The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-10
JOHNSTON
 DECLAIMS A Few StabS at the
 Constitution. 150 HEARD HIM SPEAK About 0ne-third of These Were Negroes. In Argument He Says He Does Not Stand for Negroes, But is
 Working for the
 People.

Ths anti ratification meeting was held in the City Court room. There were something over a hundred whites and half as many negroes present.
 The meeting was called to order by George F. Mcdonald, who introduced ex- Governor Johnston. He said it was a pleasure to present the gentleman who was to speak, as he had known him forty years.
 Everybody knows him and everybody will believe what he says" declared Mir. Mcdonald.
 Ex-Governor Johnston began by say- ing that the gentleman had known him for forty years, but he was baby when he first knew him. He said that when his friend first knew him he remembered that there was another Constitution be- ing agitated, the one to take the State out of the Union.
 They said then there would be no war; the Yankees wouldn't fight. I was eager to get in and afraid it would be over before I got chance" he said. T got in and was then afraid I would never get out, but I got in without any one inauir- ing into my character or whether I or my wife had any property, and I think I ought to be good enough to vote now without any question"
 He said he was very much afraid the ntW SOHStilutiOn WOuiu hCCp lIOhh voting. The Ten Commandments, handed down through Moses, had stood for thous- ands of years, and there had been no change, and for that reason the old Con- stitution was good enough for him. He had tried to live up to the Ten Com mandments. and was very glad that there was not eleven. as he did not think he could keep one more.
 He said there was not likely to be any graven image of the new instrument, for there was nothing like it on the earth, under the earth or ever heard of before. He put up Senator Morgan, who. he said, only short time ago was held up as law and Gospel in Alabama. and who said it was unconstitutional and un-American. Senator Pettus was also mentioned by the speaker as an honored and respected citi- zen, and he had said 1t was unconstitu- tional and void, declared the speaker. Ex- Governor Oates and ex-Governor Jones, both gentlemen of ability and courage. had said 1t was unconstitutional. Then General Harrison, Frank s. White and others, had said it Is unconstitutional and void. and he, as an ex-Governor, con- cured.
 1.-TWO United States Senators, three ex- Governors and other distinguished gentle men all say it will not stand That Is not a small showing against the instrument. What will the Republican Supreme Court say about it?'' he asked. "They say all white men can register under the good character clause and if that is so, the registrars will have to perjure themselves, for all white men are not of good char acter. Once a man gets on the registra ton list, he is offered bribe of $50 not to vote as no poll tax can be collected of him if he does not vote.
 'The whole theory of republican form of government is to be reversed and three public officials in each county elect the voters instead of voters electing the off, fcials. It Is left entirely with the three registrars whether a man gets on the registration list or not, and we are told that every white man must get on if they have to perjure themselves to get him on.
 They say" the Governor continued, that the new instrument stands for white supremacy-we have white suprem- acy now, not a negro in office in Ala bama, and every office filled by Demo- crat What more of white supremacy can be asked?'
 He said he had helped to keep the State in the hands of the white people in the days of reconstruction, and he was not ashamed, like some people, of the meth ods that 1t required to do It. They had secured white supremacy under the old instrument, and did not want change.
 If white supremacy is so much de- sired. why did they refuse the proposition for white primary and refuse to let white men say whether they wanted 1t or not?" he asked. 'Is 1t because they have their arms around the negro and are go- ing to have his vote as in the past?"
 He objected to the plan now proposed for the reason that it does not secure white supremacy, he said.
 The GoyernOr referred fO his former advocacy of Convention and said that 1t didn't matter if he was in favor of 1t that had nothing to do with his attitude now on the Constitution that had been framed by this Convention-it was enough to know that if man is not registered he cannot vote. The registrars are the judges and the only remedy was a hick- ory stick or a shot gun. It was true he said, that the tax rate had been reduced hut he doubted the wisdom of 1t. That is only for the State. The city ana county tax rate had been increased and a poor man would not be able to live In town
 While he was Governor he had wiped out the deficit and made greatly increased appropriations to public schools. he de- clared Now if a man could marry a girl with $500 he could vote, but If the property happened to be mule and the mule happened to die before he got to the polls he couldn't vote.
 The new Constitution made 1S3 new of- fees and 1S2 of them could only be filled by lawyers and there were any number of candidates for those places.
 Docs any one believe that the white people in the white counties are going to stand the representation on the negro vote if the new instrument goes through?" he asked 'There Is no good reason why one white man in Montgomery County should be equal to four in Madison Coun- ty.
 1T am not speaking for the negro in this campaign. The negro has to take care of himself I am speaking for the white man, who can vote now because the old Constitution said so. but next year only the Lord and three registrars will know what he can do"
 He said if they struck him down from the ballot box he would go to some state W here he could enjoy the liberty of the hallot-exclusiOn from the ballot was soon followed by exclusion from the Jury pox and that was what would eventually come to many white men under the new Consti- tuition. He was not a candidate for any office. was only working for the good or the peoplc but if the hearts of these who were favorng ratification could be read it would be seen that they were all after some office and had parcelled the"1 out among themselves.
 The Governor proceeded on this strain for some time and was frequently ap- plauded by his hearers. He concluded by delivering a strong appeal for the old Constitution and urging the people to vote against the new instrument, whlch. ne said. could not stand the test Of the courts and was not for the best interests of the State or the people