The age-herald., 1901-07-12

it's brainiest men and ablest legislators guilty of failing to see so glaring thing as unconstitutional. Those gentlemen who submitted the minority report and who will make the fight against this measure have Alabamas best interests at heart The Herald favors the elimination of the ignorant negro from politics, but 1t does not favor the dsfranchisement of any person illegally.
 From the Talladega Mountain Home.
 The report of the committee on suf- frage is sufficiently broad without em- bracing the grandfather clause" which adds nothing to the strength of the pro- posed ordinance and is unjust and hu. initiating to certain class of white voters. This clause pushes aside equality before the law, is un-American, because of it's open class legislation, and there fore should find no place in the organic law of Alabama.
 The proposition known as the grand father clause" simply says to the Hitter ate white voter: You are not allowed the right of suffrage on your own mer- its, but only permitted the right because some of your ancestors chanced to en- list and serve in some of the wars of the country. Nor is it certain that the white vote would be largely increased by the adoption of the clause. For according to the late census report, only IS per cent of the white male voters of the State are illiterate. Of this illterate class it is safe to assume that a large per cent would not be enfranchised by the pro- posed law, since in this class would be found many adopted citizens of foreign birth to whom the law would not apply.
 Nor should it be forgotten, that there is in Alabama as in all the states, large numbers of negroes, who perhaps would be unable to establish legitimacy of birth, could nevertheless easily establish the identity of white fathers, or grand fathers who had served in the wars of the country, and thereby entitled to vote under the provisions of the clause un- der discussion. It is manifest that much deicacy would be required in the treat ment of this class of would-be suf- fragists. ..-.,,-
 The constitutionality of the grand father clause is seriously questioned by many of the best legal minds of the country. The Home does not attempt to pass on it's constitutionality, but in view of the diversity of legal opinion in the matter, 1t is possible that as good an opinion can be written on one side of the question as on the other. Under such conditions in politics partisan de- cisions always prevail and as a matter of wise precaution the clause should be omitted.  by the mistress of the household depends in no small part the success of the offi- cial side of the residency.
 diplomatic residence in any of the larger European capitals may easily mean an annual expenditure of from $40,- GOO to $50,000. Only rich men are, there- fore, eligible for these posts. And thus false standard of wealth is being raised as a test for diplomatic prefer ment. It Is likely that before long our government will lease and furnish permanent houses for its ambassadors and ministers in the principal foreign countries, and this will go a long way toward correcting a grave fault in the present system. Our ambassador to St. Petersburg had to do house. hunting for six months, and was almost in despair of finding a suitable residence. As it Is he pays more in rates than even the am- bassador in London, and it is said the rental is more than thousand dollars a month