The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-02

The Clerk read the substitute as | iollows:
 Be it ordained that Section 5 of the
 report of the Committee on Suffrage
 and Elections be stricken out and the
 following inserted in lieu thereof: l Section ,. The General Assembly
 shall provide by law for the registra-
 tion of all male persons who become l citizens of Alabama on and after the
 ist of January. 1903. provided, any law | for registration made by the General
 Assembly shall require all applicants tor registration after January 1st. 1903, I to be eligible to register under all the
 requirements made by Section of this l Article; provided, the General Assem- | ply may make, by law, to become op- erative after January list, 1903, such
 other provisions for registering and voting not in conflict with this Con- stitutlon.
 l MT. Long (Walker)-Under that sub | stitute of mine, the soldier clause, the | grandfather clause, the descendants of soldiers, the good character, and un- derstanding clause. would be stopped on January 1, 1903, this is a very The President pro tem-Permit the Chair to state the question. The ques- | tion is on the amendment to Section 5 by the gentleman from Walker. MT. Long-That amendment of mine stops the soldier clause, the descend ant clause. good character clause, and understanding clause on January l, 1903. and it requires the legislature to pass a law in conformity with Section of this article. which Is poll tax qualification of those from twenty-one to forty-five years of age, to apply catch this point-only to those who be- come citizens after January 1, 1905, by becoming of age or living in the State of Alabama. A man who is refused registration prior to 1903 could not ap- ply for registration under a poll tax clause. I think that is a fair amend ment it does away with the property and the educational qualifications. it also gives the legislature the right, if they see fit and proper, after the 1st of January, 1905, to enact a property and educa tional qualification, if they wanted to. to enact a soldier clause if they wanted to. to enact any other pro- vision in this Constitution, but it re- quires them only to enact that part of it that relates to the poll tax. Now, Mir. President. I am and have always been opposed to a property and educa. tional right of suffrage. Why. sir. at Charlottesville. at Monticello it is chis- elled on the tomb of Thomas Jefferson, that he was the author of universal
  ious freedom in the State nf Virginia. What would that old man think today if he were to wake up and come down here and see Democrats advocating three hundred dollars worth of prop erty for the right to vote?
 Mir. Fitts-Will the gentleman yieldf
 MT. Long-I will not yield now, MT. President
 Mir Fitts-I just wanted to ask him
 
 that tombstone. The last time look ed al 1t it was not there.
 Mir. Long-I hope this will not be ta- ken out of my time. I know I am up against a shell game, and it will do no good, but I am here to speak my pro- test against a property and education al qualification. I have, sir, no respect for clause in any suffrage report that allows a rKGD, as previously stated on this floor to vote because his wife is the owner of forty acres of land; have no respect for a suffrage that allows a man to vote because he has a pitt tance of three hundred dollars. Why not make it three thousand dollars? Why not make 1t three hundred thou sand dollars. yea. three millions Of dollars for the right to vote? There is a class of people you want to knock out prior to January, 1903, and l am willing to go with you that far, but I am not willing to go beyond that and to say every citizen thereafter born in the State of Alabama shall possess three hundred dollars of property or be able to read and write the English language before he shall have the right to vote. Why, 1t is contrary to every principle of Democracy. I want man to rise up here and honestly de- fend it. if there is any excuse for 1t. Have we become an oligarchy or be- come so base that we ignore every principle of Democracy which should represent the common people? Have we gone so far in our passion that we can go before the people of North Ala bama and say that after 1903 you poor people will be disfranchised. l tell you it will disfranchise hundreds of them. It will leave it with the registrars to say who shall vote. Why, sir, under this understanding clause alone, be- tween now and the 1st of January. 1903, you can register every man in this State, black and white. If you have nothing else but that, you can do it, because the man that has no understanding is fool and should be in the asylum, and if he does not understand the du- ties of citizenship he is a villain and should be in the penitentlary. am willing to go further than that and give you soldier and grandfather clause up to January. 1903. but then and there I think a poll tax require ment would be sufficient. Now, MT. President. instead of forty acres. why not make it forty acres and mule. What Is the difference?
 MT. Fitts-The mule is the difference.
 MT. Long-The mule might be the but there is no difference In character whatever. You go so far as to say that you have to live on the forty acres of land before you can vote. A man may live in town ana own forty acres of land so poor that he could not raise difficulty on 1t ana vet you require him to live on H. order to vote. That is the require ment here I hope the memoe's on tn, floor who are opposed 70 eo'Ca eoa', tionai and property gu iii: 'ation7 NIli this well. 1 believe II IS to- sucd and unnecessary .-nd lnrFcl7dol.' because there can be no go"1 r'"7on for it. Why, sir, some O. the pest anu put est men ever saw were the l''oIe mcr. We believe that Lazarus was better than Dives; you woi'ii G'strS n- chise Lazarus and enfranchise DlN's'
 MT. Sanford (Montgome' D-be' aGse he is living in hell-that is his home.
 MT. Long-Yes, and hel. IS not far from such a proposition as 'his. 1T Laughter I could .esoect 1t otper if there was any excuse for ii. W'h nv amendment. a man can reg ter ,nc4 after January l. 1903, Whl: nole