The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-10

I . A | Mir. sanders-Mr. President, I am Black Belt Democrat tn sentiment and | in sympathy, if I am hiii piiiy geo graphically. came to this Convsnmon | fully convinced that we should vo'e | for representation upon the basis Of population. believe that is right. l That is Democracy. I believe tnat l Democrats of this section or the state are entitled to that, and would De Will Ing for the proportion of the members | of the Legislature to be fixed al any ratio which should protect the Black l Belt. in that representation forever. but I do think it is wrong and false | in principle that this one single thing | should be marked out as the only thing which cannot be submitted to the people for amendment without call l ing another Constitutional Convention. and in the way in which 1t Is expressed l | believe it will be irritating to the | people of North Alabama, notwltn- standing what my friends from Lau- derdaIe and Morgan have said about if and for that reason. Mir. President. and in full sympathy and believing It is right that the Black Belt should have what they claim and demand, yet because I fear the principle Is raise, I vote aye.
 The result of the roll call was s7 nces | and 27 ayes, and the motion To tabie was lost. ~-
 The President-The question recurs upon the substitute offered by the gen. | tleman from Greene.
 Upon a vote being taken the suosti- 1 ute was adopted.
 The President-The question recurs upon the Section as amended. l Mir. O'Neal-I have an amendment. l The Secretary read the amendment as follows: pH | Amend Section 1. line 3. by striking out three -ffths" and inserting in lieu thereof two thirds. n SL
 MT. O'Neal-My purpose in offering that amendment is because the pres1 ent Constitution requires a two-thifds vote of the Legislature in order to sub- init amendments to the Constitution. l Mir. Coleman-We do not need 1t now. The Convention has given us all we want.
 MT. ONeal-It is on the entire ques- tion. I am opposed to the Constftu; tion being amended with too much ease. notice our Constitution already re- quires two thirds. and the Constitution | of four-fifth3 of the States of the Un'on require a two thirds vote of the Leg islature before an amendment may be submitted. and do not see any reason why We should make the Constitution to be amended hy less than that for merly existing, and less than that re- | qujred in all the States of the Union. I move to strike out the word three ffths" wherever they occur in this | Section.
 The President-The question will be upon the adoption of the amendment offered by the gentleman from Lau- | derdale.
 Mir. Jenkins-I do not think that is good amendment, and I will explain why. We have had a great deal of trouble in the past dn getting two thirds of the Legislature to vote for a suffrage amendment. In fact we could not get 1t, and that is the reason this | Convention was called, because you never could get two-thirds of the Leg islature to vote for an amendment on the suffrage proposition. Now, we do not know but what tEey want it changed somewhat on these qualEfica- | tions on suffrage. They may not work well.
 MT. O'Neal-Is 1t not a fact that a majority of the States in the Union l require a majority vote to pass even an ordinary bill. and why is two-thirds too large a number?
 Mir. Jenkins-We provide here for three-fifths.
 Mir. O'Neal-Why is two-t thirds too large a number to amend the Consti- | tuition?
 Mir Jenkins-I will answer the gen. tleman by saying this. that it has been our experience in the past that we could not get a two- thirds vote of the Legislature to pass an amend ment.We have had this suffrage ques- tion up for ten or fifteen years, and the only reason that the people have never had a chance to vote upon 1t, was that the Legislature of Alabama would not submit it to them, and if we go ahead and readopt the old plan we can never change the plan we have adopted by this Convention and it may work wrong, 1t may be the worst thing in the world we have ever done. and we want to be in position to amend it without calling another Constitu- tional Convention, and We ought to change it like the Committee has re- commended, and fix a special time to hold an election. and not at the gen eral election, because If you adopt the old Constitution, why 1t has been the experience in the past that all amend ments were defeated, and the only way we got an amendment was by twisting the Constitution all out of shape and interpreting it so that a majority could carry it.
 MT. ONeal-The gentleman entirely misapprehends my amendment. I do not propose to mak; any change in the Section reported by the Com mfitee ex- cept to strike out three-tifths and in sert two-thirds wherever it occurs.
 MT. Jenkins-That makes 1t more | difficult to pass anne nGments.
 Mf. O'Neal-That is what I want.
 Mir. Jenkins-Thau will necess.tate the calling ot another Constitutional Convention. and we want to avoid that, and we ought to make changes in our orga nic law by amendmo mt. and I move to table the amendment offered by the gentleman from LarGerdale.
 Upon vote being taken the motion to table prevailed.
 Mir. Sanford (Montgomery)-I have an amendment.
 The Secretary read the amendment | as follows: A
 An end Section by striking out three fifths' in third and sixth lines in said Section, and inserting in lieu thereof the words "a majority of the votes of all members elected 10 each House of the Leg slature.'
 Mir. Sanford-I make that amendment for the very reasons that have been given by the gentleman from Wilcox. It is absolutely necessary that in these changing times in which We live in the changed conditions of Alabama, that seem to change from season to season, we shall be able to amend the Const tuition without calling another Constitutional Convention. It is abso- lutely impossible, as he says, to amend