The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-27

purge the eiectOf&tS anu eSphrute the lit rom the unfit.
 50 far as the exclusion of tho negro race is concerned. any scheme which could be devised for the purpose of separating the competent from the in competent voter would exclude largely more negroes than white men for the reason that the negro is so unfortu-
 nate as to be wanting in those quail ties which go to make good citizen. Ii you select the test of education, If you select the test of ownership of property, if you select the test of patriotism If you select the test of freedom from the commission of crime every such test. when properly ap- piled. will exclude largely more of one race than the other. The plan which requires the payment Of poll-tax as a condition to the right to vote will ex- clude more negroes than white men. The plan which requires the voter to be a person of good char acter and understanding will ex- clude more negroes than white men. The plan which requires the voter to have served In the armies of the State will exclude more negroes than white men, but such a plan. in my Judgment, cannot, on that account, be said to be unconstitutional.
 II d pldn ID UcCauSe it operates to exclude more of one race than another, then it is impossible to frame a plan of restricted suffrage which would be constitutional.
 An alleged prominent citizen, who omits to disclose his identity, in at- tacking the plan of regist ation recom- mended by the Committee, in one of our leading papers. seems to assume that the appointment of registrars and the plan recommended by the Commit tee presupposes that they will abuse the trust and use the power corruptly.
 MT. President, believe that it was Tallyrand that said that every man had his price,"
 MT. Sanford (Montgomery)-Walp MT. Knox-The gentleman suggests that 1t was walpole. thank him for the suggestion, because l have always received such valuable infoi nation, and this Convention has, too, from the dis tinguished gentleman from Montgom- cry. His facts and his information have been of great benefit to us Wal pole, then, it was, who said that "every man has his price" which lead Macau- ley to remark that only proved that Walpole had his."
 The gentleman from Jefferson tMr. Lowe) seems to be very much alarm
 
 to take up the argument of the gentle man from Jefferson.
 Some plan of registration. MT Presi- dent. has been found in all the States to be absolutely essential for the pre- venticn of fraud. The gentleman from Jefferson. Mr. Lowe. who spoke yes- terday against the Committees plan, seemed especially indignant that 1t should be proposed that the registrars should be appointed by the Governor. | the Auditor and the Commissioner of Agriculture. He seems to think that there Is some deep-laid scheme on the part of the committee in emitting to select the State officers consecutively, whereas. the fact is. Mir. President. that these particular State officers were selected to discharge the duties of ap- pointing the registrars under the tenn porary plan recommended by the Com- mittee because, geographically, they happened to represent different parts of the State. The Governor resides in Barbour County. in the eastern part of the State; the Commissioner of Az riculture resides in Marengo County, which is in the southwestern part of the state: while the Auditor resides in Walker County, which Is in the north ern part of the State; and so, in these three officers, every part of the State is represented, as near as may be. Un- der the law now in force the county registrars are appointed by the Gov ernor and can see no occasion for alarm because it Is now proposed to confer the right upon the Governor, | the Auditor and the Commissioner of Agriculture.
 The Governor of this State is empow- I'ered to appoint Justices of the Supreme ~ H,.I He Is empowered to appoint United States Senators, and to fill numerous other places of less importance. and certainly, in view of this. the Gov ernor, assisted by the Auditor and Commissioner of Agriculture, might be safely entrusted with the appointment of registrars. In a republican form of government the people cannot act col | lectively, but must act through agents. They must confer power upon some one: and I deny that there Is any war rant for the assertion that this power cannot be safely left with the Commis- sioners whom the Committee has rec commended.
 Designing and evil-disposed persons, MT. President, before this Convention was called, suggested that the people could not safely trust the delegates to this Convention to discharge the du- | ties for which they were appointed, but believe the sequel will prove that in so doing, they did well.
 The gentleman from Jefferson, in his argument against the grandfather clause, as showing the uselessness of that clause, argues that a person who would be unable to register under the | good character clause will be so un- fit and incompetent as that he ought not to oe allowed to register under | any, and yet, with singular inconsis- tency, proceeded to argue that the lib- critics of the people would not be safe if left to be administered by the regis trars under the good character clause, because they could abuse their power and use 1t to defeat the ends for which | 1t was created.
 was surprised too. MT. President. to hear 1t insinuated, if not asserted, by the gentleman from Jefferson. that there is danger that this power might be used by the reg.strars under the | good character clause to register all i the negroes whether fit or unfit to ex- ercise the right of suffrage. The main objections urged to plans of this kind heretofore, Mir. President. have been that they tended to disfranchise the negro, but the gentleman from Jeffer- son. in his startling orig nality, springs upon us the suggestion that he fears the power will be used to protect the negro in his right to vote. If that Is the deep-laid scheme which the Com mittee has in view, the immense amount of sympathy which has been expended in the negro's behalf has been wasted. But. MT. President, l hold it to be absolutely preposterous, in the