The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-06-18
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.

The Constitutional Convention is get
tingdOwn 10 its work in II very business
like manner and il present appearances
do not deceive III, the people Of Virginia
will have n constitution To be- proud Of.
-Peterburg lndex-Appeal
The Governors recommendation for
exemption from taxation for "A period OF
years money involved in new industrial
plants attracts very general attention
among members. This question Of ex-
empton from taxation OF certain enter
prises has for years agitated the cities OF
the State. This discrimination is di-
rectly inhibited by the present consttu-
ton
The law under which the convention
has been convened provides that their
work shall be completed at least thirty
DAYS before il IL submitted To the people
at the general election, and should IN adj
journmcnt be- taken until fall there would
not be- time To prepare the new cOnsttu-
ton and have it ready 10y October 9TH,
thirty days before the election for Cover
nor takes place ON November 9Th.
There are numbers OF men in the
body who would grace any bench in the
land. even the highest court at Washing
ton. and few among them are men OF
mediocre ability They nrc almost with
out exception men Of education and re-
lincmcnt, and almost without exception
men uf pure southern stock from pure
Anglo -SaXon source. They have all
brcathed the mir Of freedom and drunk
in liberty with their mothcr's milk. 1t Is
fair to expect that such IN assemblage
Will draw a constitution tit To be- placed
beside the best in the land-Staunton
News.
In all respects it il representative
body and in personnel will compare iav-
Orably with the convention which fran
ED the organic law uf the old Dominion
in the years prior to the civil war. The
present convention has work Of the high
est Importance to do The existing con
stiution was mainly tie product OF al
liens aud Of men not in harmony with
public sentiment in the state The sui
frage problem, reduction Of the cost OF
State government. reorganization Of the
lNlNUiN anu il' N lh'il-fN NiA'HuNa XIV
eminent are among the subjects which
will engage the attention OF the conycn-
tiOn.-Balto. sun.
II * stated. however. that since the
day ui election change Of sentiment on
this subject is observable among thcpco-
pie This is voiced by such men a. GOV.
Tyler and eX-Gov. o. Ferrall and eXCOn-
gresham George d. Wise, all Democrats
and all ext onicderatcs who declare that
in order 10 remedy election evils and
purify the suffrage in the State IL is not
necessary toattack the negro and thereby
yiOlatcan amendment To tibet Constitution
Of the nited States. They are opposed
To any such measure. and Mr. Nise. who
is a member of thecunyentiOn, announces
that ii it is brought forward he will lead
the opposition 20 il on tine floor OF that
body Washington Star.
The most influential members of the
Constitutional Convention say there will
be- n strong fight made against the
wholesale and indiscriminate disfran-
chiscmcnt of the negroes The Republl-
can leaders propose it * conceded, 10
insist that ii the electorate ia curtailed
representation in the two branches of
the General Assembly shall not be- based
~ at prc-ent-upon populatlon-but
upon the votes east on such legislation.
In other words, the Republicans propose
that il the negro is disiranchised the
Democrats shall not keep mp their legis-
latiyc representation based upon that
race. The great white sections of the
state have long complained that the
black belt had representation in the
General Assembly largely upon popu-
latinn which did not vote