The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-31
A HARD FIGHT AT COLUMBIA.
TILLMAN TAKES A HAND IN THE
sPEECHMAKING.

/ The Patton Substitute Killed by
Vote of 1I7 to 2O-The Suffrage
Committee Then Makes several
Amendments to Its Article as Re
ported Congressman Wilson
Urges That the "GenernI Under
standing" Provision BE Made Per-
petunI.
Columbia, S. c.. Oct. 3.-In the consti-
tutional convention to-day there has been
battle royal all day on the all-important
suffrage problem. The question under dis
cussion has been the Patton substitute,
which would make all confederate ana
union soldiers and their descendants quail
ihed There has been no end Of talk about
fraud. The article reported by the COM
mittee with its understanding" clause
has been attacked with great force on all
sides, and denounced as a mere subter-
fuge. Strong speeches have been made
by Messrs. McGowan, Bryan, Farrow,
Gov. Sheppard and others. When the
hour for a recess arrived Mr.. Bryan OF
Charleston was attacking the constitu-
tionalty of the Patton scheme and sus-
tanning the committees report. An er-
fort was made to force vote on the SUBJ
stitute, but it failed.
At the night session there was quite
a lively time. Mr. Patton's scheme was
| killed by a vote of III to 90
The committee then made several
amendments to its article as reported.
and left the important clauses reading
thus;
Co Up to Jan. 1, 1898, all male persons
of voting age who can read a clause in
| this constitution or understand and ex-
plain 1t when read to them by the regis
tratlon officer shall be entitled to regis
| ter and become electors. A separate rec
| ord OF all persons registered before Jan.
!, 1888, sworn to by the registration officer,
SNAIL be Med. one copy with the clerk OF
| court ana one in the office of the secretary
| OF state on or before Feb. /, 1898, and such
| persons shall remain during life qualified
| electors, unless disqualified by the other
| provisions of this article. The certificate
of the clerk Of court of the secretary Of
state shall be sufficient evidence to estab-
| lish the right of said citizens 10 any fu-
lure registration and the franchise under
the limitations herein imposed.
D) Any person who shall apply for
| registration after Jan. /, 1898, If other
wise qualified, shall be registered:
Provided that he can both read and
write any section of this constitution,
or can show that he owns and has paid
all taxes collectable during the previous
year on property in this state assessed
at $500 or more.
Congressman Wilson offered a substi-
tute for subdivision &C" which was to
make the general understanding pro-
vision perpetual, and the only qualihca-
ton. lie spoke to this at great length
He wanted to make the report of the
committee douhly secure against the
fourteenth amendment There We're
things in the report which should
not be there. Had Il not been for these
two amendments-the fourteenth and ff-
tenth-there would be no need for this
convention. They might ransack all the
ages Of vandalism and nowhere could
they find a parallel to the crime COM
| m when
ended The negroes had only Just
emerged at that time from a state of
savagery. 1t was a crime to put them
in charge Of the southland. From 1881
to the present time there had been no
fraud whatever. He wished to deny that
controlled by fraud. But they
were now at at road crossing. The
: committee came and presented a
whether il was to be adopted or not.
am deprlving them of nothing. We are
teenth amendment we are mere 10
frame a constitution that Is the best for
the great mass of the people. The great
mass Of them were unnt for the educa-
tional qualifications. He was going to
do his duty, guided by his conscience
They did not have to be controlled by
what the north might say. The idea OF
this clause was all right, but 1t goes too
far. Three years from now what Will be
the condition of the negro race. They
are being educated rapidly. Why restrict
Z the qualification to education. when the
; broader Distinction is possible to be
made Refinement and civilization
could soon change the matter He want
| ed to keep the distinction there not only
up to 1898, but on for every year.
Senator Tillman then rose and the crowd
ed hall was instantly so quiet that one
could hear a pin drop Senator Tillman
! | made a remarkable speech. He said: 1T
has been my purpose from the beginning
, of this day to have something to say on
| this article as q whole, but that time has
not yet arrived. l am sick, and nothing but
| WillpOWer has kGpt me on this floor since
Yesterday morning. 1 shall confine myself
to a very brief answer to the gentlemen
from Spartanburg More or statement
than argument. The trouble here, sir,
seems to be in the mind of some men that
} the poor white men must be protected at
any and every cost with scornful empha-
| sisO If there is one man on this floor who
has tried to do more to elevate the poor
white man of this state; to help them, to
give them a chance to educate themselves
and their sons that they might have
equal protection Of the law in the govern
| ment than myself, l do not know him. 1t
is cheap and demagogic argument which
some gentlemen delight in. l have been
myself charged with demagogism because
| / have championed the rights OF this class
| of citizens The gentleman from Spartan
burg presents to US scheme which sim
; | ply perpetuates the existing evil. We are
held up to the scorn Of this nation by rea-
son of our political registration and eight
box laws and when this convention was
! called for the purpose or relieving us of
the necessity of continuing that system.
1
to face with the champions Of that system
to be perpetuated, and if possible made
| worse.
MIR President, this convention dare not
adopt the amendment presented by the
| gentleman from Spartanburg. The con-
vention considered the Mississippi plan,
which is based on this idea, and we uni
versallv agreed that to make 1t perma-
nent was to jeopardize the entire fabric
which we are constructing here, and at
the same time to continue the evils which
now exist. Some one has said: Why do
you bring 1t in temporarily
Simply because we desire to have a
scheme that will take care Of the poor
white man and Of such negroes as were
qualified by reason of good. citizenship
| and high character and intelligence who
might be able to understand the clause
of the constitution when read to them and
not draw the color line.
1.-THE legal arguments presented at the
conference were, 1 thought, disposed Of in
the mind of every man on this floor. You
cannot make this understanding clause
prominent The idea was presented and
withdrawn in that conference, and IL Is
broughl back here to-day for what?
II don't want to impugn anybody's mo-
tive huf fhe gentleman from Spartan