The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-14
| SUFFRAGE MAT TER
AGAIN DISCUSSED.
1 Major " A. Anderson
for Minority Plan.
MUCH BUSINESS DONE
Members are Pressing Their Work
Rapidly.
DAY or HARD COMMITTEE WORK
itinny Reports Ready-Mr. Glass Suffrage
sehcne-commit,ees on Agriculture
and Other matters Take I'M
porian, Action = Con-
yentlon News and
Gossip.
DAY OF HARD COMMITTEE WORK

The Constitutional Convention members
had busy time yesterday.
The actual session of the main BODY
lasted only a little more than an hour,
but from noon till II o'clock last night,
with several slight intermissons, there
was perfect rush of committees, and
great deal of important business was
transacted by them. Among the most
important that met were those on Ja-
dietary, Bill OF Rights, Public Institu-
TONS Cities and Towns, and Agriculture.
They were all well attended, and the
members showed every disposition to so
forward with their work. The same IN
tentions were apparent i'll the conEen.lo.
proper The County Government report
was disposed of in Committee of the
Whole and reported TO the convention. 1t
was tacitly understood that all the re-
ports OF committees should be disposed Of
by the Committee of the Whole before
any Of them shall be considered by the
convention proper.
The report of the Committee on the i2s-
ccutiye Department is pending and will
be taken up to-day. That on education
is also in and ready to be taken up Ear
fy reports are expected from several other
committees, and no further iull in pro
ceedings is anticipated.
The suffrage conferences were resumed
last night. and that great question will
be gotten in shape as speedily as posi-
BILE.
The Bill Of Rights Committee have
heard al! sides fully on the Barbour
i Quarles liquor resolution, and Will report
upon it one way or another in a fc@
days. .ts4.s.
STILL TIE GREAT ISSUE. s
The suffrage issue is still the great one
and is naturally the storm center, around
.Sl1tch the battle ra ges with Increasing IN
4 terest There are now 4 great many old
and new plans pending. State Senator
1 Carter Glass, member OF the con-
rention from Lynchburg, completed
his plan yesterday and it IS
printed in The Times this morning
1t does not differ in many OF its pro-
. visions from The Thom or the Daniel
plan. bat the few differences are some
what radical. The chief objection urged
by some members to the Thorn, or ajor-
ity. plan was that it made the under
standing clause a permanent feature. The
Glass plan makes the understanding
clause temporary eXpedient until Jan
uary J. 1893 after which it is dropped al
toSSliel, div no pefSOl WHO Is not ilSteQ
at the two general registrations to be held
prior to January 1, 1903, can thereafter
claim its exemptions. After January l.
s 1905, every person offering TO register or
vote is put upon the same footing. He
must prepay a poll tax of Sl.5h, make ap-
q,iication in his own handwriting and pre-
pare his ballot and vote without aid from
any source.
One particular objection made to the
TT ~
Of 5000 literate negroes to the registra-
ton lists as permanent voters. without
exactinE a. 1)oll-taN of them as a pre-
requisite TO admission TO the registration
lists. The Glass plan is designed to ex-
clude a con:derable number of these ne
groes from the registration books until
after the pcl-tax requirement becomes
operative: SO that if they present them
selves for registration after January /.
19tS, they must not only run the gauntlet
of a rigorous educational qualification
but before going through this ordeal must
/, first prepay sl50 poll-tax. These are the
major differences between the plans pre-
pared b. the member from I4yuchburg
and those presented by MIR Thorn for
the majority and Senator, Daniel for the
minority of the Suffrage Committee. Mr.
Glass; plan also provides for equal repre-
sentatien OF the two great political mar
Ties Lie OIL eiectlOn, so as
TO insure absolutely fair elections after
the electorate has been purified by the
elimination of the great mass of objec-
tsonable voters.
MAJOR ANDERSON SPEAKS.
Major w A. Anderson OF Rockhridye,
was the only speaker in the conference
held in the Convention Hall last night.
lie opened his arguna' mt in favor of the
minority plan, signed py himself Ma ior
Daniel and others. He dealt largely with
statement of his case--as lawyers would
call it--last night and will resume at s
o'clock Tonight He will probably con-
clude tomorrow night. and his argumant
promises TO be u powerful one. Messrs.
Flood, BraXton, Wise. Glass. Ingram, WT-
sor, and other strong leaders will speak
before the conferences are over, and it
is impossible to forecast when the matter
will be settled.
Major Anderson spoke nearly two hours
last night and made fine impression.
There We're no preliminaries. and Char
man keezell lost no time in bringing the
body down to business.
THE MISTAKE MADE.
The mistake made by the majoritv, Ma.
jcr Anderson said. was that in striving
to obtain the ideal they had lost sight
of the practical. ANY plan which elimi-
mated the entire negro Vote would be in
conflict with the Federal Constitution
The plan that will stand the scrutiny
OF judicial Investigation was best
Other States had blazed the way and
along this road which the minority plan
could safely travel.
The TWO Tslans agree In many inn
rortant particulars. The majority plan
provides an understanding test to a much
larger number of citizens. and is per
petual. The minority understanding Will
apply to less than 80 ,ooD white voters and
Is temporary.
The majority plan uses The understand.
ing clause to shut the door upon the ne
Rre forever