The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-01

 head of sheep worth $2oo. The man dies and leaves two sons. One son gets forty acres of land worth $25 and the other son gets forty head of sheep worth $200. Now, the one that gets the sheep. although in common sense if l they are worth $200, they are worth more than the forty acres of land: yet you permit the man with the forty | acres of poor land to vote. and the man having sheep to the value of $200 can not vote
 MT. Howze-Does the gentleman know whether or not those fellows can read and write?
 MT. Williams-Some of them can and some of them cannot. I mean by my illustration that the ancestor dies and leaves
 MT. Piilans-You are speaking and all of us refer to the illiteracy feature of the Constitution. There can't be any doubt about that.
 MT. Williams-Of course. So far as agreeing with the Grand Old Man in this Convention, I do not think there is anybody in the Convention who rev. erences the Grand Old Man more than I do, but when he cores and attempts to speak for the hole Black Belt, think he is wrong sometimes, and he certainly is wrong this time. 1t Is a question of tweedlee and tweedle dunn. It is a question of whether you will stand by the principle you announced last night. or will you do nke the boys at home say you are doing? When are we going to get away from here? Let's stop this reconsideration of matters.
 MT. deGraffenreid-May I ask the gentleman a question?
 MT. Williams-Yes.
 Mir. deGraffenreid-Is not the ques- tion really whether we will stand by what we did last night or whether we will stand by what we did after six weeks or two months consideration of this matter before recess?
 Mir Williams-Whether it be six weeks or two months or last night, the principle remains the same, that it Is done and we ought to stop this recon sideration business. There is no real reason why this matter should be re- considered. The gentlemen on the oth- CT side have not advanced any propo- sition in the world why it should be done, and I tell you that in my opin- ion, the people of the Black Belt don't care snap of their finger whether you put 1t in there or whether you don't, but I tell you my opinion is that they want the whole property qualification cut out. and if 1t had not been for the reverence and respect I had for the Chairman of the Suffrage Cozemittee, should have voted against tHat proper ty qualified ation, for I am against it. It reminds me of Ben Franklin's jackass. He owns him one day and votes, and next day, he sells him and cannot vote, and the question remains, which votes, the jackass or the man?
 KniOhf-T E0 fa eIy ha gentleman from Marengo a question. Whether he had the opportunity to communicate with the people in the Black Belt so as to speak for the whole Black Belt?
 MT. Williams-I would not arrogate to myself to speak for the whole Black Belt.
 MT. Knight will say that the plan as it now stands. as reported by the Committee. the people are delighted with it in my county and will be very much dissatisfied with this amendment.
 MT. Williams-I expect you will find people on both sides of every question that IS worth consideration at all.
 The President resumed the chair.
 MT. O'Neal HauderdaleD-The gen tlemen from the Black Belt contend that the effect of this proposition as it was originally incorporated would be to decrease the number of negroes who can vote, and the amendment would increase the number 20 per cent. Are you willing to increase the number of negroes who can vote in elections in Alabama?
 Mir Williams (Marengo)-7No. sir; but the proposition does not make any diff ference. there are not any more going to vote.
 MT. O'Neal-Thes higher you raise the property qualification. the fewer can vote.
 MT. Williams (Marengo)-No: not un- less you put it up to one thousand or fifteen hundred dollars.
 MT. O'Neal-Then you do not want any property qualification.
 MT. Williams-No.
 MT. O'Neal-Do you want every ne- gro who can read and write to vote.
 MT. Williams-Don't you think it would disfranchise about as many white people?
 MT. O'NeaI-I do not think it disfran- chises any of them.
 MT. Williams-Well. there it Is. do | not think it does the other way. I say | the matter does not amount to snap | of the finger. You may add ten dollars | to the price of a mule and advance it, | as suggested by the gentleman from Sumter and it is bona fide sale, and | the people in my county are not mak- ing these conditional sales since the Su- preme Court said If the conditional l thing that was sold died you lost your debt. and I submit tho proposition to my friend from Greene. if it does not make an absolute sale.
 The President-The time of the gen. Lleman has expired.
 MT. Coleman-I rise to a question of inquiry. If l move the previous question first, have ten min ntes in which to close
 The Presidential the previous ques- ion is ordered. the delegate has ten minutes in which to close.
 MT. Coleman-I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion to re- was adopted. and upon that ,all for the previous question.
 The previous question was ordered.
 The President-The question will be lpon the motion to reconsider.
 MT. Coleman-Mr. President and dele gates of the Convention, 1 feel very yrateful to the delegates of this Con- 'ention for the manner in which they lave referred to me, and for the re- pect the last gentleman who address d you expressed. (Mr. Williams, Ma 'engo) I do not intend to speak for he entire Black Belt, but l will say to everybody in this Convention that I vas battling against these hordes and Igalnst the party who would have ruin d us when he was in his sWaddling 'lothes. and I have been in that war are ever since until now. and if l do lot know the people of the Black Belt having been solicitor for twelve or