The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-25


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 when we are safe. when whI16 eu5 acy is safe fn Alabama, nb9oluteiy e14gt and there never will come q time wne4 there will be danger of negro d5usln1e tion In Alabama, adopt the report 2! the majority of the Committee7 VIII you then for an experiment.. when tn4 people cry for bread give them . sfonef ' do not confine my objection t0 tn9 erandfather clause, but that is thor oughiy obnoxious to me. Take tne grandfather clause. however. with the other, ard in . Republic, where eu white men are created equal, man because his grandfather served In tho army. would be entitled to ( pffvilege that another white man would not be entitled to. Is that fair and h accord with Democratic doctrine2 know but by one light by which my feet should be guided. It Is not only the light o8 experience, but the light of prtncipio- The right of a man to vote In AiA- bama should be plain. It should be 70 plain that the way-farer, though q fool, need not err therein. It should ue so plain that he who runs should read. will you substitute for our present magnificent system of fraud. long tried and well established. a commission established from central once n Montgomery? You tell me that l. means white supremacy! They may have intended 1t SO, and impugn the motives of no man. know the Cou1- mittee was composed of men the peers of any man in Alabama. I know thae they came here with the same impulsg that came, I know that they are au as honest men-most of them as honest az I am. I know that very few of them desire to acquire political power by the establishment of c permanent Heg- istration Board in Montgomery. but ie is significant, gentlemen of the Con- yention, that not one of them who has spoken has defended the propositions they have submitted to you--not one Of them. They have spoken in generali- ties. They have spoken of the great ness of our race. That I believe in. They have spoken of the magnificent development of our State. They have told us about reconstruction, but they have been very silent as to their Board of Registration.
 yet.
 MT. Lowe-It was all open. under the ruling of the Chair for them to reach it. It is an arbitrary selection, and ie is strange to say they selected the only two State officers that have to stand for reelection. Both of them are my personal friends, and both of them | will ardently support for re-eiaetton. Gentlemen. they denied us the right to speak In caucus, behind closed doors; a,nara on snis ., shs ussc,U css. GUS had invited the call of the caucus. If say now what may seem to be in1- prudent hope will be entitled to in- diligence upon that score. They pro- pose in the first place, to fasten upon the people what2 The first qualifica- ton I am thoroughly in accord with. All who have honorably served in the land or naval forces of the United States in the war of 1872 or in the war with Mexico or in any way with tue Indians or in the civil war between the States or in the war with Spains or who honorably served in the land or naval forces of the Confederate States or of the State of Alabama in the war between the States. am thoroughly in favor of that. Whenev- CT a citizen of Alabama has barred hia breast to the bullets of the enemy. \ say he is entitled to his place and he is entitled to the rights of citizen ship without denial and withous fimi- tation whatever. The next sections The lawful descendants of persons
 
 naval forces Of the United States in the war of the American revolution or in the war of 1S12." Gentlemen, for what did men serve in the war of the American revolution? It was to over- turn the law of entail. 1t was to de- stroy forever the law of successton In rights. privileges or franchises of their descendants. and shall Alabama In this late day, return to the old doc- trine- for which the very men whose descendants you expect to pick out, forfeited their lives to defeat. If. to do a great right. you do little wrong it will be an example whereby. in after days, many evils may rush in to affiict the State. Are you going to depart from the principles that those men fought for the men who did the fight ing, whose descendants you seek to crystalize into a special class? Are you going to depart from the princi- ples that inspired them. and for what? Not to preserve white supremacy in Alabama. White supremacy is secure enough In Alabama. For what purpose then are yen going to do 1t? Now let me tell you what I believe. I believe that a descendant of a soldier of the evoIution-I believe that the son of the soldier in the war for the dissolu- ton of the Union. who has so far for- gotten the principles that inspired his father. that he Is not able to qualify under the rule you prescribe In Ala bama for voting. is not worthy to vote. Would you believe that your son. any one of you. would ask special privileges in the matter of qualifica- tion for voting as against the son of your slave? Would you be gratified to know that your son would ask tho state of Alabama to pass a law that discriminateJ in his favor as against the son of slave when 1t came 10 a matter of the right to vote? That 0 what you say here.
 Gentlemen. the whole scheme is not in favor of fair elections. I will not question the motive of those who pre- pared it, but l declare to you that the scheme. as presented by the Jnajority of this Committee. permits the most infamous frauds that were ever plan ned in Alabama. They provide for d Committee on Registration. They pro- vide means for iimicing the nsfnper- ship of the Registration Board. They will register them for this year, and every negro that registers may be over forty-five years Of age, and will be voting forty-ftve years hence. do not say they will do 1t. or that they intend to, but 1 say that this scheme permits them to do it. l say there are counties in Alabama where 1t will be impossible to do 1t, and 1 say there are counties in Alabama where 1t will be entirely practicable, and the Chair men of the Committee is not ill-ad- Vised as to Nome of the counties in