The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-01

stricken out, these men will be disfran- chised. and inasmuch as they are white men, and inasmuch as they will be dis franahised, and inasmuch as there is no exception in the platform to any white man, regardless or where he was born. consistency connects my honor with the platform upon which l stand. (Applause.) Now. Mir. President, agree with tho theoretical part of this proposition. agret that as matter of policy 1t Is best to limit this to the citizens of the United States. those who have become citizens of the United States, but fne amendment as amended by the gentleman from Mobile provides that only foreign born citizens now in the State of Alabama who does not take out his final papers and become cit- izen of the United States shall be dis franchised. I am willing to that be- cause If he has been disfranchised by refusing to take out his last papers, he does it himself and I did not do 1t. but I am unwilling even If there Is one white man in the State of Alabama that will be disfranchised under this provision and there are hundreds. Now to certain gentlemen on this floor, this Is a theoretical question in its appli- cation. To some of us it Is a practi- cal question: When I go home to my constituency and ask them upon the stump to ratify the great work of this Convention I want to be able to quote what the distinguished Chairman of this Committee said when he pledged this Committee and this Convention that no white man should be disfran- chised and if 1 mistake not he said he would sacrifice his right arm before he would vote to do it. want to be in position when some foreigner. who is q taxpayer, who Is a good citizen, rises in his seat and says: Here l have been voting in your State elections, am a Democrat I am a taxpayer. do not come within the provisions of the sixth section. I am guilty of none of these crime and yet I cannot vote because I have not lived here long enough to become citizen Of the United States" That being the case. MT. President, think that 1t would be proper for the Chairman of this Com mittee to begin to stick his arm in the furnace. and let 1t be singed little upon that proposition. Now. let us be consistent. Another proposition to which my attention has been called, is the practical one. Under the present Constitution. every foreigner in the State of Alabama can qualify as an elector, and vote against its ratifica- ton.
 Mir. Coleman--If the gentleman will yield a moment, I wish to correct statement.
 The President-Does the gentleman yield.
 MT. ningham-Certainly.
 Mir. Coleman-I said I would rather have my right arm palsied than to dis franchise a soldier or the descendant of a soldier never said that in re- gard to a foreigner.
 Mir. Cuhningham-The gentleman will withdraw his remarks. I misunder- stood the gentleman. l thought 1t was in regard to the white man. The Chairman of this Committee knows l am heart and soul for this report from end to end. With this amendment l want to be in a position that l can look every white man in Alabama in the face and say, If you are disfran- chised, you disfranchised yourself; this Convention did not do it." tell you under the provisions of this section the very first line, If this amendment is stricken out. l can not truthfully say | it, because he can arise in his seat and tell me that he is disfranchised. Now. gentlemen of the Convention. l | appeal to you not to strike out this amendment. It applies only to those who can vote today and if they fail | to qualify as citizens of the United | States then they are excluded and they | did 1t themselves, but let us not do it. Another question in answer to the question of my distinguished and ann fable friend from Mobile-and there are so many distinguished men from Mobile-I mean MT. Boone in this in- stance-he said that about these for eigners, Spaniards and other foreign CTS could come to Mobile and vote, want to say under the provisions ol this great and splendid article, they must live in the State two years and must be able to read and write thls Constitution in the English language It seems to me that answers every ar sument made upon this question; that the fellows who can't speak the Eng fish language who propose to come tc this State and vote. l hope this Con vention will stand by the record anc will stand by the party and will stant by the pledges, and as l see 1t myself by its sacred honor. in not disfran' chising any white man in the State o Alabama.
 MT. Long-I would like to ask th' gentleman from Jefferson question | Under these amenQmentS couio not eN' cry citizen in Alabama and of tho
 United States who has declared his in tention to become a citizen of the Uni
 ted States. could he not vote on th'
 ratification of the Constitution?
 MT. Cunningham-Yes, sir, he can
 and will give 1t black eye.
 MT. Long-Then if he votes unde
 the section as adopted will he be abl'
 to vote again? :.
 MT. Cunningham-He can not unti
 he is naturalized.
 Mir. Samford-He could vote after h'
 had qualified as a citizen. couldn't he
 MT. Cunningham-Yes, sir, as sool as the time expired.
 MT. Samford-And then would tha
 disfranchise him?
 Mfr. Cunningham-Yes, sir, until th'
 time expired, the five year limit, fixe' by Congress; he can not qualify as 1 citizen of the United States.
 | Mir. O'Neal-I notice the last census
 shows that in Jefferson County ther
 are only 276 foreigners who have de
 clared their intention to become citi
 zens of the United States. By th
 census of 1900. Now is the gentleman
 prepared to state that single one O
 those citizens who are now votinl could not become citizens of the Uni
 ted States today?
 Mir Cunningham-Yes, sir, am pre- l nared to state, because the remark
 made by the Chairman Of the Com 1 rnittee-I believe it was the Chairman
 of the Committee. when he said ther
 had been a custom for these foreigner |