The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-27

~tns hforran has ever insisted upon inc hereditary right to hold omceF
 Mir. Knox-He asserted it in the plan which he submitted to this Convention for its consideration that the right to hold office, if l re. collect it correctly. should be connneo tn white citizens and their descendants MT. Oates-I will ask leave to pro pound a question.
 The President pro tem-Does the gen tieman consent to the interruption!
 Mir. Knox-Certainly.
 MT. Oates-Is it not a fact that Sem ator Morgan puts that on the ground that the Fifteenth Amendment does not contain any declaration of the right to hold office but only to vote as to the negro, and maintains tneretone, that the State may q 70 him the right to hold office? Mir. Knox-That ut senator Morgan is not obj our plat form upon constitutlo, nunds, but unon the great right .5SAt was fought for by our revolution p'as shers, m opposition to the Eng 45Fstem or MT. Oates-Except l. vay That is true so far hut the will re- member that I read letter which I received from l. dated the 2nd day of July. in whi e said ne entirely concurred in tn 'f"rity re- port and in the views % minority committee.
 MT. Knox-Yes, he did
 MT. Oates-And that included the un- constitutionality of the measure.
 MT. Knox-Yes. that is true. and l was greatly surprised. l, was pro- foundly astonished when the gentleman read that letter, because l remember when the Flying Squadron was organ ized to conduct the campaign of the distinguished gentleman for Senator in this State the reason for its organiza- tion was assigned to be that the duties of the Senator required him to remain in Washington, and among the i'm portant duties which engaged his at- tention, and made 1t necessary for him to remain there, Was to make an argu- ment in the Senate of the United States against the Pritchard resolution. and want to read you that resolution. It was introduced by Senator Pritchard for the purpose of thwarting a similar movement to that which we now have on hand, in the State of North Caro- lima, and his resolution reads as fol- lows:
 Resolved, That an enactment, by Constitution or otherwise, by any State which confers the right to vote upon any of it's citizens because of their de- scent from certain persons or classes of persons. and excludes other citizens because they are not descended from sucn persons or classes of persons hav- ing all other qualifications prescribed by law, in the opinion of the Senate is in violation of the Fourteenth and Eff teenth Amendments to the Constitution of ths United States and of funda- mental principle of our republican form of government"
 He could not come to Alabama to conduct his canvass for the Senate be- cause he had to remain in Washington and combat that proposition.
 MT. White-Will the gentleman al- low a question?
 MT. Knox-Certainly.
 MT. White-Have you anything from Senator Morgan saying that was the reason that kept him .there?
 MT. Knox-I have. (Applause.)
 Mir. White-On the contrary, under stand he was there trying if possible raguan Canal.
 MT. Knox-I have 1t from a member of the Plying Squadron" who went to Washington to induce him to come to Alabama and engage in the canvass, and he there stated to him that he could not leave, that among other inn portant duties he must stay there to combat the Pritchard resolution and at the same time read to that member of the Flying Squadron the able ad- dress which I hold in my hands and a part of which I propose to read to delegates. (Applause.)
 Now, upon the constitutionality of the much abused grandfather clause. and as to which the distinguished gentle man from Montgomery (Mr. Oatesl eavs that Senator Morgan in letter to him concurred in the minority re- port. in the Senate in a much more deliberate statement of his position than he scould make from Warm Springs. he said lreIerriHS lo '"o Pritchard resolution):
 .'The substituted resolution ] have inst read is not true in point ar law. r. is not A discrimination on account of race. color or previous condition or slavery. unless the act excludes them hy its terms, or by necessary intend- roent from it's terms, for such causes The exclusion of certain persons or classes CT persons or their descenoAnts can be lawfully made in many cases and for many reasons that have no re- lation to race or color or oFeRi"uS e0A dition of servitude."
 Again, in speaking especially wtn reference tNthe suffrage plan aoopt- ed in Louisiana, he says:
 "It must also be such a discrimina- +ion as appears on the face of the law that is complained of, and must relate alone to race. color or previous condl- tjon of servitude. It Is not enough to invoke the interference of Congress thai such discrimination is possible. or even probable under the administra- lion of the law. It must be found Tn the legal construction of the law and Tn its legal effect. In this view or the law that governs in these matters the decision in the Mississippi case IS concIusiye to show that the text of the Louisiana Constitution Is not dis elimination against the negro on ac- count of his race. color or his previous condition of servitude, and the act is valid against the power of Congress to interfere with II"
 Mir. Oates-I desire to read from the letter just that paragraph so you may see the exact language that Senator Morgan used. ,...o very we'll You read it on yesterday and Mir. White read one from him.
 MT. Hood (Etowahl-Did not the Sen ator in his letter to MT. White. tn" pentleman from Jefferson. make tn" statement that the Fifteenth Amend- ment had no more to do with this de- scendant proposition than any other clause or section in the Federal Con- stifutiOnY