The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-31

II
 be prosecuted for perjury committed on such examination.
 l 1s0. The Legislature shall pass laws
 not inconsistent with this Constitution
 to regulate and govern elections, and
 all such laws shall be uniform through
 out the State; and shall provide by law
 for the manner of holding elections and
 of ascertaining the result of the same. | and shall provide general registration
 laws, not inconsistent with the pro-
 visions of this Article. for the registra-
 ton of all qualified electors from and after the first day of January, 19e3.
 The Legislature shall also make pro- vision by law, not inconsistent with
 this Article. for the regulation of pri-
 mary elections, and for punishing
 frauds at the same, but shall not make
 primary elections compulsory. The Legislature shall by law provide for
 names of those who die, become insane,
 are convicted of crime or otherwise dis
 qualified IS electors under the provi-
 sions of this Constitution and of any
 names which may have been fraudu-
 lently entered or such lists by the reg
 istrars; provided, that trial by jury
 may be had on the demand of any per
 son whose name is proposed to be
 stricken from the list.
 |
 1ature to pass adequate laws giving protection against the evils arising
 from the use of intoxicating liquors at
 all elections.
 | 192. Electors shall in all cases, ex- eept treason. felony or breach of the
 peace. be privileged from arrest during
 their attendance at elections, or while
 going to or returning therefrom. | 193. Returns of elections for mem- | of f e., on ot,,n
 officers who are to be commissioned by
 the Governor. except the Attorney
 General, State Auditor. Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Superintendent
 of Education and Commissioner of Ag-
 riculture and Industries, shall be made | to the Secretary of State.
 | 1S4. The poll tax mentioned in this
 Article shall be one dollar and fifty
 cents upon each male inhabltant of the
 and under the age of forty-flve years, l who would not now be exempt by law;
 but the Legislature Is authorized to in- crease the maximum age fixed in this section to not more than sixty years. Such poll tax shall become due and
 payable on the first day of October in
 each year, and become delinquent on the first day of the next succeeding February. but no legal process, nor any fee or commission shall be allowed for
 the collection thereof The tax collec- | tor shall make returns of poll tax col | lections separate from other collections. 196. Any person who shall pay the | poll tax of another, or advance him
 money for that purpose in order to in- | fiuence his vote, shall be guilty of brib- cry. and upon conviction thereof shall | be imprisoned in the penitent ary for | not less than one nor more than five years.
 19S. If any section or sub- division of
 this Article shall for any reason be, or
 be held by any court of competent ju-
 risdiction, and of final resort, to be in valid, imperative or void, the residue of this Article shall not be thereby invali-
 dated or affected.
 The President resumed the chair. Mir Freeman-I have an amendment. The amendment was read as follows: Amend the Article op Suffrage and | Elections by adding thereto the follow | ing. that at the election provided here | in for the ratification or rejection of this Constitution that none but legal white voters shall be eligible to vote, that in all other respects the existing election election laws of this State shall govern in such election. that all laws
 and constitutional provision and parts | of same in conflict herewith be and the
 same are hereby repealed and held to l be null and void.
 MT. Freeman-Mr. President, the amendment which have had the honor
 to introduce should, in my Judgment, | be adopted by this Convention. 1t will preserve the eternal fitness of things.
 It Is on nearly every tongue, that the | Constitution which this body will sub l init to the people of Alabama. can only | be adopted if adopted at all by resort | ing to election methods peculiar to the Black Belt of this State, and which
 methods have fallen into so bad re- pute. that every one who desires bal | lot reform of some kind even if only
 to change the form of the methods and give novelty thereto.
 Besides this amendment Is the bold
 and manly way of doing things it does
 not beat around the bush, nor attempt
 to accomplish anything by indirection. Every one admres boldness, candor and open expressions. Everybody
 knows that this Convention has done its best to disfranchise the negro Tn
 Alabama. and to nullify the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Why. then should this Convention hesitate to openly declare
 what it has done by indirection? Is
 if because that this body is afraid of
 the public opinion of the civilized world or ashamed of its own work?
 respectfully submit that 1t Is enough
 to disfranchise the negro. without mak-
 ing him an involuntary party to his own
 Acknowledgement. We should not call
 upon him in the Black Belt to be the victim of a ballot he never cast. Be- sides we should not impose this burden
 upon the Black Belt. And this Con- stitution. if adopted at all, should be adopted by unQuestioned and unsettled
 methods. Otherwise there is sure to be discontent in Alabama and turmoil in her politics.
 MT President, if the Constitution
 which this Convention will submit to the people of Alabama, cannot coni- mand the support of the white vote of the State, 1t should not be adopted.
 We should remember that a majority of the white counties voted against the calling of this Convention, and that 1t was only assembled because of a ma jority counted for the call in the Black Belt. It is the straw that breaks the camels back. We should not use the negro vote of the Black Belt by means of fraudulent count or otherwise to
 tasten a Constitution upon the State of Alabama objectionable to the white voters of the State. If the negro is a sufficiently qualified voter to do this he Is a qualified voter in all other mat ters. This Constitution Is not only ob- jectionable to the white voters. but violative of the negros right of suf- Cr1gc as secured to him by the Consti- tuition of this republic. If sir, our work cannot receive the endorsement