The morning news., 1897-02-27
SAMSON POPE ON THE STAND.
CONDEMNS SOUTH CAnOLINA'S CON-
STITUTION.

He Characterizes the Constitutional
| Convention as Great Fraud aud
| Reviews at Length the Circnm-
stances Attending It-SnSs Tnhnnn
and Others Entered Into COnspIr-
ncy-COnStitutiOn Never Submitted
To the People and Those Framing
1t Never Took the Oath.
| Washington, Feb. 26.--The committee on
the election of President, Vice President
and members of congress to-day heard
further argument in the alleged South
| Carolina election frauds.
DR.. Samson Pope, independent candidate
| for governor, took the stand
| DR.. Pope characterized as a great fraud
the constitutional convention and review
ed at length the circumstance attending
it. Uneasy for fear that the conservative
element of the state would join the re-
publicans and form a just constitution,
| he said, the democratic leaders, Senator
| Tillman and others, entered into a most
damnable agreement. The schemes to
which they bound themselves and their
followers provided, among other things,
! that no white man should be dsfran-
chised except for crime, that the whites
should be insured supremacy, and the
constitution, when adopted, should not
again be submitted to the people He
had gone into the courts and endeavored
| to stop the election of delegates to the
convention, but had been unsuccessful.
South Carolina, he held, was out in the
cold as far as representation in congress
was concerned. 1t was admitted to the
union provided that It did hot change
the constitution of 1868, which was APP
proved by congress. The legislature had
broken faith long ago, and, as a matter Of
| fact, no senator or representative demo-
crat or republican. had a right to sit in
| the national Legislature.
| Further, when the present constitution
was adopted, 1t was never submitted to
| the people for ratification, those framing
| it never took the oath, and number of
| them held other offices under the state
| government. The provisions of the con-
| stitution were violated in each instance
| The result was that thousands were de-
| barred from suffrage.
| These were facts, and il the committee
would go to South Carolina and take testi-
mony, or send for persons and papers, 1t
| could easily get at the facts. IL was an
| important matter. and one which con-
gress should look into.
| Mr. Corliss, rep, of Michigan said that
the memorials presented by Representa-
| tive Murray. and which were subject of
/ the hearing, were addressed ITO the Con-
gress of the United States" and asked
| MIR. Pope ii he thought, under these cir
cumstances, the injury should not be
| joint, the Senate participating.
Mr.. Pope replied that he thought joint
inquiry would have been better.
Mr.. Curtis, rep, of New York. chair
| man of the committee, said that this was
an important question, and he would like
Mr.. Pope to submit his view on It fully.
Replying, Mr.. Pope said that each house
was the judge of the election of its own
members. The constitution guaranteed
a republican form of government to each
state. If South Carolina did not have
| such form of government 1t had no right
to representation. Although the House
| could act independently, but, individually
he favored a joint investigation. The
| question as far as he knew, had never
been advanced before. The committee
should not look for precedeuts, but should
| blaze the way for itself.
| Reference was made to the fact that
| Massachusetts had an educational provis-
ion regarding the right of suffrage in its
| constitution
Mr.. Pope said that this was so, but 1t
applied to those coming of age and those
entering the state. and not to those en-
1 titled to vote when 1t was enacted
The right to suffrage, once given became
| vested right, and a citizen could not be
| divested of such a right except for crime.
| This, in itself, was an important matter
| to be considered in connection with the
| new constitution of Carolina.
| Replying to a question by Mr.. Talbert,
| dem. of South. Carolina, as to the part he
took in certain legislation in the state, he
said that It was enacted before he became
a member of the Legislature. He added
| that the scales had fallen from his eyes,
he was now a protectionist and an out
/ spcken republican and he only regretted
that he had not Joined this party twelve
| years ago. He was in IL now TO stay and
would work to convert the people OF his
state. He even hoped to convert his friend,
! Mr.. Taibert.
Ex-Representative smalls said that the
democratic governor and not the legisla-
/ ture had decided that the constitution
should not be submitted 70 the people.
Mr. Wilson replied that the old law did
not declare that new constitution should
be submitted to the people. II only pro-
| vi1ed that amendments to the constitution
/ should be submitted
Or. Pope, in the course Of the hearing,
| secured from Mr.. Wilson an admission that
| he (Pope) had right to contest the cleo
tion, and then declared that he had been
unable 10 prevail. upon any member of the
/ legislature to present his contest, and
when the speaker had been induced 10 sub
nit II, the assembly had voted II down
The committee then went into executive
| session and decided TO submit the facts
| gathered by them 20 the House with the
| recommendation that the whole matter be
referred to the next congress. In view Of
its importance, II was deemed unwise, at
| this late day OF the session. TO undertake
| the inquiry.
HAD HIS EYE ON BANK FUNDS.