The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-28

talk about another thing, about the plan Of our foretathers. and gay let 2s go back to the plan of our forefathers. have shown you what the plan or our forefathers was. to exclude the negro, to keep him from having even civil rights, much less political rights. We do not want to go back to the plan oi our fathers in that respect because we do insist that. ne shall have his civil rights and they never have been de- nied him In Alabama. Now let me pursue this right to vote. This coun- try grew from the thirteen colonies un- til 1t numbered thirty States in 1856. At that time the country was startled by the announcement of the very prin- ciple which 1 have been speaking to you about. when Chief Justice Fancy decided in the Dred-Scott case that the negro was not then and never had been citizen of the United States, and lie gave for 1t the very reasons which 1 have given, that in the formation of the government the negro was not con- sidered the white mans equal, that the white man was his superior, and that the negro was treated so by the Arti- cles Of Confederation, by the Declara- tion of Independence and by the Con- stitution of the United States, by the Acts of Congress, and by the decisions of the respective States Why, even Massachusetts away back wonder n 9th Gushing decided that Massachusetts had a right to establish separate schools for the coiored and the white races. After that decision (Dred Scott easel was rendered. came this great hue and cry about the rights of the negro. The war came on. Abraham Lincoln pro- olo ,nI %l. zt, Nf Ia cl nS to take effect January 1, 1863. Now my friend from St. Clair says that these amendments, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were not aimed at the South. How any man familiar with history can make such an assertion I cannot un- derstand. Why 1t is recognized by -ev- cry writer on the subject that the Thir- teenth Amendment was adopted for the purpose of carrying out the proclama- ton of President Lincoln, and for making effective the freedom of the negro. When they found the freedom of the negro did not give him those rights which they anticipated, when they did not find that the Southern States were stumbling over each other to accord him the same rights as they gave to white citizens. then the Re- publican Party in power said We will strike them one more lick, and they enacted the Fourteenth Amendment, and that was to make the negro a cit izen. They thought that that complet- ed the job, they thought that when they said the negro was a citizen, that that would give him these rights, but 10 and behold 1t did not. They found out that citizen did not mean a man with all of the political rights that the State gave. They thought of the fact that woman being a citizen did not give her the right to vote therefore they adopted the Fifteenth Amendment. Can it be said that that was not aimed at the South? Where else in all this broad country did. the negro predomi- nate? New England had gotten rid of htm by selling him to the South. He was here, he was interfering with our body polite, he was not interferins with theirs. It was to force him upon us they passed the Fifteenth Amend ment. Shortly after the Fifteenth Amendment was passed some woman up in Michigan read the Fourteenth Amendment and saw that all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the Jurisdiction thereof were citizens of the United States and of the States in which they resided She took 1t for granted that as she was a person that therefore she had a right to Vote. It was refused her and she went to the Supreme Court of the United States and that Court decided that she did not have the right to vote because she was q woman. and that the policy of this Government was to give the right of suffrage to males and not to females, and that it did not make any difference if she was a person, and a me 1dK l T
 was citizen, that there were citizens who did not have the right to vote. Now pardon me for reading you some thing from that decision because I want to read it for the benefit of my friend from St. Clair and such other members of this Convention who be- lieve with him that the United gtates has right to control votes in the State of Alabama. I read from the case Of Minor vs. Happersett in Fist Wallace: And still again, after the adoption of the Fourteenth Amend ment, it was deemed necessary to adopt Fifteenth aj follows: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on ac- count of race, color or previous con dition of servitude.' The Fourteenth Amendment had already provided that no State should make or enforce any law which should abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. II suffrage was one of these privileges or immunities, why amend tha Constitution to prevent its being denied on account of race. etc. Moth ing is more evident than that the greater must include the less, and if all were already protected, why go through With the form of amending the Consti- tuition to protect a part"
 Again, for the benefit of my friend from St. Clair. I read from the case of Reese in 92nd U. S.: "The Fifteenth Amendment does not confer the right or suffrage upon any one. It prevents the States or. the United States. how ever. froW giving preference. in this particular, to one citizen of the United states over another, on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude
 Before it's adoption, this could be done
 It was as much within the power of State to exclude citizens of the United States from voting on account or race, etc, as it was on account of age, property or education. Now, 1t is not. If citizens of one race having certain qualifications, are permitted by law to vote. those of another hay- ing the same qualifications, must be-"
 Let us pause right there. There is the test; If citizens of one race hav- nlg certain qualifications are permitted to vote, those of another having the same qualifications must also be. '
 Very we'll we say the soldiers shall have the right to vote. If these dual. thcatiOnS apply to whites and DerrOaS