The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-09
CUNNINGHAM IN FLORENCE
He Ably Defended the New Consti- tuition in Presence of . Large
 Audience.

Florence, Oct s.-(Special.)-Dr R. M Cunningham spoke last night at the court
 house and was introduced to large and enthusiastic crowd of ladies and gentle men by Hon. Emmet O'Neal in splen did but impassioned burst of oratory, ir which he paid a glowing tribute 70 the
 rew Constitution. saying that future gen. CT tions would rise and call those mel blessed who had so wisely framed it. Dr. Cunningham discussed certain con- ditions in a clean and logical manner and
 won his audience by his eioquence and forceful arguments. He said there could
 be no disagreement; that republican form of government endorsed the idea that what the majority did was right; that was true If the electorate was pa-
 triotic, honest, intelligent and interested
 In the results of government If the
 verdict of the majority was the result Of
 selfishness, dishonesty, ignorance or in- difference, then 1t would be wrong, hence
 the necessity for a patriotic, honest and
 intelligent electorate. all of which the white men as a race possess by inheri- tance. education and interests.
 He reviewed the national and historical differences between the races. showing that the white man was entitled to gov ern both from the standpoint of nature and achievement and that the negro only won the privilege by demonstrating his | fitness for suffrage. He discussed the difference between natural rights, citi- | zen rights and the voting privilege. He
 said that there was no such thing as uni versai suffrage, nor even of manhood suffrage; that suffrage was enacted by
 sex. age. character and other qualified | tions. Therefore. the only question was | the extent or degree of limitations.
 The opponents of the new Constitution preferred the limitations of the old which put the white man and the negro upon exact equality, politically, rather than the new Constitution which undoubtedly Him.
 ited the suffrage nearly and almost who'll ly to the white man, and that, too, with
 out disfranchising single white man.
 except for crime.
 He explained fully the suffrage provis-
 ions of the new Constitution, declaring that under the temporary plan all white men could and would register and not
 more than or 10 per cent of the negro
 would do so. He discussed the terms of the soldier and descendant clause. which
 were adopted as suffrage regulations be-
 cause these new qualifications were al-
 most universally possessed by the 1white
 man and very limitedly possessed by the negro. He said he would not discuss the
 cohstitutionality of these clauses, But If there was doubt, and the question was whether he should swallow the negro and throw up the doubt or swallow the doubt
 and throw up the negro, then, he would swallow the doubt and not the negro.
 He said that we were confronted with
 one or two conditions, to wit: First, fair
 elections and honest count which meant negro domination in at least twenty counties in the State and negro balance of power in the rest of the counties; or,
 second, the maintenance of white suprem-
 acy by perpetual fraud and it's conse-
 quences. He said that one generation
 which righteously stole from necessity.
 the next and succeeding generations
 would depravedly steal from choice. In