The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-30

the logical arguments or those Wno have preceded me. I have been in- structed and entertained. I have been informed. I have been helped to arrive at some conclusions upon the subject. 1 have thought, MT. President. what effect the provisions of this report. If adopted by the Convention and rati- fled by the people, would have on our State politically, morally, socially, ed- ucationally-and have looked at 1t from an economic standpoint, and from no point of view do I see much harm in 1t. Indeed. there Is such a prepon- derance of good in 1t that if there be objectionable features and evil in it they are lost sight of and are so over shadowed and swallowed up In me good. that 1t is beyond my kith and ken to discover 1t. favor the report as made by the Committee. Now what are some of the commendable features of this report? It proposes, Mir. Presi- dent, to purify our politics, by elimi- mating from the electorate the vicious, the ignorant and the incompetent. It does not propose to set up any social status in our State that has not ,al- ways existed. It holds up and offers to our people higher aims and loftier aspirations which lead them on to mo- bier and greater attainments in life. It wisely provides under the permanent plan certain qualifications for suff- rage which tend to uplift and elevate humanity. It provides for more in- telligent electorate. and it does this without imposing burdens that are on- erous and difficult of attainment by the humblest individual who Is not an idiot or insane. 1t provides further for better economic conditions by requlr- ing greater intelligence and greater xrt,-f,, Il. ut ,f AtA by making him a greater wealth pro- ducer when he shall have complied with the conditions precedent to vot- ing, for 1t is we'll known fact that the wealth producing power of a State is in direct proportion to the intelli- gence of its people, and this report holds out an inducement for the ac- quirement of some education and intel lisence. But, Mir. President, as strong ly as these features commend them- selves to my judgment and urge my endorsement of the main features of this article. there is another stronger than all of these and that is that the provisions of this report Is complete, and literal fulfillment of our pledge to the people that this Convention would disfranchise no white man. Il believe In the fulfillment of promises. I believe a full and perfect under standing ought to be had in every transaction in life. that a man ought to say what he will do and then do what he says. There can be no mis- understanding of such . contract. We went before the people of Alabama and asked permission to hold this Conven- tion with the express understanding that we would frame and submit to them an article on suffrage which would insure white supremacy in the State. and which would not be in vio- latfon of the Federal Constitution and
 which would disfranchise no white man under any of its provisions except for infamous crime. I admit, sir, that at first I in common with others here, felt shaky about our ability to do this and at the same time get the game we came for; but our wise and patriotic committee have solved this difficult and knotty problem and they have done 1t in a way that comments itself to our heads and our hearts and 1t will commend itself to the Judgment of our people when 1t is presented to them and they fully understand it's work ings and its effect. 1t Is said sir. to
 be the wisest provision on the subject in any of the new Constitutions. It stan0s as a monument to the wisdom
 and patriotism of the Committee and
 
 tude of Cur people for their able solu- tion of it. and I believe they will re-
 ceive 1t expressed in the adoption of the report by the Convention and its overwhelming ratification at the polls. Now under its wise and patriotic pro-
 visions. MT. President. the old soldier. whether he followed the Immortal Lee in surrender at Appomattox, and gave
 up all he had saved his good name.
 his honor and the undying love of
 grateful though conuusred people, or
 whether he followed he silent and per- .severing Grant from Appamattox back
 to Washington under victorious ban
 ners to receive the plaudits of a Union
 restored: or whether with Scott he
 marched through the bot sands of
 Mexico and planted his colors upon
 the capitol of that city or
 whether with the chivalrous Roose
 welt he stormed the heights of San
 Juan; whether he be white or black, he and his lawful descendants. as re-
 cognition of his patriotism. are al-
 lowed to vote without any other quali-
 fcations. This practically takes in all
 the white voters, but If perchancc few are left out under this qualification, | they can come in under the good char acter and understanding clause; and | the pledge is literally kept that no white man shall be disfranchised. Now
 what about violating the Federal Con- stitution? Well, MT. President, some of our greatest and best lawyers here
 with a confidence equal almost to aD- solute certainty have said there Is no violation, while others of equal emil hence and learning have said they have | grave doubts on the subject. Those | of us who are not learned in the law have looked for the law of the case to the great batch of lawyers of this Con | vention and we have looked to them
 not as leaders of one side or the other
 who under ordinary circumstances
 might be prompted by their ambition
 to see their side of the case win out and ba influenced and biased in that
 respect, but we have looked to them as | patriots who love their country and its | institutions far above their own ambi- tion and their own selfish interests, and we find that they have disagreed. l So at last we are to determine this ques- ton for ourselves. Mr. President. be- lieve, in the light of all the evidence | have heard, and after having weighed
 1t as best I could in the light of my l own conscience and my own Judgment. | there is no violation of the Federal Constitution in any of the provisions of the report. Now let us look at the | question face to face with our own conscience. If 1t approves or disap- proves, let us act accordingly. It Is l the highest court to which we can ap- peal. 1 do not want any man to do violence to his conscience by voting for | ba balipUas that Sn