The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-28

say we will cut down your rebforen<[ | tion If you disfranchise a certain p1I | centage of your male population~ 91t | We think that 1t Is wrong. and wo 4f1 | going to try and keep you from tt M 1 come down to Alabama and the boyu in the hill counties say we do not thInx you in the Black Belt should have fixe | times the voting strength as the whIto | men in the hill counties and therefore | they object to it. You go to the Mack | Belt counties, and you find that cift< | zens in a beat where there are live or six hundred negroes and a half dozeu white men do not want to lose thelE | political power in their county poliftcry l because you disfranchise these ncgroe4. | So you see this is an issue among your~ selves, There are others who say WeS | will not ratify this Constitution because | you put this and that into 1t. that goes into our back yard and takes . | portion of my pie. It is said that sont4 | of the Sheriffs will light 1t be0auee | they can be removed temporarily by l the Governor for neglect on cowardice | or connivance in lynching or bodily | harm to a prisoner. was told mySelf | hy Tax Assessor that this poll tar | which Is to be a voluntary patrt0tlc | contribution. that unless we provided means for enforcing it's collection woul4 | take seventy-five thousand dollars out
 of the pockets of the Tax Collectors Of | the State. Gentlemen of the Conven> | tion. let us rise above all these things; l let us rise above Black Belt and hill l counties. let us rise above every per-
 sonal interest and every selfish motive, l and in the name of God. natural law and humanity, justice to ourselves and ] out posterity, stand together. pull to- gether, work together and run togcth~ er (Applause.)
 Mir President, we are going to do it. And. sir, think I SC a new light. At present 1t Is dim. but I believe 1t to be | rising sun. It Is obscured by the clouds and mists. but in the rtftB gather a gleam that is an omen of the
 brightness and glory and splendor be- yond. If this sun continues to riee tu It's meridian of glory, it will dispell tho clouds and mists. and will reveal to tha
 civilized world a reunited. prosperou4s glorious and happy people. The maileQ hand of the tyrant, clad In the arunor Of the militant, will no longer be seen to hold by the throat asGreat. geneFou9s | brave, chivalrous and courageous by19 overpewered people. Instead of hat4 and prejudice, there will' be love and fairness. Instead of oppression ana usurpation. there wifi be, recoguttfon
  pet -bagger. and his grip. th1ra will be the capitalist and the s1Aborer. Instead of sise politician and his am- | bition. there will be the statesman aH1k patriot. Instead of racial -hatred ana | prejudices, there will be Christian | philanthropy and charity. Instead o& | Encouragement and despair. there will be hope and endless fruition. and may God speed the day. Proionged ap- pIause.)
 Mir. Sanford (Pike)-I desire to ask | unanimous consent to make a report from the Committee ton Engrossment~ | to lie upon the table and be called uR | in regular order on Monday morning. The consent was given and the re- port was read as follows:
 The Committee on Engrossment have
 examined and compared the following Article, to wit: Legislative Depart ment. and find it correctly engrossed. Respectfully submitted, Wm. H. Sanford. Chairman. Mir. Sanders-Mr. President, I move that the rules be suspended andrthat the speech of the distinguished gentle man from Jefferson. Mir. Cunningham who has just taken his seat, Ebe nrint~ ed in pamphlet form. andNthat tive thousand copies be furnished. Mir. Barefield-I would like to amend that by making 1t five thousand. MT. Sanders--I accept the ame2d- ment.
 Upon a vote being taken, the motion l was carried. MT. Martin secured recognition. MT O'Neal Gauderdale)-AsFtheSt ! for adjournment is rapidly approach- | ing, I make a motion that the Housog
 remain in session so as to allow fhes AswwnA axaw faf<..aN
 to deliver his remarks.
 vote was taken and the motion
 prevailed. MT Martin-Mr. President and gen. tlemen of the Convention, I know you
 are weary and that this is an unusual
 hour to rise for the purpose of ad- dressing a Convention after you have
 been in session as long as you have
 today. but ask the indulgence of this Convention for a few moments at least. It would be impossible for us to over-estimate the grave importance of the questions that are before you for consideration and determination. their far-reaching consequences AcannoE
 be over-estimated by you. Every cit- iZe of the State of Alabama Ia inter-
 ested in them Ss~-~0ur decision must tell for veal or for woe upon these
 who are to come after us. Gentlemen
 
 questions are. as momentuous and del-
 icate as they are. believe, and [
 thank God for the faith that is in me.
 that the delegates here assembled will prove equal to the occasion and from
 the wisdom and patriotism of this
 Convention there will spring a Con- stitution that will be to the people of the State of Alabama, e pillar of cloud by day and fire by
 night to lead them out of the darkness
 and the undesirable condition of af-
 fairs that surrounds them, a condition
 that was forced upon this people by
 the unwise. understandable and vic-
 ious legislation of the past. But, gen.
 tlemen. l care not hew wise you may
 be. l care not how patriotic you may
 be. there is one thing you cannot dcs
 You can shape and frame the funds-
 mental law of the State, but 1t will
 take that great power that sent us here
 the people themselves-to breathe life
 and vitality into it. Therefore, 1t is
 the earnest wish of my heart that we
 may so conduct ourselves as to be able
 to take the Constitution that we pro-
 pose in one hand and our conscience
 in the other and go back to our cOn-
 stituents and say to them, here is the
 result of our labor, we have done the
 very best we could under the circum-
 stances. read it in the light of the au-
 thority you gave us, and you will find
 that we fought good fight and kept
 the faith.