The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-03
OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF
 THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF ALABAMA

President pro tem--The question te upon the adoption of the amendment. Does the gentleman desire to address l the Convention upon the amendment. 1 Mir. white--No sir, think 1t is per- | fectly plain and the matter was dis 1 cussed on yesterday.
 Mir. Jenkins-There is something Tn the closing line that I think ought to l be stricken out it says. No primary election in this State shall be made compulsory" Now, Mir. President, 1 do not think that ought to be put into the Constitution.
 | Mir. O'Neal-I rise to a point of order. President pro tem-The gentleman l will state his point of order. Mir. O'Neal-The question before the | Convention is the amendment offered | by the Committee on Suffrage. The | gentleman Is not speaking to the | amendment.
 MT. Jenkins-I propose to amend the whole section. to strike out the amend ment as offered and also this part of 1t. The President pro tem-The point of order is we'll taken. The gentleman will conhne himself to the pending amendment.
 Mir. Jenkins-The pending amend ment is to purge the lists of voters, as reported by this committee. Now we have been here fifty days, trying to perfect a system by which we can get the people of Alabama on the roll of voters in this State that we know and believe are entitled to be there. We pass this temporary plan. and 1t goes back to the precincts, and these peo- pie are put upon it. but by this amend ment If you pass 1t, you place 1t in the hands and in the power O. the Legisla- ture, to undo in a measure what Wa propose to do here today. We do not know that our friends are going to be | always in the Legislature. Five years from now the Legislature of Alabama | may be Republican. ten years from now, 1t is possible that 1t will be, and perhaps sooner than that and if you | open the door to tamper with the lists, | with the rolls as made up by the tenn porsry plan. you invite the Legislature | in the future in Alabama when we | lose power to come here and strike from the rolls of voters men who by conl- mon consent and agreement at home are put there, and whom the people in the precinct want to be there, and I say Mir. President that this is too | dangerous a proposition to be put In the Constitution. The people see right before them now that this meas
 
 willing to vote for It. When you say,
 however, after the plan is perfected, and our names are on the roll or list of voters, some Republican Legislature or some hostile Legislature can come here aud through a technicality or something that we do not now dream of, spring a question upon us and strike us from the roll they will not allow this Constitution to pass. Mir. Graham (Talladega)-Win the gentleman permit a question ? President pro tem--Will the gentle man yield?
 MT. Jenkins-Certainly.
 Mir. Graham--I want to know If the gentleman has any objection to taking the names of the dead. the insane, those those convicted of crime. and those fraudulently put upon the registration off, If 1t Is done by jury of the coun- try; if he has any objection to purgtng the registration as to those-none oth- CTS are named Tn an amendment?
 Mfr. Jerkins-I want to say when a man dies, he can no longer vote. Mir. Graham--I heard that he could (Laughter.)
 MT. Stanford (Pike)--will the gentle man yield to a suggestion? MT. Jenkins-Certainly.
 Mir Samford-Hasn't it been the rule that they continue to vote in certain section in this State for the last twenty-five years?
 MT Jenkins-I want to say that that charge has been maoe in the past, but it is not true, and 50 far as know no dead man has ever been voted in my county.
 Mir. samford-May I ask the gentle man one question?
 Mir. Jenkins-Yes sir.
 Mir. Samford-I understand when you say that has not been done, you con- fine it to your own knowledge?
 Mir. Jenkins-Well I don't think
 Mir. Reese--I rise to a point of order This matter Is not 9ermane to this germane and it is useless consump- tion of the time of this convention.
 The President pro tem-It seems to the Chair that the amendment provides for pursins the list of the dead Daughter
 MT. Reese-The Chair misunderstood me. say the interruptions and ques- tionS asked this gentleman are not german and it Is a useless consump-, tion of the time of the Convention.
 The President pro tem.-The Chair will overrule the point of order
 MT. Jenkins-I yielded to the gentle man. We have in the blackbelt in Ala bama, nothing to conceal as to what We have done in the past. and We do not propose to stand here and allow anything to pass to discredit us. What we have done we have done open and and above board, and we have no apologies to make.
 Mir. Porter-I wish to ask the sRen- tleman a question.
 The President pro tem-Will the gen. tleman yield?
 Mir. Jenkins-E hate 10 be discoSrte- ous, but there have been so many ques- tions. and my time is limited, there fore must decline to yield. Now. MT. President 1 say this. that if you want this Constitution adopted, you must not tie any strings to 1t in the way of the hereafter. that after this roll is per fected. that come Legislature can come here and allege frauds. That roll ought to be a sacred roll, when 1t is made, so that the white, man can feel the peace and security in 1t that he feels in the permanency of things that God Almighty has made to last>forever, as long as he Is citizen of this State. If you will allow that impression to go out to the old soldiers who are allowed to come under it, and the others that we have made exceptions of, they will vote for it. but if you have any techni- calities hedged around 1t, or any ques- tions or fraud or doubt cast upon it, or If you give the power into the hands of any other tribunal. to pass upon the question. other than this Consti-