Evening star., 1901-06-22

and burden to the state rather than an
advantage.
.One of the largest and strongest COM
mittees appointed today will consider the
subject OF taxation in all of it's aspects.
Our constitution now contains the equality
and uniformity provision which has dis
appeared from the organic laws OF many
of the states
There will be a strenuous effort to Gre
ate boards of equalization in order to dis
tribute among the counties and cities more
evenly than now the burdens to govern
ment.
The Question of the Trusts.
THE trust question will engage atten-
ton. An effort will be made to require
the general assembly to enact measure
which will substitute new rule for the
fe1low-servant' doctrine which obtains In
Virginia. This is an issue that has en-
tered into the gubernatorial fight, and be-
lieve Mr.. Montague is committed in favor
of action that will afford greater protection
to the employees of transportation compa-
MES. l do not know that he would advise
constitutional declaration on the subject.
Sentiment on the suffrage question does
not seem to have crystallized. 1t Will be oo-
served that several resolutions in regard to
1t were introduced yesterday. None OF
them seem to be at all novel. L do not
think any of them go far as the suffrage
clauses recently adopted in some OF the
southern states.
The question of apportiOnfng the school
fund between the races according to the
racial payment of taxes lost It's strongest
advocate when Mr.. Massey of Albermarle
died, just after his nomination to the con-
vention. So far, l have not heard 1t much
discussed. The chairman of the committee,
which will have charge of tnat and other
questions relating to the educational sys-
tenn OF the state, is DR. McIlwaine, presi
dent OF the Hampden-Sydney College"
Negroes Memorial to Convention.
In the memorial presented to the consti-
tutional convention by the Negro Business
League there occurs this sentence: There
are those among your petitioners who have
urged the negro to learn to trust his future
with his southern white neighbor, and when
the supreme test came he would receive
justice at his hands. This is a crucial hour
for those who have thus advised our race,
but do not believe that our falth IN you
will be misplaced"
Delegate Thorn of Norfolk, a member OF
the committee on suffrage, and the author
of the resolution suggesting the repeal of
the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution
of the United States, makes statement
which is one answer to this ch1ldifke re-
posing of confidence. Il want the amend
ment repealed so that we disfranchise
all the negroes he says. mo one con-
templates passing unconstitutional suf-
frage clause in this convention. 1t will at
best have to be only partial solution of
the negro problem in politics. l want all
We can get now, and if the fifteenth amend
nent is repealed, take the balance"
But it is only fair to say that this is an
extreme view, and 1t would be unsafe to
assume it as the sense of a majority of the
delegates. The public press of Richmond
counsels moderation in dealing with the
suffrage question. While admitting that a
certain class of negroes are untitled for
suffrage and should be deprived of 1t, the
newspapers. influential in the state, ad-
monish the convention against wholesale
disfranchisement
Work upon suffrage clause will COM
mence in the committee next week. There
is reason to believe that none of the reso-
lutions thus far introduced will form the
basis of action, but that the committee will
start with a property and poll tax Qualifi-
cation and build upon that q structure
modified to conform to political necessities
Next week will be busy season in COM
mittees and 1t is expected that the work
of the convention will get a fair start.