The age-herald., 1901-08-03
CONVEN NTlON CONTINUES
 ON SUFFRAGE PLAN
Continued from First Page.)

never regretted He said there was no necessity, however to extend the age limit to GO years for the benefit of the Black Belt. A negro at 45 looked like one at O. and the registrars in the Black Belt could easily say to negro that he was under 45 and therefore must pay a poll tax. By adopting this change he thought the constitution would lose at least 20,00O votes In the white country. Other pro- visions had been made to eliminate the negro. and he did not think this change was necessary.
 MT. Hood of Etowah said the people of the hill counties were as patriotic as any others. Neither were they poorer than other sections, and they were willing to pay this sum of s1.50 for schools. The purpose of the committee in making the payment of the poll tax voluntary was to allow 1t to pile up on the negroes so large that they could never pay 1t off He moved to table MT. Fitts,. substitute to the substitute of the committee. This was done by vote of 67 to 6o
 Smith Amendment.
 Mir. Smith of Mobile moved to amend section IS by striking out the words put no legal process nor any" and providing that no fee shall be allowed for the col lection of poll tax until 1t becomes de- linquent This would make the payment
  cess for it's collection after February.
 MT. Sollie of Dale opposed the amend ment, and said It would not make the constitution popular In the wiregrass sec ton.
 Mir Reese of Dallas opposed the amend ment and told of interviews with various people of the State of Mississippi wno said that a voluntary poll tax payable at certain time had given them more re- lief from the negro vote than any other section of the constitution. He moved to table MT. Smiths amendment, which was done
 MT Browne of Talladega offered an amendment which provided that the age limit of a poll tax should be left to the Legislature to determine. He said that the committee's substitute would cost the convention 10000 votes in the hill coun- try.
 The convention then adjourned until s:aO o'clock. ]. Afternoon Session.
 The convention reassembled at s:SO o'clock and proceeded with the consider ation of the Browne amendment to sec- ton 1S
 Mir. Graham of Talladega sasd the poll tax under this new law would be cut down materially. The people in his sec ton of the State were interested in schools and he had never heard any citi- zen complain of the poll tax except negro laborers whose wages had been gar nisheed. I am tired of this argument about the number of votes the constitu- ton would lose if we didn't adopt this or that amendment. (Applause) The peo- pie would not object to the poll tax and he favored the age limit being extended to 60 years. This was necessary to get rid of the negro in the black belt who was over 45 years.
 Mir. Stamford of Pike favored MT. Browne's amendment, and Mir. O'Neal of Lauderdale spoke against it. MT. O'Neal said that MT Browne had reduced the tax rate and the report of the committee on suffrage had reduced the States in- come at least $50000, and now when it was proposed to extend the age limit for po,I taxes and thereby inrcease the States in- come Mir Browne opposed it. He thought the poll tax should be fixed in the funda- mental law.
 Mir. Taylor of Perry favored extending the poll tax age to sixty years and op- posed MT. Browne's amendment. If one can't get relief here, he said, how can we get 1t from the Legislature? He spoke Of the political history of the black belt and said this was the one thing necessary for their salvation.
 MT. Duke of Chambers. said be xyo,,,a not be willing to take the report of a committee made in twenty-four hours in preference to this report made after n deliberation of thirty days. But as this had been been voted down be preferred. the Browne amendment. Hc was trrosed to extending the age limit to sixty years.
 MT. Burns of Dallas said he had not in tended to bore the convention with a speech. as he had confidence in the dele gates. He knew no sections of the State but came here e pluribus unum. (Grea. applause.) The question was whether the report of the committee was right. not whether 1t had changed. Wise men changed. fools never. The report was right. although they had failed to adopt an ordinance of his Qaughter.) He be- lieved the delegates were broad-minded enough to represent all sections inciud- ing the fair-headed girls and shirt-tail boys. .... .-.
 The black belt was not demanding much. They had none of the agricultural