The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-17

brought in. In the majority of in- stances I have acted as acting Chair man of the Convention, the Chairman being usually engaged in presiding over the Convention I desire not only to oppose the adoption of the report but to go on record as not being a partic- ipant in the methods by which the res olution is offered.
 MT. Lowe Gefferson)-''The letter
 killeth but the spirit give.h life" The gentleman has protested against the partisan action of the Rules Commit
 tee. I am gratif1ed that at one stage | of these proceedings 1 am able to be
 in accords-with the action of the Rules
 Committee. What has the Rules Com
 mittee done? It has offered this Con- | vention an opportunity to vote upon a vexed question which has disturbed your deliberations for many days. Com | pare the action of the Rules Commit tee with the action of the other com | mittee. of which the distinguished del- egate from Mobile has the honor to be
 Chairman. That Committee saw fit to pigeon-hole an ordinance. thereby de- nying the delegates on this floor an op- | portunfty to express themselves upon it. and he complains as the gored jay | might vince. when the Rules Commit | tee comes and proposes to this Con- vention to permit them an opportuni-
 ty to express their preference upon the question which has held to this Con-
 vention for several days. I am aston ished that one with so great an intel l lect, and so accustomed to forensic de- bate. should have fallen into the error of impeaching the action of the Rules Committee. thereby bringing it in con trast with the action of his own Com | mjttee before the delegates of this Con- vention. Mir. President, it might bet ter have suited the gentleman to have denied the delegates here an opportu- | nifty to vote. Can it ever be unfair to give the majority opportunity to ex- press themselves? For what other purpose is the Rules Committee con- | tinued? The Rules Committee has per | formed their ordinary functions when | they reported the ordinary rules of this Convention. For what purpose are | they continued in office. except to meet an emergency like this. They have of | fered for days and days their merely | technical defences against the assaults of the majority of this Convention.
 How will they justify themselves be- | fore the people of the State if they have | to rely upon the fact of resorting to dilatory tactics hiding behind mere | technical defences they have denied | this Convention the right 10 express it. self Can this Convention tie its hands | so that a majority of the Convention cannot express its will? Why. the statement of the proposition carries | with it its answer. Why. MT. Presi- dent and gentlemen of the Convention | you have seen on several occasions In | this hall. when this question was pre- sented when we asked that the ques- tion merely be submitted to the vote xxyhn nnnnEQ6 will of the majority have sought to ex- plain themselves behind the technical rules of the Convention. For what pur- | pose were the rules made? The rules were made for the purpose of getting i the expressions speedily of the will or the majority. When rules fail to sub serve that purpose the rules should De destroyed.
 MT. Walker-Why. then. is this reso- | lution confined to one question ana not
 made applicable to all.
 MT. Lowe-I will answer the gentle | man. Because the emergency required that the Rules Committee should act on this occasion. The minority Is seek ing here to deny the majority the righI | to Iegislate. The gentleman is too good a lawyer and too good technl- cal lawyer not to understand all of his
 legal and technical defences. but in this Convention of the people, or the | peoples representatives a technical rule should not be allowed to stand Tn the way of the majority. Now what are we seeking to do? Those of us who seek to change. to amend. they defend | ed themselves the other day behind the l technical rule that you could not amend Section 2S because a motion to recon sider had already been made. Gentle-
 men of the Convention I submit to you that a technical objection ought not to
 be made and thrown in the way or the expression of the will Of the majority
 They have for three or four days con
 tinued those dilatory tactics ana now they accuse the Committee on
 Rules of being arbitrary and
 unfair because they, in pursu-
 ance of the functions intrusted 10 them are providing that majority ot
 the Conv ention shall find means CT ex. p,ession Those of US Wno are oppo5eu to tho clause in the article as 1t now stands are seeking merely 10 re-est1o- lish the law as 1t has stood inAlaoa- ma since Alabama was 8 State "Vlth the exception of the period or Repup- lican administration under RepaoN- can Constitution rose in wrath ani destroyed at the first opportunity. MT. President why should We depart rom
 the ways of the fathers. What good reason has been shown that We should derart from a method of selecting your prosecuting attorneys, the method that has been pursued since lSl3. say
 ir my judgment that tt.is Constitution
 of the fathers ought net to he touche1 unless it he in response to demand that has grown up among the people and finds expression in this nall ny large decisive majority.
 MT Oates-Does not tEe gentleman ! know that it was in observance os the conservatism of a rule technical though he calls it. which saved the
 South from being reconstructed by the passage of :he Force Rill.
 Mr. Lowell am not ie1liLs in the past My eva n~" fVti upon the eu- ture, I am loo f.r the rising sun.
 We need mono ty the South today.
 If teehnicalltics have suhserved their
 purpose n the Lsst. let not odinm
 come upon tcchr:cailies for thWarting
 the will of the people in the present.
 MT. President. there Is little to be said
 in favor of thn alteration of that sec
 tion in the article which Is assliled
 by the majority of this Convention.
 Those who have sought to defend it
 have dope so behind technical grounds
 merely. I hope that the motion to take
 from the table will prevail. I hope that
 this section will be reconsid 4re,l l
 know that in my section. an1 l an
 thoroughly convinced in many other
 portions of the State of Alabama
 Mir Smith (AlObile)-I rise tn A uOint