The age-herald., 1901-05-25

Chicago, May 4.-A special to the Record Herald from Washington, D. C., says:
 'The decision of the Supreme Court of the United States is that the constitution does not follow the flag. This decision. the most important that great tribunal has ever made, will be handed down next Monday. The decision is in favor of the government but by divided bench
 There will be at least five individual opinions, but some of these are concur ring opinions, expressing the views of the writers more fully and particularly than is done in the opinion of the majority. The court goes back to the period in which the republic was formed and the constitution framed and endeavors to as- certain what was the intent of the found- CTS of the nation.
 "The opinion of the majority of the court disposes of the uniform taxation clause of the constitution which has been invoked by all the appellants in these cases in the following manner:
 <>-<-><>~<>->~~->> porting the proceedings of the conven- tion and. recommended full and com plete report be made of the conventions proceedings and that contract be enter ed into by the president with MT. Pat Me- Gauley at a total of s1,s00 to furnish the members 1000 copies every morning of the | full proceedings of the day before, which were to be published in supplement to | the Advertiser and that he be required | to give ,500 bond.
 | A minority report of this committee was made by MT. Ashcraft, which stated that the minority did not deem a stenographic report of the proceedings advisable, as they did not want the Supreme Court of the United States to be looking into these reports for impassioned debates on the 1 fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. 1 It as moved by MT. Ashcraft to sub 1 stitute the minority report for that of the majority Governor Oates made a speech | urging the advisability of reporting the proceedings, saying that the people in the 1 state were entitled to know what was going on. He said that the minority re- port was made by only one member of the committee. He said he was not afraid l of the Supreme Court of the United | States passing upon the question, as he did not think the convention intended to ] do anything contrary to the Constitution I of the United States.
 1 MT. Sollie of Dale spoke in favor of adopting the majority report. He said there were as many people In Alabama now as there were in the United States when its Constitution was adopted, and l that in time the new Constitution would | be studied as the Federal Constitution had been, and that anything which would throw light on the Constitution ought to be adopted. za
 Tom Long and the Cooks.
 Tom Long of Walker said he favored the minority report. He did not believe | in keeping a record which the Colored Cooks Union could hereafter look up and declare boycott against the head of any household who had voted against disfran- chising them.
 Mir Merrill of Barbour spoke in favor of the majority report and said that the publication of the proceedings would do more to insure the adoption of the Con stitution than anything else
 MT. WeatherIy and pr. Cunningham.
 Mir Weatherly of Jefferson spoke in favor of adopting the majority report. He said full discussion would best enable the membets to crystalize their ideas in to constitution and that daily report to the members of their doings and say- l ings the day before would be a great help in lubricating their mental machin- cry He favored taking the people into | their confidence and letting them have a l full knowledge of the debates. That they and the people were one He did not believe the convention would adopt any plan of suffrage which they were ashamed to publish to the world. That not only today, but a century hence when the world was wiser 1t would say that the southern white people were right in this matter.
 Dr. Cunningham of Jefferson also spoke | in favor of a public record of the con | stenographic reports had been made of former conventions that many things which had been done would have been omitted He said that for one he had no constitution in his pocket. and did not know what the convention might do, ana that he would like to have the chance to read in his room calmly what had been done.
 The Minority View.
 MT. Ashcraft of Lauderdale. who made the minority report, said he believed i'll publicity and did not want to do any thing in the dark, but that 1t was not nee essary to put down every thing they said in black and white, and that the press re- I ports would preserve to the people Of the State anything good which may have been said. He said many members would feel diffidence in freely discussing mat ters if they know everything they said B undigested matter placed before them every day would be detrimental rather than beneficial.
 MT. Browne of Talladega favored the majority report.
 MT. Spraggins of Madison said he felt like putting in his oar. He then spoke | against the stenographic report, saying the press reports were sufficient, and that they had not come here to preserve their eloouence at the expense of the State or | Alabama He said he believed this sur- rage plank would be so plain as to be read by all men, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
 MT. Sanford of Pike said that it was an open secret that majority or the people favored eliminating the negro rom politics without interfering with the rights of any white man, and that no one outside of Alabama had any business with its convention proceedings That II the circulation of the reports could be confined to Alabama he might favor 1t, but as 1t could not he was opposed to It. 1t would give our enemies beyond the State sticks to crack our heads with in times of trouble. He said the milk in the cocoanut, the ---. (T1ere the speaker made lapsus linguae which caused g roar of laughter.) Continuing he said 6 lapsus linguae was a strong reason fcI not makinf stenographic report.
 Must Prepare Speeches.
 General Harrison of Lee spoke in favor of stenographic report. saying delegates would prepare their speechers and be careful in what they said. He said the convention should not attempt to hide l TG~,.~ov cavnfcrd of Mont <<~o~., ,-.. -.sz