The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-04

not answer the proposition. I was go- ing to say that we have both a prop erty and an educational qualification in the permanent plan. and under the system that Alabama has adopted for years. the education of the poor chill dren of the State has been undertaken by the State. We tell these people that we are levying a tax upon them to cdu- cate their children, and they neces- sarily. those especially of moderate means, are sitting back and expecting and waiting for the State to educate their children. What are we doing for them? We are appropriating the paltry sum of s1.30 a year for the educating of each one of these children, and while we are doing that. we are here adopt ing Constitution which will prevent them from exercising the right of the franchise, which I say is wrong
 MT. Cunningham-I move that the
 time of the gentleman he extended ten
 minutes.
 Upon a vote being taken the gentle
 mans time was extended.
 Mir. Kirk-Now. gentlemen. submit
 to you that with the meager amount
 We appropriate to the education of
 these boys, is it right that
 we should here by this Con- | UepT1Ne lHPIfl OI LHt TlkHL tO exercise voice in the election of their
 officers. A dollar and thirty-five cents
 per annum, the State has donated for
 the education of these children. and
 we all realize the fact that men i'
 moderate circumstances wait for the
 State to educate their children, for
 the reason that they are unable to raise
 the money to educate them. and the
 State has undertaken that duty. Gen tlemen. let us not deprive them of the right to vote so long as the,<State of Alabama is unable to furnish them with the necessary means of acquiring an education Take the property quail fication: Three hundred dollars seems to us in this Convention to be very small amount. but you take the great mass of people that inhabit the noun tainous part of our State, and it is a tremendous sum to them. It Is very difficult matter for man with large family to accumulate that amount of property, and if he has not the prop erty nor the education. he Is denied the
 right of the franchise. And where is the tendency of the times with the creation of the trusts and combines Everything tends towards centraliza- tion. and I submit to you gentlemen. that the poor man of the next 20 years in the State of Alabama will have an awful hard time to either acquire edu- cation or to acquire three hundred dol. lars of property. Now. no harm can
 result to any one by the adoption of
 this amendment. so far as the question of the constitutionality- Mr. Walker (Madison)-Isn'ti it a fact that on the first day of January. 1867. the qualifications for voters in Alaba- ma was that of being male white citi- zens?
 MT. Kirk-Yes, sir.
 MT. Walker-Then would not the pro-
 vision you now offer necessarily write | into this Constitution the qualified tion
 of being white men?
 MT. kirk-This provision will answer that. This provision includes every man that could vote either In Ala abama | or any State in the United States. MT. Walker-Then it would apply to | every one who had the qualification of being a white man in 1867. MT. Kirk-No, sir; freed men were | allowed to vote prior to 1867 in some of the States. If this limited the provi-
 sion to the State of Alabama, l think | the objection to the constitutionality of l it would be correct. but it does not, | and think no one would deny the fact that some of the Northern States ad-
 mitted freed men to vote at that time.
 or some date prior thereto. and if they
 did, this provision includes every man that could vote in any State in the l Union. Then there is no discrimination against him because he is a colored man. As I was going to say. the prin- | ciple involved in this question: so far as | the constitutionality of it is concerned | is the same that is involved in the grandfather clause of the temporary | plan. and if that is constitutional,
 submit this will be. I do not care to
 make any further remarks on that l proposition.
 | MT. White-I do not wish to discuss
 this section that is offered. The mat
 ter was thoroughly considered In the | committee, and We were unanimously
 of the opinion that it was vioIative of
 the 18th article of the Federal Consti-
 tuition, and I believe we were equally
 unanimous in believing that it was
 vicious and would perpetuate indef-
 nitely the right to inherit the ballot Therefore, I move to lay the amend
 ment upon the table.
 MT. Pettus-I call for the ayes and | noes.
 The call was sustained. ITpon the call of the roll, the motion | to lay the amendment on the table
 prevailed by a vote of so ayes to 9:
 noes, as follows:
 AYES.
 Messrs. President. hyie
 | AshcrafI. l4edbetter l Banks. Lelsh,
 | ReddoW McMillan (Baldwin),