The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-27
Captain White Interviewed.

Capt. Frank S. White of this city, to- day gave out very important interview gently framed by the Constitutional Con- vention in Montgomery. Captain White was a member of the Constitutional Con- vention which framed the new Constitu- | tion. His interview is significant, and Is as follows:
 l The new Constitution now submitted to the people for ratification or rejection l is not a perfect instrument. This, how ever. should not condemn it with thought full men, as a perfect Constitution was never framed. There are some provisions and am not now in favor of them. though this will not prevent me from advocating the adoption of it as a whole. as the support of an instrument of this kind ought not to depend upon one or even several of it's provisions but upon 1t as an entirety. It is the expression of the will of a ma jority of the delegates to the Convention who were sent there by the people to frame for them their or ganic law. -l
 "The people of Alabama have for a quarter of century lived under political conditions very distasteful to them and objectionable to all thoughtful men. Af- ter many efforts they have at last sue ceeded in having convention called mental law. This convention met and la
 bored earnestly and periodically for three months, giving the people this new
 Constitution as the result Of their ef-
 
 pended in calling this convention. the public mind has been agitated for years
 over the subject and large amount of
 money has been and will be spent by the State in holding the convention and sub hitting the question of ratification to the
 electors. This consumption of time,, by the, people and expenditure of money by the State should not be in vain.
 "Our political conditions under the exc
 isting Constitution could not be made
 worse. I am sure that by the new in- ct hox vVil hA in1nrOYad
 "The executive and judicial systems
 under the new Constitution show decided
 improvement on the old plan, and the leg
 islative article as well as the tenure of office provisions are vast Improvements
 over the old system
 "The suffrage article as a whole is are now living, and will in the main &C., complish what the people so much de-
 sire namely. honesty and purity in elec-
 '.The public school provisions are de- cidedly better under the new than the
 old law. the leading feature of which Is the three mill tax. fixed annual appro-
 prfation for that purpose, thereby giving
 1t permanency and stability, and enabling the school authorities to make definite
 plans for the future. which they were
 unable to do heretofore, as there was all
 ways an uncertainty about the amount of the annual appropriation.
 '"rhere are many other improvements. in my judgment, in the new over the old Constitution; not necessary here to
 mention specifically.
 From what I can learn. the people of the State are going to ratify the new in- strument by large majority. Our
 brethren who are opposing us are no doubt honest and sincere in their oppo- sjtion, and we must be tolerant towards them as well as conservative in our cam lpaign for ratification. as We want all the people of Alabama to feel like the new Constitution is theirs when ratified and .tbaf ali have had a fair opportunity to express their preferences at the polls"