The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-03


 tion and the answer very promptly giv- er was that do not believe any such thing. When I look In the races ol these men here, I cannot believe any such thing as that. We have got the same blood in our veins that they have in theirs, and we have worked together and we have prayed over these things for these many years. We have met hero to watch the fruition of our de- sires and we have worked and Workeo together for this purpose, and although the great volume of the result or that work have come from the section that represent. say that the gentie- men who came from different sections came with all the patriotism of the peo- ple of the Black Belt. Mir. Chairman, do not believe any such proposition as that, notwithstanding the remarks of the gentleman from Tuscaloosa. l believe the citizens of his county are more patriotic than he believes them to be. I believe that the citizens or a county that gets more out or the State Treasury in proportion to the amount put in, have more patriotism about them than to throw us onto the tender mercies orthe negro in order to allow a few men to vote that are not willing to contribute S1.5o to the edu- cation of the barefooted boys Of Ala bama.
 MT. Foster-I want to correct the statement of the gentleman that Tus- caloosa County gets more from the State Treasury than it pays In for schools and county purposes.
 Mir Reese-That is not the statement. did not intend to say that.
 MT. Toster-I will state, too, that the people of Tuscaloosa are with you on this proposition.
 ArtI am glad to have the gentleman from Tuscaloosa confirm me in my opinion P about the people of Tuscaloosa. What meant to say was, there was no money that went into the county, be- cause it is a county that uses for its educational and other institu- tions, which I think have been con- ducted along patriotic lines. I think that the people of Tuscaloosa will not be unwilling to dsfranchise negroes at IS cents apiece. MT. President, when you pay s1. 50 for a poll tax. in Dallas County, I believe you disfranchise ten negroes. The proportion, I believe, of negroes which this poll tax provision win disfranchise will be ten negroes to one white man, and. MT. President, l want to apologize to these retained counsel of the
 MT. Lowe-I think he should indi- cate the retained counsel to whom he refers.
 The PresideEt-The gentleman from Jenerson is out of order unless the gentleman from Dallas yields.
 MT. Lowe-Give us the names.
 MT. Reese-I cannot be interrupted in the middle of a sentence. I want to apologize to the retained counsel of the barefooted boy that I am not try ing to burglarize into his case and take away his client. I am not posing in the attitude of the attorney for the barefooted boy, but say that this $1.50 goes to the barefooted boy, and to the boy that has got pair of shoes. It goes for educationa. purposes, and. MT. President, let us rise above these things and let us educate our people, and when we pay $1 50 we disfranchise ten negroes. and we help to educate a whole lot of white boys. Now, be- lieve like the gentleman from Sumter. I have great confidence in the people. l have a great deal more in the people than I have in the politicians, and believe when we go to the people of Alabama and say We are building up your country here, give us this $50 for educational purposes and for the disfranchiseraent of a vicious and use less class, Mr. President, they will give it to yor, Now, givc us this relief in the Black Belt, and I believe it will relieve us of the situation and be sat- isfactory to our people. tdr. Long-I will ask question:
 Mr. Reese-I promised the gentleman from Pike to yield to him.
 MT. Long-If the poll tax disfran- chises so many negroes, why is it yes- terday you wanted the property and educational qualifications in there?
 MT. Reese-l want to correct the statement of the gentleman from Lau- serdale. He says there are about twen- ty-five hundred lterate white people In Dallas County I am satisfied he meant literate voters.
 Mir ONeal-I mean literate voters.
 MT. Pitts--The county which I have n part the honor to represent has a population of fifty-four thousand in round numbers. Of that only ten thousand are white and fortyfour thousand are negroes, and a great many of those negroes are educated md a great many of them own prop .rty. We do not desire to disfranchise | good negro. We are on the floor of .his Convention to vote against it. If ne pays taxes, we think that he ought to vote. We honestly believe it, if he Is good citizens; but I want to say this, Mir President, we do not desire and cannot turn over completely into the hands of the negro, and we believe that the white people of Alabama will aid us in preventing this terrible catas- trophe. Now, I want to thank the dis tinguished gentleman from Lauderdale for what he has said in favor of the people of the Black Belt. and I simply desire to add to what he has said, that If they will keep the poll tax as is pro- vided for by the report of the Commit tee, we will be satisfied. We of the Black Belt desire that 1t should be from q years of age to 60 years of aae. but some of the delegates from the white counties suggested that 1t would not be treating them right, and we are here willing to give. whenever it is possible to do so we are willing to give. Mir. Lowe (Jefferson)-Will the gen. t;eman pardon me? I would like to know how it is that the gentleman supposes that the delegates from the white counties-the gentleman says the delegates from the white coun- ties
 MT. Pitts-I did not hear
 MT. Lowe-You say delegates from white counties
 Mir. Pitts-Yes. sir said so.
 MT. Lowe-I would like to know if the gentleman will designate upon the floor of this Convention any time when the delegates from the white counties have opposed the delegates from the Black Belt
 MT. Pitts-I don't think it Is neces-