The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-25

and could not get there to vote with out swimming through them about 100 yards deep, felt the sting of 1t. When company of Federal troops was sent to my town, was arrested and put under bond of s10,o00 that would not hurt any carpet-bagger, because l and one or two more one-aryned men like myself. got after one and run him out of the county, and haven't any re- spect for the Kuklux of that day. They were inefficient, or the negroes would never have been led into the errors they were.
 The negroes were enfrapchised, and l think wrongfully. I opposed 1t. It is the only instance in history where the Congress of the United States violated its fundamental law, and undertook to fix suffrage for the States. They never did it before and have never done 1t since. The negroes were enfrancn.sed and they went right on and crowded to the polls. and they were In the hands of carpet-baggers and scalaways. end being led by them, proagut gose rn- mental evils almost untold, and there were but two ways to correct 1t. One of these was to take shot guns ;.nd go to the polls and disperse them. We either had to leave our homes or stop that kind of thing, and If we took guns to the polls somebody would have gotten hurt.
 The other way was to cheat them. I was an advocate of the latter because 1t didn't take life. Now, never changed votes with my one hand. but I upheld 1t and counselled 1t in those who did. I am just as guilty as those who did. I am about like a parson who lived in my county before any railroads had come to that country, and they hauled cotton in wagons here to Montgomery and these black prairie roads were al- most impossible. The old parson had line six mule team loaded with cot ton one day and with his son John to drive, he started to Montgomery. The roads were awful. and the wagon sunk into the mud and had to be pried out time and again. John was little wick ed and disposed to swear. The old man protested. Johnny, my son. don't curse that way, that's wicked" After a while the wagon got stuck and he tried to pry 1t out. and tried to get the mules to pull 1t out, but 1t was all without effect, and John says, father if you will just step aisde and let me cuss these mules a little while, I believe we can get this wagon out. The old man seeing that everything else had been tried in vain. got out behind a tree-and says, Now, Johnny, you may curse them just little." Well. Johnny mounted the saddle mule and popped his whip and hoilered "Heli and twelve. come out of the mire." The mules got down steadily to 1t, The old man sew the wagon moving. which SO delighted him he cried out, Thirteen an the devil. cuss them a little more. Johnny"
 I was no better than Parson Reaves. told them to go 1t. boys, count them out. We had to do 1t. Unfortunately, say 1t waa a necessity. We could not help ourselves. We had to do 1t or do worse. But we have gone on from bad to worse until 1t has become . great evil. It has gone to the point where the negro found out some time ago that 1t was no use for him to vote. White men have gotten to cheating each other until we don't have any hon. est elections. That is the trouble we have to grapple with. Now, 1t is said that the right way to grapple with it is to disfranchise the negro. and ac- cording to our platform no white man shall be disfranchised. If no white man is to be dlsfranchised, then there Is nobody to disfranchise but the negro. AS we have taken an oath here to sup port the Constitution of the United States, and if there is nobody to be disfranchised but negroes and we dis franchise them, how does that it the Constitution that we have sworn to support. Now, the platform has 8 pledge in 1t. was nominated under 1t. wasn't there when the platform wae adopted, nor was present at Birming- ham at the meeting when the delegates ratified it, and said they would stand to 1t. I said all the time on the stump that I would vote for and support reference of the Constitution back to the people. was opposed to increas- ing the rate of taxation; but l was in the field and wanted to come to the Convention, not for any honors 1t would bring to me personally, hut to pay a debt of gratitude I owed to the people of Alabama for having honored me. was willing to aid them by lend- ing my feeble efforts to help them out of the trouble into which they had fallen in consequence of this evil of universal manhood suffrage. which had been thrust upon us without our con- sent and without our agency. And I said to them I am for making q Con- stitution which will elevate the suf- frage and I am for eliminating from the right to vote all those who are un- fit and unqualified. and R the rule strikes a white man as we'll as a negro, let him go. There are some white men who have no more right and no more business to vote than a negro and not as much as some of them.
 Now. it Is trus statesmansfip not to legislate, especially in making a fun damental law, on account of the smarts and wrongs done us in our past history. That Is not 1t. It is to deal with present conditions, whether they came by our permission or were thrust upon us. That don't make any differ ence. You are considering today a Con- stitution for the people hereafter, peo- pie who have to succeed us after my hairs have gone down to the grave and after you and sleep in Mother Earth. You-every man of you. are doing q work that. 1t is to be hoped. will be beneficial to those who succeed you. Now, to what shall we look? Shall we go back to the irritationS of the past to guide us, or shall we look to our present surroundings and cast aside the things of the past. which are not alive today? have said about sll intended along this line.
 Now. as to the question whether this grandfather clause. so-called, Is con- stitutional or not. Gentlemen I do not claim any more for myself than con cede to any other man in this Conven- tion or out of 1t. I am keeper Of my own conscience. You are keepers of yours. I never vet blamed a man who honestly differed with me in opinion. Thank God. am constituted on broad CT lines than that and can concede to R-NT