The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-20

iry inc changes in the new Constitution from the organic law under which Ala ana is, now being governed, has issued the following:
 n the People of Alabama:
 The Convention lately assembled by you to amend and revise the Constituslon t ot Xlabama asks your considerate judgment ,tr,on the new instrument, and has ap- uofnted the undersigned delegates 70 iay before you the reasons which urge tts
 It is no dispargement of the wisdom or fidelity of the Convention of 1sIo 70 az clare that the proposed Constituuon is h far better for us than our present organlc Problems Before the Convention or
 1875.
 That Convention met when the passions of the great war had not yet supsloeu; and sectional distrust was still acute ana aggressive The Congress Of the unlIea States, and public opinion Tn the uonn nant sections were still unconyinced tnat a government for the people or Aiapama; controlled or directed by the suffrage or former African slaves, was neither Justi- liable nor possible. Our then 1undamen- tai law framed by aliens. .a nao Deea @ peL peiech ton at the polls. The State was burden ed with direct debt, and liable for many millions of dollars lost or squandered m reckless railroad enterprises. Our people government, and were suffering from the rniseries of long years of misrule ana the depression inevitable iron & the nS rSsaHsnss inS,s try. It could not be foreseen whether Congress would interfere, if changes were made in the basis of suffrage. Above all
 Under such conditions, the Convention of 1875 had little freedom of action: It's members shared the opinion of the masses of the people, that beyond the be the free act of Alabama, with such provisions as were absolutely necessary to prevent excessive taxation. the crea- tion of new debts. and to enforce econ should be undertaken in the organic law Dreading Federal intervention, that Con. yention did not disturb the existing basis of suffrage. but felt compelled to fasten yond the Fifteenth Amendment. forbid ding "any educational or property quail fication for suffrage or ofiice. with the great question thus put aside. the task of that Convention was comparative iy simple, and could be speedily accom- The Greater Task of The Convention
 of 1901.
 The relief afforded by that Constitution, ln the nature of things could only pc transient. since the growing ggohsd cancer Th,Ie Gs fine State meanwhile was rapidly chang ing from agricultural pursuits to mining, manufacturing and other industries, ana increasing from year to year in populas tion and wealth. It was inevitable that insistent demands would arise, from time to time for Constitutional Convention to adjust the existing organic laW 70 4tsa our demands was the act of the General As gernbIv' of 1901, and the approval by the people of the call for Constitutional ConvosIS %nronssIeS to find some solution for the evils, which it's predecessors did not at tefnpt to solve, and confronted by new conditions. and faults o~eveioPeo ~ oS the the Convention of 1901 fully realized the mag, nitude of it's task, the completion oi which did not admit of the haste permis- sible under the conditions existing in 1878. The Convention felt It a high duty, 10 less to you than to itself. to proceed cautiously, and to act finally only aiter the maturest discussion and aelineranon; '1i,i1; The result is before you. Careful scrutiny and review of the many changesWliisnoW their importance, and prove their Dene. fits. At the sacrifice of brevlty. we set Tnav. fudge of them by what they are, rather than by what we say.
 Suffrage.
 The years since the adoption of the Constitution of 1875 nave been one IohB battle to prevent the undermining or our institutions by the parncaipanona arth, n our o,. sSs;c,ors Voters. Daily experience has brought home to you, with Lorce 10 which no recital by us can adu, the array of evils which follow in the train ot such . strupeie. and their fearful sweep in the future, If we can not ma other means to insure good government. IF nSiisL s from present conditions IS essenual to our morals, our peace ana ou. Tothing could be worse than the !nevl- table operation of our present sunrage provisions. Any change Wnlch resulcls inc evil. must be improvement.
 Win the choice of means narrowed by inc Fifteenth Amendment, ana c0mpH- cated by the necessities, ana conuillons of different localities, the task oh taAIl- in ing a remedy which would meet your de- sires and be free from obJectlon or altack upon moral or constitutional srounus, naS not been an easy one. Your oeiesates have wrought as best they could. ana submit the result of their labors. feeling confident that the plan submitted Will nurSe the electorate of the unworthy ana Vicious voter who has so long deoaseo our
 The Suffrage Article of the proposed Constitution provides for the registration of all voters under the present law Who have honorably served tneir coutltry ,,nb norl m sons, and all who are of good cnaraSStter a sSt, and who understand the duties and obll- cations of citizenship under republcan form of government LMs p[4InIslGIfr pI,nIf oF if inc privilege of suffrage for lire. The result will be that the ballot will be leIt in the hands of those or our present VOL 5 ing population who have demonstrated their capacity to exercise the privilege m the interest of social order and progress' and the right to a place on such perma- nent registration will be denied only to that mass of vicious or unworthy voters which has so long threatened our welfare The fact was recognized that the quail ties of good citizenship and the capacity and disposition to exercise the voting privilege properly, are so generally pos sessed by that part of our present vot- Ing population which Is composed of those who have honorably served in our wars and the lawful descendants of such per- sons, that due regard for the public welfarewoud not warrant any interfer- ence with that right as now enjoyed by them. All such persons, and all who are of good character and who understand the duties and obligations of citizenship, will have the unchallenged right to regis ter for life, It is confidently asserted who would become an elector under ex- isting laws prior to the first day of Janu- ary. 1903. can have any dlff1cuIty in reg Istering as a voter for life: or, once be- Ing registered, can be debarred from fu- ture participa ton in the government. The question of the consistency of this pro- vision with the requirements of the Con- stitution of the United States was fully and patiently considered by the COnVen- ton. The only doubt developed was Tn reference to the feature securing the right to vote to those whose claim rests solely upon the fact that they are descendants of men who honorably served in our wars This objection was made by four of the twenty-five members of the Committee to which the subject Of suf- frage was referred by the Convention; and, though the objection was concurred in by some other members of the Con- vention, after patient deliberation and full discussion by the Committee and by the Convention. an overwhelming major ity of the Convention remains fully sat isfied of the wisdom and validity of their action in this narficIlar Thaa daleRaieS