The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-03-03
THE NEXT CONGRESS
Will Pass on South Carolina
Franchise Law.

IlGStQ6nt duu uGWDeIS VI CouS ICoo
to-day heard further argument in the
alleged South Carolina election
frauds.
DE-. Sampson Pope, Independent
candidate for governor, took the
stand DR.. Pope characterized as a
great fraud the constitution conven-
tion. aud reviewed at length the Cir
cumstances attending it Uneasy for
fear that the Conservative element of
the State would join the Republicans
aud form a just Constitution, he
said. the Democratic leaders, Sena
tor Tillman and others, entered into
a moss damnable agreement The
scheme to which they bound them
selves and their followers provided,
among other things. that no white
man should be disarancbised except
for crime that the whites should be
insured supremacy, aud the Constitu-
ton when adopted should not be sub
mitted to the people. He had gone
into the courts sad endeavored to
stop the election of delegates to the
convention, but had been unsuccess-
ful:
South Carolina, he said, was out in
the cold. so far as representation in
congress was concerned 1t was ad-
mitted to the Union provided that it
did not change the Constitution of
1868, which was spproved by con-
gress. The Legislature of the State
had broken faith long ago, and, as a
matter of fact, no senator or repre-
sentative, Democrat or Republican.
had right to sit in the national leg
islatnre Further. when the present
Constitution was adopted, it 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
Constitution were violated in each
instance. The result was that thou
sands were debarred from suffrage
These were facts. and if the commit
tee would go to South Carolina and
take testimony, or send sor persons
and papers. it could easily get at the
facts. It was an important matter
and one which congress should look
into.
Mr.. Corliss (Rep of Michigan
said that the memorials presented by
Mr. Murray. and which were the
subject of the hearing, were address
ed .sto the congress Of the United
States" and asked Dr.. Pope if he
thought. u1der these circumstances,
the inquiry should not be joint, the
senate participating. Dr. Pope re-
piled that he thought joint inquiry
would have been bette
Mr.. Curtis (Rep of New York,
chairman of the committe, said that
this was an important question, and
he would like Dr. Pope to submit his
views on it fully
Replying, Dr.. Pope said that each
house was the judge of the election
Of its members The Constitution
guaranteed republican form of gov
ernmens to each State. If South
Carolina did rot have such form Of
government it had no right to repre-
eentation. The house committee. he
thought, could act independently,
but individually he favored joint in
ves:igation. The question. as far as
he knew. had never beer advanced
before The committee should not
look for precedents, but should blaze
q way for itself
Reference was made to the fact
that Massachusetts had an educa-
tional provision regarding the right
of suffrage in it's Constitution.
DR.. Pope said that this was so, but
1t applied to those coming of age
and those entering the State and not
those entitled to vote when it was
enacted The right to suffrage. once
given, became vested right, and a
citizen could not be divested of such
right except for crime This, in
itself was an important matter to be
considered in connection with the
new Constitution of South Carolina
Replying to question by Mr.. Tai
bert Dem. } of South Carolina as to
the part he took in certain legislation
in the State, he said that it was en-
acted before be became member of
the legislature. He added that the
scales bad fallen from his eyes, be
was now protectionist and an out
spoken Republican, be only regretted
that he had not joined this party IL
years ago He was in it now to stay
and would work to convert the peo-
pie his State He even hoped to
convert his friend, Mr. Talbert
Mr.. Sails said that the Democratic