The age-herald., 1901-07-25
MT. Bowie Aoain speaks.

NIT. 6OWle aSa1n JnlnkS the maJOr1Jy report of the suffrage committee needs attention, although it was prepared, so he says, "by the greatest lawyer in the South" Evidently the people of Alabama do not accept this estim- ate, for they put another in his place on the bench.
 But this is neither here nor there, MT. Bowie's astonishing percentages are much more to the point. By throwing wizard-fashion the temper ary and the permanent plan together he ciphers out that scarcely man will be subjected to the hazards and rigors of the good-character clause not one in a hundred, he says. | Now, what are the cold, straightfor- ward facts? In the first place, in this year of grace 1901 the instrument pre- pared by the convention, including the suffrage article prepared by the great | est lawyer in the South, will be sub mitted to the entire electorate as 1t stands today, whites, blacks, blues and speckled. All can vote this year that ever voted at all.
 In the year 1902 only old soldiers, their sons and grandsons, and such others as have "good character and who understand the duties and obliga- tions of citizenship under republican form of government" can vote. A man may read and write to beat the band, or he may be as rich as Croesus or Schwab, yet he may not be able to vote in 1902 where officers, both State and county, will be elected for terms of four years, including a Legislature and United States Senator.
 | If the registrars do their duty in 1902 the voting in that year will be practically confined to old soldiers, who deserve well of the State, and to their sons and grandsons, some of whom do not deserve well of the State, and none of whom are entitled to life electoral privileges over their fellows. For the good character clause calls for lawyers and profound scholars only, men who have studied Cooley and Kent and DeTocquevllle and other great writers, and as these lawyers and scholars must also be men of good character, it is not certain that any would be able to stand the test at the hands of stern and capable registrars. But the good character clause will be loosely construed; it was put in the suffrage article for that purpose, and an estimate of 25 per cent is none too high of those who will be registered under it.
 It is difficult to say how many would register under the grandfather clause of 1902. The New Orleans Times-Dem ocrat says that limited number only availed themselves of the clause in its State, and correspondent of the Mont gomery Advertiser in Pickens County recently talked with 68 old soldiers and he ascertained that GA were op posed to heredity voting. The regis tration in this State under the grand father clause may be very light, be- cause in 1903 the scenes will be. shifted again and still another suffrage scheme will come into operation, and if man registers in 1902 as an old soldier or a "son" he may be considered to have confessed himself illiterate, unintelli gent or poverty-stricken. The danger is that many will prefer to come in under the qualifications of 1903 rather than submit proof as "son" or stand the fire of the good character clause in 1909.
 No scheme of suffrage of equal I length or complexity has ever been devised in this country. None has ever approached in these respects the