Evening star., 1901-06-15
The Franchise a Serious Problem to
Virginia Convention.
SENTIMENT ON QUESTION DIVIDED
No Desire to Bar Out Honest
lIIterates.
COM ITTEES AT WORK

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
RICHMOND, Va, June 15.-No further
steps looking to a revision of the constitu-
tiOn of Virginia will be taken until Monday
night, when the committee on organization
will hold a final meeting to perfect a plan
to present to the body, which assemblies at
noon on Tuesday.
The individual members of this commit
tee have spent the past two days in col
lecting all the data on the subject that Is
obtainable, and will have a mode of pro-
cedure ready at the time set for the re-
assembling of the convention.
Under the plan that will be adopted one
OF the first questions to be taken up will
be the curtail;ng of the expenses of the
state in the maintenance of it's criminals
and criminal institutions. 1t is ex-
pected that the action along this line
will be of the most radical nature, and that
there will be a prolonged fight against q
powerful lobby before Ii Is carried through
The members Of the convention will aim
to lOp of class of officials without whom
it is claimed, the business of the state can
be equally well carried on. Those officials,
however, have many friends among those
Eho control the machinery of the party
who will aid them in their hour of need.
The Suffrage Clause.
The question of. what shall be done with
the suffrage clause is one that Is upper
most at present, but the members of the
convention are very cautious in discussing
1t, and have by no means made up their
minds as to the proper course to pursue.
As a general proposition, however 1t NAV
be stated that there is majority senti-
ment against anything like a wholesale
fiSfranchisement of the negro. The people
OF the state do not demand any such radi-
cal action The leading minds in the con-
NtUtlOQ engaged in PrdeaNynripcr to
solve the very knOtty problem of amend
Ing the constitution so that the votes of
what are known as the worthless class
Of negroes may be eliminated and at the
same time the honest and deserving men
Of both races shall be protected in their
rights. In other words the convention does
iSt wish to allow lack of education to bar
any one from the right of franchise, If
they are otherwise qualified either by char
acter or property qualification for it's ex-
erctse. In addition to guarding against
this danger, it viii be necessary to frame
a provision that will stand the test of the
supreme Court. which will be an exceed
ingly difficult matter
The Educational Qualification.
The educational qualification has been
discussed, but it has been urged against 1t
That it would be only a temporary bar to
the negroes. as lhey would very soon learn
to read and write.
Two striking figures in the body are Sem
ator John W. Daniel and former Governor
William z. Cameron. They are fast friends
In 1881 Major Daniel and Colonel Cameron
were opposing candidates for the governor
ship of Virginia Daniel was the demo-
c=atic nominee and Cameron was the can
' 'didate of the readjusters, of which the late
Gen. William Malone was the leader. The
two stumped the state together. They de-
nounced each other fercely from the
stump, but in private We're exceedingly
f.yr1 % 1I Of,
endured until the present time
y question to be decided next week is
whether the convention shall continue its
work here, adjourn to some cooler place or
take recess until the fall. 1t cannot be
certainly predicted yet what action will
3 taken