The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-03

| NOW, MT. PreSident, this Is a serious question for Us to consider. I do not believe 1t Is necessary to speak upon
 this question because have confidence
 in the members upon this floor, and
 do not believe there are a dozen men
 on this floor who favor this proposi-
 tion. If any excuse could be offered
 for t In this black belt, the majority report of the Committe on Suffrage will eliminate that excuse. There can be
 no excuse for it in the mountains be- cause the people don't want it and
 there cannot be a good reason given
 why it should be granted. If Christ
 himself were here he could not vote under that proposition and neither could his disciples. There are not half
 a dozen ministers of the Gospel in the | State of Alabama who could vote if this section Is adopted, no matter how
 intelligent or good they are. If you de- | ny them the right to vote on a little | pittance of one-tenth of one per cent.
 tax for the benefit exclusively of the l public schools you had as well deny them every other right of suffrage and
 you had as we'll deny them the right to | hold office. Why, there cannot be a sim gle sound reason givenwhy this should | be In the Constitution of the State of Alabama. You put 1t there and I tell you the people of Alabama will not | support such a radical piece of legisla- l ton In the fundamental laws of our State and this Constitution will go un- der by fifty thousand majority.
 The poor people in Alabama made as good soldiers as the rich in the last war and many a man today sleeps
 under the sod. who never owned a slave
 but was fighting for slavery. Many of those who were formerly overseers own plantations now in Alabama. And
 l wont to deny the assertion that has been made here that property pays the tax. A man in London may own farm | ing lands in Alabama, but ke does not pay one cent of the taxes. It Is the tenant on the farm that pays those | tsxes; 1t is his labor that pays the
 taxes and produces all the wealth in Alabama, and everywhere else. A
 man. no matter how poor he is, has
 certain inalienable rights guaranteed
 to him by the Federal Constitution.
 You talk about the suffrage plank be-
 ing against the Federal Constitution; you put this provision in the Constitu-
 tion, and if the question were contest ed. believe it would be the duty of
 Congress to say, to the people of Ala bama, you have not republican form of government, because you deny to
 the poor people right to vote; you al-
 low property, instead oI votes, to con-
 trol your political destinies. MT. Pres-
 ident. l do not desire to say anything
 further on a proposition so absurd on
 its face. I do not believe there are a dozen members or the floor that are in l accord with the report of the commit tee.
 MT. Reynolds (Chilton)-I dislike to
 take up the time of the Convention in discussing this question, but feel that
 I would be untrue to the people I rep resent did l not say few words on
 this subject. This is a remarkable
 proposition and something new in the history of the country, that property, and not men, should vote.
 I take this view of the question that
 the Convention should not, and ought not. to put anything in the Constitu-
 ton that Is not needed, that is not
 right and just and demanded by the
 people.
 MT. President, we have lowered the tax limit with the idea that we would give to the people of the State the right of Heal self-taxation for public schools.
 I submit that there is ns one on the
 floor can gainsay that. We have re-
 duced our tax rate, guaranteeing that
 they would give to the people locally | the right to levy the amount that the tax was reduced. But this provision is
 so worded that it is imperative, and the people cannot enforce it. I law down
 the broad proposition that there is not | county in Alabama that can levy a school tax under this provision. If this proposition Is right and just, why not put it so the people can enforce 1t! say, if 1t Is wrong, this Convention
 should not be put in our organic law; | if it is right, it should be put in a shape that it can be enforced.
 Who pays the taxes in the country Go down these streets and you find tenants in houses paying rent. They are the ones who pay the taxes. The
 man who owns the property figures the taxes and includes it in the amount for wi ich he rents. And will we say that the man who is poor shall not vote! l believe levying taxes upon property for the benefit of education is for the bene- fit of the property itself. l represent the hill billies-but l believe that has
 been ruled out-so 1 represent poor agricultural people. In my county we have this law. It is imperative be-
 cause the officers don't put 1t into op- eration. In my county, in the remote
 country districts, wherever we have
 good school houses and good schools,
 valuations are higher than in districts
 where we have no school houses and
 churches Then, to levy school taxes and build up common schools in the country, increases the value of the property, and why not let the property
 bear it's share of taxation to build up the schools? You educate people in the country and you elevate them and make them ride more on the railroads and the
 railroads ought to be made to pay their share of taxation, because they get the
 benefit when you elevate the people.
 This Convention ought to be the last
 body of men who would for moment
 consider any proposition to tear down the school houses the State. Why?
 Because we have before us now
 nrobIem as to what to do with the ig-
 norant white man in Alabama. That
 is a great problem before the Conven-
 ton, And should we put down in the organic law of the State for all time
 to come such a proposition as is em-
 hodied in this section? This ought to
 be the last body of men in the world to strike down the common schools Of the country when 1t is said in the fu- ture only the educated can be allowed
 to vote. So I ask the delegates to
 nause and consider the great under taking upon which they are entering
 hefore they put this proposition into the organic law for all time.
 Who have fought the great battles or the country? When our country calls
 for warriors. men to go out and fight
 the battles. does she call for the prop ertv owners of the country? No, they
 are the biggest towards that ever -. .z 4ho country Wealth is al-