The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-09-03
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
Dcings Of ana Sayings In and About the
Great Virginia Body.


shall vote upon the new Constitution.
1t is mtimated that the speech of Dele
gate A. l.. Pedigo before the Constltu-
| tiunal Convention will be used by the
Republicans az a campaign document
There is no sign of agreement in the
Suffrage Committee, says member
of the committee, Understanding
clause, poll-taX, voters to prepare ballots.
We are drifting apart ON these PROPOSE
tons The possibility of an agreement
il remote
OF the Norfolk delegates so far heard
from by the Richmond Times the result
il as follows: For prOclaiming Consti-
tuition, 3S7. For submitting it to new
electorate, 80. For submitting to the
present electorate, 1856. In doubt ~ to
best course To pursue, -.
The Committee on Public Institutions
and Prisons decided To report in favor
of authorizing the Legislature to expend
not exceeding S3jO,OOO IN such addl-
tions to the penitcntiary as will provide
sufficient accommodations and cellroom.
There was big fight and the PROPOSE
ton only carried finally by one majority.
The Treat Gregory contest wasiurthur
| cOnside-ed by the Elections Committee
in executive session, but not disposed OF.
| The vote by which the committee recently
threw out twenty votes at Cold llarbor
precinct that had Eeen counted for Treat
was reversed and the number given him
| bv the electoral board is allowed To
stand 1t is reported that two Demo
Gratis on the committee side with the
Republicans for Treat. II this IL SO, II
gives him majority.
DIR. Mcllwaine appeared before the
Committee ON Reduction of Expenses
and made an earnest plea against the
| reduction of the interest on bonds
| held by educational institutions from
: to 3 per cent. but the committee
| voted to call in the & per cent bonds and
issue IS This committee agreed upon
| two other important recommendations
| ne places the costs of criminal trials on
| the counties and cities and the other
abolsEes the office Of county examiner
| of records, putting his duties on the com
| missone of revenue.
| The convention consumed nearly all of
| Saturday in committee of the whole,
further considering the report of the Com
| mittee on Preamble and Bill of Rights.
Speeches were made by Messrs. Camp
| bell, of Washington; Gordon, OF Rich
mOnd city; Waddill, Hancock and Me-
| Ilwaine aad all of them contained much
life and fire, those of Messrs. Campbell,
| Waddill aud Mcllwaine being especially
vigorous. Mr.. Campbell replied in biting
language TO the speech OF Col. Summers,
delivered on Friday Mr.. Waddil hurled
| back at his (Mr Summers) references to
East Virginia amid great applause.
MIR. Pedigo, the Republican member
ON Henry, who had been loading up
cor the fray for several days, made a
speech. With carefully prepared manu-
script in hand aud with wealth Of yell
| lOwsh gray whiskers on his chin. he
wended his way TO the main aisle. lie
has voice that squeakes, but he threw
| vituperation and abuse at the Demo
cratic party for thirty minutes. He ad-
| mitted he was an extremists radical
| and glored in the fact that he was Mr.
Pedigo charged that ito Democratic
party was steeped in corruption, and
| that there had never been a fair election
| i'm Virginia since the one in which the Tn
| derwood Constitution was adopted. He
| was severe in his structures upon the
| Democrats of the BLACK Belt, and said
| il was there that al election frauds were
committed.
He reie .ed to the question at issue and
cOntendcd briefly for a submission OF the
Constitution to az the people, yet that
was with him a secondary consideration,
| for he took advantage of the scope al
| lowed in debate to eXcOriate the Demo
cratic party and to make a campaign
| speech " lille there we 3 great deal 81
| adverse c-iticism OF the bitter ness and
| vituperatiOn of the speech yet the Dem
ocratic members made 10 interruption
| and allowed all statements to go un-
| challenged. Indeed, so unique were some
OF the speakers expressions that they
were often signals for prolonged laughter
col. sUMMERs.
Col. Summers followed Mr. PedigO in
much the same strain. He called the
| Democrats party of tyrants, and said
! they were about to put the heel of OPP
| preston upon the helpless. He severely
| criticised Ex-Governor Cameron. His re-
| marks were addressed chiefly to the gal
| leries. Turning to the western gallery,
where were long rows Of black faces, he
| decla ed with upirted hands: "IOu, my
| fellOw-citizens, are about to be robbed OF
| yoLr dearest Liberties and wave of
| applause broke over the occupants Oftne
| pla to which he spoke. He said it was
propose to disfranchise men in Rich
mOnd whose EDUCATIONAL and professional
attachments were superior to those of
many whites: it was proposed TO dis
| franchise men who were good soldiers,
land when Joe Wheeler, at San Juan
Hill, saw that tide OF battle w9s going
| against him, said to the Seventh New
| York Regiment, Stand aside and let the
negroes get at the Spanish flag. They
| went where white men would not d9re
( go" But when the speaker, in IKE
| strain, turned to the other gallery and
| was leading up to a climax about the
| fair women whose husbands were about
to lose their right of suffrage, several
| ladies on the front seats turned their
backs upon him, while Mr.. Willis helped
| break the force OF the eloquent fight by
raising the point of order that the gen
tleman was speaking 20 the galleries aid
not to the committee.
Col. Summers was followed by Mr..
Moore, Republican, of Montgomery. The
| latter denied that Summers represented
the views of his party, either in the con-
vention or in the State. He called atten-
| ton to the fact that on two occasions
the Republican committee OF Washing
/ ton had refused to endorse the candidacy
of Summers. Mr.. Moore made very
conservative speech, in which he admit
ted, in response to questions, that his
party intended to defeat the Constitu-
| ton il it is submitted to the people for
| their sanction. The Democrats, he said,
had made the calling of the convention a
parCy question, aud therefore the Repub-
iicans were justified, he said in taking
the action they did at the Roanoke con-
ventiOn.