the world in tho
confident hope that they would in time
get their right. Wigs substitute was
voted down immediately.
Delegate Whipper, also colored,
asked that further debate be postponed
until Tomorrow as he wanted to address
the convention but was too uuwell to do
so. There seemed to be disposition
among some members not to do this,
but Senator Tillman and Geo. D. Till
man succeeded in having the request
Qranted