The age-herald., 1901-10-01
SENATOR PETTUS
 ON CONSTITUTION
Makes Strong Address to Peo-
 pie of COIumbiana
HE URGES RATIFICATION
Says the Ballot Must Be Purified, and the New Instrument Successfully Eliminates the Ignorant Vote.
 Much Enthusiasm.

Columbiana, September 30.-(Special J. Senator B. W. Pettus spoke here today at the courthouse to a large audience. At the State campaign committee, intro duced the distinguished speaker in the following words:
 Fellow Citizens-It affords me great pleasure to introduce to you the grand old man of Alabama, the noblest Roman of them all, Senator E. W. Pettus. who will address you in behalf of a cause which should be dear to the heart of every white man in AIabama-the ratifi- cation of the new constitution, which. when accomplished. will confirm the gov ernment in the hands of the white man forever"
 When Senator Pettus arose he was greeted with enthusiastic applause and had the rapped attention of his audience throughout his address. He spoke of his long service in the Democratic party and of the fact that three Democratic con- ventions and two Democratic Legisla- lures had endorsed the calling of a con stitutional convention. He said the con stitution was therefore Democratic measure and was a necessity in order to get rid of the methods now necessary to keep the white man in power in some portions of the State. He said that Gov ernor Johnston, who Is now one of the leading lights against the constitution, in his message to the Legislature In 1856 strongly advocated the calling of con stitutional convention, but that after it was called and the delegates selected a new light broke in on the Governor and he used his powerful office to defeat the will of the people.
 Would Rid State of Negro Vote.
 The speaker further sald that the new constitution would come as near getting rid of the usual negro vote as the consti- tuition of the United States would allow, and that therefore all men who were not negroes In fact, or white men with the principles and instincts of the negro, should vote for the constitution in order to perpetuate the government in the hands of the white man.
 He said that in Shelby county the negro held the balance of power, and had held it for many years. He stated that he had been informed that it was being in dustriously circulated that man would be compelled to possess all the qualifica- tions mentioned in the constitution before he could register and vote under the tenn porary plan. He showed the fallacy of this contention that either of the qualifi- cations would make him a life voter, no matter if he lacked all the other qualifi- cations. and he showed that the same was true of the permanent plan.
 Remedy Local Legislative Evil.
 He said that one of the great evils was that of local legislation, and that the new constitution would absolutely reme- dy this evil He held up and compared the general acts of the last Legislature with the local acts, showing that the gen. eral acts contained less than 300 pages, while the local acts contained over 2800 pages. He stated that at present nine teen- n-twentieths of the time of the Leg islature was now devoted to local acts, thereby fostering a large expense unnec- essarily on the people.
 He stated that if the new constitution was adopted no one or two men could pick up and move the court house in a night without anybody knowing anything about 1t.
 The generals speech was well received and will have a good effect, as all DOT tions of this county were represented in his audience.