The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-26

the whites and to exclude the bulk of the negroes. Now the plan is no diff ferent in purpose and practice than the other. but the trouble about 1t is that if put into operation 1t would leave the majority of the counties in the Black Belt just about where they stand to- day, and besides IL would disfranchise a lot of white people in the northern and middle parts of~the State. It Is not practicable. You cannot get such plan as that adopted. I have stated all that care to state upon this question. be-, lieye that we ought to consider this question, not from the standpoint of what we or each of us may want or prefer, but from the standpoint of what can be reasonably expected to be adopted. or with the view of restoring the good State of Alabama to it's prop CT position in this Union. or with a view of putting us upon a permanent basis of political equality with our sis ter States, or with a view of enabling the free people of Alabama to onces more consider the material and spir- itual things that are good for them independent of party and unshacklcd by the past, and believe the plan that has been suggested here by this com mittee in the main--of course 1 know that some amendments are liable to be adopted-perhaps many of them-but In the main. I believe the principle will secure the thing that we want.
 NIT, Handley (Randolph)-Mr. Presi- dent, I regret that 1t has been neces- sary for some of our Democratic friends to criticise the Democrats of the Black Belt. In this take no interest what ever. My understanding is that the white people of the Black Belt are a unit 1t Is union and harmony with them, and they have succeeded in es- tablishing white supremacy in their counties, and they have perhaps Ire quently saved our State elections. hence I congratulate them upon the good service they have done in the last twen- ty odd years. 1 feel that they have been of great value to the people or the State of Alabama. Now. sir. the negro vote in the Black Belt seems to be one thing and in the white coun- ties it seems to be another thing. Let me tell you how 1t is in some of the white countoes of Alabama andfespe- cialIy in my own county. We have Tn that county about 400 Democrats and we have in that county about l.2o0 na- five born white Republicans, and we nave there sbotit 500 negroes. These Republicans are men that stand high in church and State. They help build the churches and they help build the schools, and they are good citizens. There are ministers and lawyers ana doctors and merchants and farmers among them. and great many or them are very substantial citizens and stand high in the financial world. Weii. now sir, when our electtone come on m
 Randolph. and I know of many hill counties in the State of Alabama that are in the same fix, they know their rights and they demand them. They have to have half the managers and half the clerks and the election has always been fair. There has never been a charge made in Randolph county of ballot box stuffing or unfair elections. They have been absolutely lair. A man of either party who would under take to tamper with the ballot box would not live to see his wife and chill dren again. We do not want or need ballot box reform, there has never been any ballot box stuft1ng or irregularl-
 ties in that regard, all the elections have been fair, except one thing, ana that Is that the negro vote in our coun- tv is for sale, and it is bought by he-
 nuhlicans and Democrats. all parties buv 1t. We have had three parties in our county, but the Populist party ana tho Democrats are about united now ana. we are together. The truth Is this, that when an election comes 1t IS question who will get the negro vote. Tn that county away back wonder just after the war for three Or four eiec- tions we could not do anything with the negro at all and it went Republican all the while and the reason Of 1t was that there were a few leading negroes that thought they could hold the ofn- ces in the county, but when they Iouno out that the Republicans would not allow them to hold the offices, why then sir, we first bought all the leading ne- Rroes and the teachers and the preach ers and when we got them. why they voted all the rest, but in the course Of two or three elections, every negro Tn | the county caught on to the trick. so every negro has to be bought, and IL makes it quite expensive. Now. Sir, want to disclaim for myself the Idea | of buying anybody's vote. never bought a negro'S vote, but l Will teli vou what I did do. I contributed lib- erally to the campaign fund. Now, that l la the condition of things up there. Ma nv of these negroes in the first cleo tions could be bought for dollar a piece, after a while they got up to two | dollars a piece, and they were Tn me condition for a week or two before the election would come on. They did not | care whether they voted Republican or Democratic. But We had three-cor- nered race over there for Judge of Pro- | bate. We had an organized Democrat and a white Republican and a Popui- | list. and, my dear sir, some of the ne- l grues charged from five to ten dollars | apiece. so it makes it hard on our peo- l pie. Now we are not begging for bal | lot reform or anything of that sort. but we want to be re-
 leved of purchasing the negroes to | carry elections. I want cheaper votes. | MT. Hefiin (Chambers)-I know you don't know anything about 1t of your 1 opinion that some of the leaders cost AS high as one hundred dollars?
 | MT. Handley--I do not remember,
 never i inquired closely myself. but
 some of the Big Ikes sold pretty we'll. The ballot is perfectly fair and the | only impeachment in our way Is the pur- chase of these negro votes and the Re- | publicans have a heap of money as | well as the Democrats up there and | they buy them. I tell you, gentlemen, | that is what is the matter with our | election affairs up there. It is that | point alone. The negro simply holds | the balance of power, and they have to | buy them
 MT. Burnett-May I ask the gentle
 man a question?
 | MT. Handley-Certainly. As man0 az
 you want to.
 Mir Burnett-Don't the negro sell out