The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-11-05
PATroN'S PLAN DEFEATED.


Only q CorpOral's Guard Favored
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Tillman De-
fends the Suffrage Committees Re
port.
The debate on Mr.. Patton's substi-
tute for the main article on suffrage
was one OF the strongest yet Witnessed
In the convention.
Mr.. MCGOWAN got the floor at the
outset and stated that in his opinion
the attack on the report was uncalled
for. The committee had worked hard
for three weeks and they had given it
the most careful consideration. The
Conservatives and Reformers had all
agreed and reported the matter unani-
mously. He proposed to show that the
attack was unwarranted in every re-
spect; he wanted to show that Mr..
Patton was wrong in his facts and his
law. deny that the committee con-
templates that the plan shall be fraud
ulently enforced.
The object was to enfranchise illit-
crate white men. l don't care who
knows it. And we can do it without
trouble. He denied that it was the in
tention of the committee to have the
requirement enforced dishonesty. Mr..
Patton had said nine-tenths of the
poor white people would be disfran-
chised. | deny this; | can say that
they can understand. If they know so
little that they can not understand,
they are bordering on idiocyand lunacy.
This clause should and will be admin
istered honestly. My friend based his
entire argument on this "impossibili-
ty to understand" | say that he has
built his argument on a false basis.
His purpose is to get these men in who
should not be disqualified. The States
old soldiers had been called OFF to war
when they should'have been learning to
read and write. The argument of my
friend must fall to the ground. 1t can
not stand Mr.. Patton had no right to
assume that the committee intended
that the plan should be enforced dis
honestly. This assumption was not
bone out by the facts, so far as he
could ascertain. In 80 cases out of 100
the white man coulG understand,
while the Iegro could not. The white
man associated with other intelligent
white people and became intelligent
by contact The negro, on the other
hand. associated with the more igno.
rant class of his own race.
Governor Sheppard said but for this
question of The negro this convention
would never have been called. They
were frank in admitting what they
! proposed to do. They ought not to
find difficulty in displaying the most
| perfect good faith in the exercise of
their judgment. He was compliment
tary to the committee on it's painstak-
ing work. His objection to the com.
mittee's article he could state in brief.
He would say that he would vote for
any plan that will leave it to a board
or to any man to determine the quail
fcation OF any man for suffrage.
have said invariably since [ came
here, and before | came here, that |
: would never vote for any provision
that would leave the right of voting
to any official. believe that the plan
reported by the committee is constitu-
tiOnal, and l believe that the plan pro-
posed by the substitute is also consti-
tutional. The only question is which
plan is to accomplish the purpose most
In accordance with the laws of the
United States.
Mr.. President, call the attention
of this convention to the fact that
there is no discrimination on account
OF race, color or previous condition of
servitude. Both races we're in the
war; both colors were in the war. AS
a matter of fact there Is no discrimina-
tion In it. Mr.. Farrow, of Charleston,
says that at that time class of our
people we're not citizens and could not
be. AS, Mr.. President, that is ad-
dressed to the substitute, l ask if it
does not also address itself to the re-
port of the committee as we'll For at
that time not 10 per cent. Of the same
people could read or write. No, gem
tlemen of the convention, do not be
frightened from voting for this substi-
tute because they claim that it is un-
constitutional, for they can not sub
nit your authority for it, We desire
to give the right of suffrage to men
who have sacrificed th cir blood for it..
Jefferson said that men who had
fought for their country should have
tale told by o Confederate soldier who
lost his leg at Chickamauga. After
Mr.. Cleveland presented his free trade
message this gentleman, who had
been Democrat ever since the war,
went to the chairman Of the Republi-
can club and told him to enroll his
name, that he could not stand this free
trade business. The next day he went
to him and told him to take his name
Off of that club roll. The chairman
asked him why, and the gentleman
last night. dreamed that l visited
the battlefield of Chickamauga, and
as [ stood upon the spot where [ stood
that day, upon the spot where | saw
my old captain stand to his post, and
felt the touch Of the elbow of my com
rades on the right and left, the spot
where lost my leg, and whore | saw
around me the bodies of my friends,
and | was much distressed by the re-
collection of that day as stood there
saw leg come hopping over the
field toward me. | saw that it was the
leg had left upon that field, traces OF
blood upon 1t, and l desired to get
away from those memories, and fed
and the leg pursued me. came to a
fence and leaped over it, and the leg
followed me, by one gigantic effort
clearing the fence, and began kicking
me, and it kicked me three miles be-
cause | had gone back on the memo
ries of my Confederate friends and com.
rades."
, QIt was a strange coincidence that the
speaker who took the floor Just after
, Governor Sheppard had concluded his
one-leg story was Mr.. Bradham, Con
federate veteran with only one arm
He spoke on the committees side. He
said In substance:
{ am not g lawyer and do not know
the constitutionality OF this nor of an,
} other measure, but do know some
thing Of the people of my county. d,
know something OF the Confederate sol
, dier. II, as my friend from Horny re
: marked, the dead soldiers could aris,