The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-24
BIG CLUB
 IS LAUNCHED RatificatiOniStS Organize
 in Montgomery. LISTENED TO SPEECHES Gen. Harrison and Mir. Heflin Address Democrats. Enthusiastic Audience at Court House Last Night Heard Able Argument in Support of the
 New Constitution.

The biggest political organization in the history of Montgomery was formally launched at the County court house last night when Hon. Gordon Macdonald was elected President of the Montgomery Rat tfcation Club which has something over a,2O0 members signed to its charter roll. The object of the Club is to support the proposed new Constitution and two ex' cellent speeches were made to an audi ence which crowded the City Court room. The speakers were General George P. Harrison of Opelika, and Hon. J. Tom Hefin of Lafayette.
 The meeting was one of the most sue cessful which has been held in Montgom- cry in some time. The weather was good, the audience was large, attentive and en- thusiastic and the addresses were well received. It was particularly noteworthy that nearly every person in the audience Kept his seat until the speaking was done.
 General Harrison spoke one hour. He gave clear cut exposition of the new Constitution. comparing 1t with the old and analysed each Of it's subdivisions. He was frequently applauded.
 MT. Hef1in followed General Harrison and devoted the greater portion of his remarks to showing that ratification of the Constitution is a Democratic ques- tlon He interspersed his remarks with numerous anecdotes and homely humor which kept the audience in an uproar of laughter.
 Both speakers referred to President Roosevelt having entertained Booker Washington at a dinner. General Harri- son deplored the incident and admonished w:ite men of Alabama to be their guard. MT. Hetin said that the incident would have a tendency to ruin the south ern negro. He expressed the hope that 1t would ruin the President.
 The Meeting Called to Order.
 Pursuant to previous notice Charles B. Teasley, Chairman of the County Cam paign Committee, called the Ratification Club to order at o'clock and nominated Hon. E. J. Meyer for temporary Chair man. and Hon. Temple Seibels for tenn porary. Secretary. The ;. nominees were elected. said that the new Constitution was the continuation of movement by the white people and meant progressive era in the history of Alabama.
 W. w. Pearson moved that the officers of the Club consist of a President, a Secretary and Vice Presidents from each precinct of the County including High land Park. The motion was adopted.
 On motion of MT. Pearson, Chairman Meyer appointed w. w. Pearson, W. E. Holloway and J. $. Dowdell Committee to nominate these officers.
 The Committee retired and MT. Meyer introduced General Harrison.
 General Harrison Speaks.
 When General Harrison ascended the platform he was enthusiastically ap- pauded. by Meyer said General liar rison was so well known that he needed no introduction to Montgomery audi ence.
 marks GeiIeral Harrison said that in his opinion it was for the best interests of Alabama that the new Constitution be ratified. He referred to the fact that he was a member of the Constitutional Con- Vention of 1875 as well as of the Con- ventfbn of 1901 Consequently he said he could not be charged with any personal preference in the matter.
 General Harrison then spoke at some length of the reconstruction period and showed that on account of the conditions existing in Alabama in 1875 1t was inn necessary organic law. The Constitution of 1875, he said. had done the best 1t could. Alabama, he said. had grown to be a great State md the State now need ed a Constitution that would fit the time and the occasion. (Applause.)
 No man led the recent Constitutional unless he was right, and when the Con venton did wrong it was always ready to change its mind.
 Taking up the suffrage question Gen eraI Harrison said that he thought 1t was so much better than the present plan he was willing to earnestly support it. He said he signed minority report on the grandfather clause because. of conviction, but when Democratic ma tority of white men were against him he yielded and he now hoped he was grandfather clause" was knocked out it would leave the new Constitution good enough for any one.
 Suffrage Clauses Explained
 He then took up the various suffrage clauses and carefully explained each of them from a technical viewpoint He said the good character clause, which is the third clause of the temporary plan, was the best clause of the suffrage ar ticle and he was willing to stand on 1t alone as it had stood the test of the Federal Supreme Court in the Mississippi Constitution
 General Harrison, referring to the Board of Registrars clause. said 1t was impos sible to have voters registered without registrars. There are registrars now. Democrats and white men he said are The white men of Alabama are satisfied with the Constitution, he declared and they are going to ratify the instrument
 He said the Suffrage Committee had not legislated against the negro but the committee had legislated az linst the pro- cliVities of the negro.
 General Harrison said it was true that some negroes could not vote under the new Constitution and all white men could vote. It was rluch better, he de- cIared. to manage the votes of 1000 ne- groes than it was to handle the votes of 3CCO negroes. The change in the Consti- tuition did not only lnNoiNe WHite su- premacy, said General Harrison, but 1t meant honesty, purity and higher morality. It would teach the young men of this country that 1t was no less crime to steal vote than it was to steal a pocketbook. White supremacy he said, could be insured only by force, by fraud or by law and the Constitution had provided for 1t by law tApplause)
 Perennial Fault-fnders.
 The opponents of the Constitution, General Harrison said, were perennial fault firders. Some of them wanted to be delegates to the Convention and were net elected and got mad. Others were candidates and hoped to gain something by opposition to the measure They ire quently talked about the fifteenth amend ment but did not allude to the fact that the fifteenth amendment was in the pres ent Constitution.
 General Harrison then reVis wed the Improvements in the various subdivisions Of the Constitution. He dwelt upon the fact that the new instrument provided