The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-28
THE SPEECHES CONSUMED DAY Delegates Still Discussing
 Suffrage. MIR. SPEARS FINISHES Messrs. Watts, Cunningham and Martin Spoke. The Black Belt Counties Were Flo quently Defended-Body Ad-
 journed Until II O'clock
 Monday Morning.

The Constitutional Convention at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon adjourned until Ii o'clock Monday morning after listening to speeches on the suffrage question by Messrs Spears of St. Clair, Watts of Montgomery, Cunning ham of Jefferson and Martin of Cal houn.
 The Convention was opened with prayer yesterday morning by Rev. MT Shores of Montgomery and seventy eight delegates-a bare quorum-re- sponded to roll call.
 MT. Beddow of Jefferson sent up a resolution providing for the printing of the speeches of Captain White or Jefferson and Governors Oates and Jones on the suffrage question. The Convention refused to suspend the rules for immediate consideration of the resolution and it was referred.
 On motion of MT. Barefield of Mon roe, the Convention agreed to adjourn at 1 o'clock until II o'clock Monday.
 A resolution by MT. Williams of Ma rengo providing for the printing Of 5000 copies of the speech of MT. Smith of Mobile was referred to the Commit tee on Printing.
 MT. Spears, the Republican delegate from St. Clair, continued his speech m opposition to the whole plan or SUI frage. He declared that there are S0o,- 900 negroes in Alabama that the Con- vention proposed should look to wash ington, the Capital of the nation, for protection, and not to Montgomery, the Capital of the State. The white men should not make enemies of these me- groes. He declared that he stood for universal suffrage and did not fear to stand suuarely on this principle.
 MT. Watts Speaks.
 Mr Watts of Montgomery made an earnest, clear and forcible argument m support of the majority report. lie believed, as a lawyer, that it was en- tirelv constitutional. He was one oi the black belt Democrats of whom some delegates seemed afraid. The piack belt wanted a Constitutional ConVeh- tion to rid itself of fraud. He expressed srrprise that Mir. Lowe of Jenerson and Mr. Shears of St. Clair joined in sccusing the black belt of preparing to commit fraud under the registration scbenne There is no ground for this unreasonable suspicion Of the pIacK belt. ... .r Mr Watts showed that citizens of the United States only have such riobts to vote as the States nay give .bam and declared that the equality clause in the Declaration of Indepeno- ence did not Intend to apply to the negro. The plan of our fathers was to deny to the negro any civu or poi- tical rights. teentn and Fifteenth Amendments of the Federal Constitution and said that . state could provide it's own quaiif1- cations for voters.
 MT. Watts concluded with an elo- ouent appeal to the Convention to per init the Black Belt delegates to go home and tell their people that the necessity for fraud was forever gone.
 Address of Dr. Cunningham.
 Dr. Cunningham of Jefferson was the next speaker. He said he had beer srdently in favor of Constitutions Convention to reform the suffrage plar of Alabama and he regarded the plar submitted by the committee as wei fitted to the case. He was not law yer but had sat as a juror -ap1 hat listened to the legal arguments ci learned lawyers. His verdict was thal the majority report is constitutional He dwelt at great length upon tho emancipation of slaves and declared That if the question of slavery was lef . to the delegates of :he Convention no one vote would be cast in its favor. Int negro ha, acquired all of his potential itv from the white man. A great mis take was made in his sudden enamel patton.
 Dr. Cunningham paid an eloquen tribute to the Black Belt and repudi ated the charge that it was undertak ing a deep laid scheme to dlecriminat against other counties. He declare that the suffrage plan extended thS bal lot to good negroes and took 1t awal from bad negroes.
 The speech of Dr. Cunningham wa vigorously spplauded and 5000 copie were ordered printed.
 MT. Martin of Calhoun spoke for tn majority report and argued that tn State owed debt of gratitude to tn old soldiers. If "the graudfathe clause" was omitted the new Consti tuition would be imperiled. He begge the Convention to stand by the BlacI Belt counties and paid high tribut to Judge Coleman, Chairman of tn committee.
 Att o'clock the Convention adjourne until Monday morning.