Evening star., 1901-09-05
LAST OF PREAMBLE
Big Crowd at Virginia Convention to
Hear the Speeches.
MR.. FLOOD FOR SUBMISSION
Mr.. Glass Will Close for an
Abridged Electorate.
END OF PREAMBLE TALK

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
RICHMOND, Va, September 5-The
closing day of the debate on the preamble
and bill of rights brought an immense
crowd to the convention hall today to hear
the expected speeches of Messrs. Flood OF
Appomattox and Glass of Lynchburg, the
former in favor of submitting the new
constitution to the present electorate, the
latter favoring an abridged electorate. The
gentlemen named are conceded to be the
leaders Of the two sides in the convention
on this proposition. Messrs. A. j. Mon
tague, JOS E. Willard, Beverly Harrison,
J. Taylor Ellyson. Capt. r. E. Freeman
and other distinguished gentlemen were on
the floor -.........
President Goode called the body to order
at IL o'clock. prayer being offered by the
Rev. c. P. Scott of Barton Heights. Sew
eral memorials were submitted protesting
against sectarian appropriations. the tax
alton of secret orders and favoring the
Barbour resolution regulating the liquor
traffic.
Delegate Robertson of Roanoke offered
the following, which was adopted and then
reconsidered until after the conclusion OF
the debate:
Resolved That after the closing OF the
debate today the consideration of the pre-
amble to the constitution and all the pend
ing amendments thereto be postponed until
after the convention has adopted the sub
stance Of the constitution, and that after
that time the committee Of the whole be
discharged from the consideration thereof
until the further order of the convention"
Debate ON Preamble.
The convention resolved itself into COM
mittee OF the whole and the preamble and
bill Of rights was laid before the commit
tee.
Delegate Flood Of Appomattox was rec
ognized. He felt called upon. in view of
the part he had taken in the legislation
calling the convention. to explain his po-
sition in the matter. He impugned no
mans motives, votes or Views. but with
all the intensity of his nature he declared
that there was moral obligation that
the work of the convention should be SUBJ
mitted to the people for ratification, in
view of the pledge made at Norfolk. He
denied that the convention had the right
to proclaim the new constitution. The con-
vention of 1S29-3O had submitted their work
to an enlarged electorate and the doctrine
prevailing in the state was that the con-
Sttutlons should be submitted.
When the calling of the convention was
agtated 1t was submitted to the full electo-
rate. and the party was confronted with
the same danger at that time Of defeat 1t
would have were 1t submitted to the peo-
pie for ratification when the constitution
should have been framed.
The pledge committing the democratic
party Of the state was written by the dis
tinguished gentleman from Lynchburg.
The pledge said. "the people, Replying to
question by Mr.. Meredith as to whether
he Flood) would have voted for
the resolution had he understood that
1t was to be submitted to the negroes.
Mr.. Flood said: Il believe in dealing hon
pledge to mean exactly what It said Ap-
plause greeted this reply. The democratic
platform said what 1t meant, and meant
what It said. No discrimination was made
In tho 1oy, ~ he n1,,t{a opd ha
could imagine no other objection now
less 1t was, to use an old maxim, that the
end justified the means.
Mr Flood, In his speech eulog1zed Sena-
tor Daniel which evoked rounds Of ap-
plause.
Mr.. Glass; Remarks.
Delegate Glass of Lynehburg. the cham
pfon of submitting to an abridged cleo
torate. spoke earnestly. though he was
scarcely able physically to make the effort
Taking the Underwood constitution, Mr..
Glass challenged any man on the floor to
question his action or vote either upon the
ground Of legality or morality. He would
never vote to permit $4,000 illiterate
negroes to review the work Of a represent
ative Virginia gentleman His position was
known on this question when he was elect
ed, the contest having been made on that
point
He referred to a conference at the recent
Norfolk convention in which Senator Dan
lei. Judge Mann and others stated that It
was competent for the convention to SUBJ
init It's work to an abridged electorate
Over 200 men were present. and 1t was the
unanimous opinion that the constitution
should be submitted to an abridged cleo
torate. with the exception of one man, who
voted always for proclamation.
MIR. Glass defended the pledge, holding
that IL was never contemplated that the
negroes were to be called upon to vote for
the convention. Would the democrats urge
negroes TO vote for anything that the white
people favored? Would any man contend
that negroes were to be considered? The
republicans at Norfolk had denounced the
Flood resolution a fraud and were
pledged TO vote against it's every provision