The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-30

away off should have been sitting in the gallery listening to the debates here, he would have been led to conclude that the question. of our superiority was doubtful, 1t has ben so publicly, con- stSntly and eloquently argued. That is q conceded proposition, and the ar- ticle before us, MT. President, is mag nificent tribute to our superiority. Here we are assembled, presumed to he the leading men of the State of Alabama in Constitutional Convention assem- bled. Not a negro sits upon the floor. And so far as that ,s concerned, we have all power under the(limitations of the Constitution of the United States. But when you read this article which has hee submitted you will find in all 1f i;.s analysis m favor of the first proposition that where ne was in war we have admitted nim as soldiep; where he is descendant of parents that were in a war no, matter whether war for us or against us. we have admitted him. We have put the gen- eral. noble clause, every man of good character-and who Is afraid of that. only the man whose character is In dispute is afraid of that clause. Every man of good character can come in and there will be negroes that will C me in under that clause. I lay 1t down that here in this very article it. self, Is not only a declaration of the law made by white men. but it is \ declaration of the highest law that the white people of Alabama can make and under it the negro will be treated fairly. The adoption of this Constitu- tion will work large advantage to the negroes of the Staie of Alabama. I have a tender feeling for the negro Every allusion to our obligations to him that has been made in this Convention by distinguished men, eloQuently and truthfully made, has found an echo in many 8 heart where the echo has not been expressed We do regard him. and the adoption of this Constitution will he the best thing for him. In the his tory of my county, MT. President, af- ter the war. after 1867. when the negro by the 18th amendment, and admis- sion into politics was brought into act- i've controversy with the white men. why our court houses had different air about them-when he went to the ballot box against us by thousands in
 the majority. When he came into the court room the antagonism was there. but since 1880 and some years since whne he las subsided. sleeping around us as volcano without eruption, the court room was a different air. It is better, the laws are more fairly ad.
 miniStered. the antagonism has been
 removed, and when this Constitution
 has been adopted and the unworthy
 and theS incompetent are cut out he will stand before us as an ordinary citizen without antagonism to the su- pcrior race, and we will look with synl- pathy, We feel the trust that this great
 instrument has reposed in Us by mak- in Ia ha
 as by nature we are. Now we only
 nave 1t by nature, this Constitution gives 1t to us by law. and that will create the springing up of feeling to do Justice in all matters. in dealing in the courts. and all his civil rights will
 be more firmly and cheerfully accorded
 to him. We hear a good deal about
 the opposition to this Constitution that
 we are framing. We hear a great deal
 and read a great deal in our newspa-
 pers crlticising this matter, criticising that matter, -criticising the length of our stay here, but that is all natural. That is to be expected. I was im-
 pressed the other day in a conversation with was going to say a distin- guished gentleman from Mississippi- put will say intelligent gentleman
 rom Mississippi. the word distinguish ca mas promiscuoCs use He was an intelligent man. and said while the
 Mississippi Convention was in session
 nearly; every paper in the State was criticising its delays. it's slow move-
 ments, criticising this proposition and that proposition, but he said when they closed the book and submitted it to the people they all came as one man
 and supported it.
 MT. Oates-Do you know how many they In
 Mir Miller-Three months. I under.
 stand.
 MT. Oates-Ninetv-fou days.
 MT. Miller-In session ninety-four
 days and severely criticised. not only Tor measures they adopted, but meas
 ures they refused to adopt. for the
 length of time they remained in ses.
 sion. In Kentucky it was the same
 way I understand they were in session
 seven months in Kentucky
 MT. Oates-They were nine months
 in session in Kentucky. as I was in-
 formed by MT. Walker. who was a stenographer to this Convention until
 recently.
 Mr. Miller-It is perfectly natural for
 criticism to spring up on the outside We have it on the inside. propoSi- tion springs up here and we have able and long arguments on both sides We have antagonisms here, and they go out all over the State of Alabama, through the hearts of the people who participate in these debates and take | sides. but when they settle the matter
 in this hall our minority submit to
 to the will of the majority on what.
 ever proposition 1t may be, quiet is brought within this great rank of men
 and quiet grows out, and after the
 wave of dissent and criticism will come
 the wave of content and satisfaction,
 and l say it is my firm belief and my expectation that when this Conven-
 tion of men such as are here seals
 the book and sends it forth ito the peo-
 pie, just as we subside here so will
 calm and satisfaction spread out all
 over the State of Alabama. and our
 Constitution will be adopted.
 MT. Sollie Dale)-Mr. President and
 gentlemen ot the Convention, l am for
 the grandfather" clause as it appears
 in the majority report of the Commit
 tee, except that I am more so. I be-
 lieVe the temporary plan is too short,
 and that it should be extended a couple
 of years. I have. therefore. prepared
 an amendment so extending it, which
 shall offer at the proper time, and
 which shall discuss in connection with
 what I have to say upon the section
 as a whole.
 in the early stages of the debate on
 this Section I was more anxious to ad-
 dress you than I now am. I felt deep
 ly interested in the "soldier' and