The age-herald., 1901-07-27

Let 1t be written on my tomb he said, that here lies Taonlas Jefferson, the au- thor of the deaisr&tiou of religious lib- erty in Virginia, the founder of the Uni versity of Virginia and author of the Declaration of Independence.
 He concluded amid great and pro- longed applause Five thousand copies of his speech were ordered printed on mo- ton of Mir. Reese of Dallas.
 Mir. Ferguson of Jefferson.
 MT. Ferguson of Jefferson followed President Knox and spoke against the majority report. He paid tribute to President Knox and said he did not know whether 1t was compliment to him CT not that he had been assigned to speak after him; whether 1t was a case of q royal Bengal tiger and g. 6inged cat: but he would solve the doubt by considering 1t compliment. He concluded by saying that President Knox might have added that 1t was Thomas Jefferson who strueN down the law of primogeniture in this country and made 1t impossible ever t9 have any hereditary political rights. This was the meat in the cocoanut-this be- redity feature of the plan. The courts will look at the purposes of the convention in passing 1t, not only its letter.
 He reviewed the history and purposes of the fourteenth and fifteenth amend ments, which he said the Republicans passed on account of the diabolical legis- lation of the Southern states after the war against the freed negro. Congress will look at the purposes of this conven- ton with as close a scrutiny as they did these acts of the Legislatures after the war.
 This grandfather clause is not going to be the vote getter that delegates think 1t is. Speaking for my county, which Is the largest voting county in the State of both white and negro votes, tell you the sem timent there is overwhelmingly against 1t He spoke of the power of the soldier vote and how 1t had been used by politicians at the North and the enormous growth of pensions. There was the same danger In the South of the soldier vote being controlled by politicians.
 If this grandfather clause Is doubtful. why put 1t in the constitution? Will not the good character clause be sufficient Nothing Is easier as every lawyer knows. than to prove good character. How are you to prove your ancestors fought at Gettysburg, Kings Mountain or Valley Forge? He illustrated the difficulties of proving ancestry.
 He spoke of Senator Morgan and said he was not so far wrong although they had introduced a record against him. Uaugh- ter and applause.) Why weight down the constitution? You say this is a temporary plan, but 1t creates permanent life class of voters. He said that no man loved the old Confederate or his sons more than he. His daughter. too, suggested Captain White. Yes his daughter too," added Mir. Ferguson. ''I have loved them and may do so again" He spoke of the sol- diers he saw going to the war. He had no objection to their voting, but was afraid of the ultimate consequences. He was applauded as he concluded.
 Other Speeches.
 Mir. Howell of Cleburne, also opposed the grandfather clause as being a viola tion of the federal constitution Last May they had all taken an oath to sup port the federal constitution and he could not support a measure which he consider ed violated that instrument. He paid a tribute to the Confederate soldier, and also spoke of his lifelong Democracy,
 Colonel Kyle of Etowah also opposed the majority report. Not being a law yer, he said, he would not go into the constitutionality of the matter, but he thought the grandfather clause unwise, It would retard capital coming into the state and arrest it's development as no one could tell what would be the effect of this grandfather clause on the future of the state. There might be Federal in- terference and 1t was impolitic to do any, thing which might have this result.
 MT Greer of Calhoun said he had not intended to speak, but he had been sur prised at Mir. HowelPs attitude. and he had been in Cleburne County and knew the people of the county were over wheImingly in favor of the grandfather clause. He had pledged himself to sup