Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-09-26

did not mean all the people. but a re-
stricted electorate We have lately shown
how MIR. Glass, in an editorial published
IN his paper, the Lynchburg News, on the
9th of MAY, 1900, expressed an entirely
different view, when he said that another
objection was removed to the constitu'
tional convention movement "by the dec
laration of the convention (Democratic) IN
favor of submitting the new constitution
TO the popular vote for ratification or re-
lection" ~
7 By common acceptation, when we speak
of "the people" it means all the people
When we speak of the votes of 1.-THE peo
we mean the votes of all the people. The
resolutions of the Norfolk Convention OF
1900 which referred to the Constitutional
Convention were three in number, includ'
ing the preamble. In two of these resolu'
tons "to vote of the people" is written
and the other "urges the people OF Vlr-
ginia to vote for calling a cOnstitu-
tional convention" The resolutions are
as follows:
"Whereas, the General Assembly Of Vir-
ginia has submitted to UOte Of the people
the question of calling constitutional
convention, and whereas it is the evident
desire of the ,phite people of Virginia to
amend and revise the present constitution;
"Resolved, That the Democratic party,
in convention assembled, endorses the &C
ton of the General Assembly, and earnest
ly urges TIE people of Virginia to vote on
the fourth Thursday in May for calling a
constitutional convention.
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
convention that in framing a new Constl-
tuition no effort should be made to dis
franchise any citizen of Virginia who had
a right to vote prior to 1861, nor the de-
scendent of any such person, and that
when such constitution shall have been
framed, it shall be submitted to cote O
the people for ratification or rejection"
MIR. Glass and his friends cannot deny
that the words submitted to vote Of
the people, {, as they occur in the pream
bic mean all the voters qualified to vote un'
der the present constitution. Neither can
they deny that the words earnestly urges
the people OF Virginia to vote
for calling a constitutional convention
mean all the people or an unrestricted
electorate. That it was the purpose Of the
words "the people" to mean all unrestrict
ed electorate, is made conclusive by the
fact that the preamble at one point refers
to distinctive or restricted electorate
where it is said, sit is the evident desire
of the white people of Virginia to amend
and revise the present constitution"
The mention of a white or restricted
electorate as desiring a revision Of the
Constitution would necessarily imply that
if it had been the intention of the trainers
of the submission clause for it to carry the
meaning of restricted electorate they
would have made it say so in plain, une
ouivocal terms. Instead of doing that
they used the same words, to a cote Of The
people, that are used in the preamble The
question of calling a convention having
been submitted to a vote Of the people, y
it was the proper, the lawful thing to dc
to have the Constitution framed by the
convention 30 called submitted to a vote
of the people for ratification or rejection"
Mr.. Glass may, by the use of the most
glaring sophistry convince himself that the
words, "the people" as used in the sub
mission resolution, mean a restricted cleo.
torate, but he can hardly be sangune Of
his ability to make any other intelligent
citizen agree with him.